Pure Wind Branch Terms and Conditions
Joining the Pure Wind branch of the Shokaisha school, and course fees
Following the Shokaisha Foundation school system, all students should be 18 years of age or older. There are no other entry requirements.
After you have completed our short form and set up your subscription payment through Paypal, then we enrol you in the coursework. Please then register for the coursework by logging in to the online learning system (we will send you the link and information to do this). After you have registered for the coursework, your membership will then be registered with the Shokaisha head office in Ikenohata, Tokyo.
Fees follow the format of the Japanese calligraphy schools system, which is a subscription format. Fees are:
- an initial joining fee (£8, approx €9 or $11), as well as
- a monthly fee (£56, approx €64 or $74).
Payments are taken by monthly subscription, through our Paypal account named ‘Drawing and Painting Studio’ (the name of the art organisation set up by Blair Thomson in 2008).
Trial period and meet the teacher
You can opt to have a trial period of the Shokaisha coursework (to be completed within one month), this has a cost of £25 to cover our basic admin costs and is non-refundable, which can be purchased through Paypal. You will receive an example of the monthly course material and guidance on how to brush it, and the option to meet Blair (either at our monthly Seifū in person group, or alternatively by booking a 30 minute online Zoom meeting from one of our available time slots) and have your copy corrected and teaching support given. Please note that during the trial period you will not become a member of Shokaisha nor receive a rank or calligraphy name. Once you have met the teacher Blair, brushed a monthly assignment example, and had correction and guidance on your assignment, your trial will end, otherwise the trial will finish one month after purchase.
Cooling off period
There is a 14-day cooling off period from the date you pay for your first month’s payment, however please note that in keeping with UK Consumer Contracts Regulations, as the coursework is available as downloadable digital content, from the date that you decide to start to access your digital content (by registering for the online course content using Moodle) you therefore agree to waive the 14-day cooling off period from that date of access. So if you don’t want to waive your 14-day cooling off period, please delay registering for the course content (on Moodle) until after 14 days from the date of your purchase.
Materials costs
Materials costs: you will be expected to pay for your materials to do your own practice. Guidance will be given on what to buy and from where. There are costs to buy Shokaisha’s recommended materials (this is up to students to decide to buy these or not). We supply all basic materials at our monthly in-person Pure Wind class.
Optional Costs
As we follow Shokaisha’s calligraphy system and fee paying structure, there are various optional costs which are for you to decide whether these are necessary for you, and your teacher can advise you. These costs are based on the optional fees that Shokaisha charge (converted from Japanese Yen):
- Optional exam cost: charge for submitting for the Shiken 試験(annual exam assignments) once a year by mid February and are a method for students to move up the ranking system. The cost for shiken submission increases with the rank (due to the number and size of assignments given for higher ranking students). For instance in 2026 the cost for students to submit assignments to enter the upper rank of Shodan 初段 was 6000Y (approximately £30). It is up to the student whether they want to submit for the exams.
- Optional exhibition costs: for students who wish to exhibit in Japan, there are costs for submission, as well as cost for the work to be prepared and framed in Japan for the exhibition. In the 2026 Shokaishaten exhibition for example, the smallest size of work had a submission fee of 15,000Y (approximately £75). Your teacher, or the Shokaisha office, can guide you with exam and exhibition fees if you wish to take part.
Monthly coursework and minimum commitment
Arrange your calligraphy practice around your work or family life. The basic recommended minimum is to complete one assignment per month in kaisho regular style, (but you have the option to complete up to three assignments.) However it is not obligatory to submit work each month, and there is no pressure to do so.
Teaching meetings per month
You can have up to 2 meetings with the teacher per month (students can decide whether they need both meetings, and breaks are allowed):
- For remote students: up to two Zoom meetings of 1 hour each
- For in-person students: one in-person class at Woodside Library (with one to one support time), and one Zoom meeting of up to 1 hour
- Flexible for students to switch between in-person and remote learning
- Additionally, all students can join our online Zoom class (monthly on Monday 7pm – 8.30pm UK time)
Monthly study and holiday breaks
It is optional how much work you do each month, and up to you whether you want to take a break from monthly practice. And it is for you to decide whether you wish to submit for the shiken 試験 annual exam assignments. As long as you have submitted one month’s work (which allows you to gain an initial rank), and retain your membership through your monthly payment, you won’t lose your rank or membership of Shokaisha.
We encourage you to maintain a regular monthly practice as much as you feel possible, even if you can’t always submit something each month, and to speak to your teacher for advice and best steps forward. If you are on holiday and miss the coursework, or need a break from the coursework for any reason, that is fine. It is helpful to let us or the teacher know that you are having a break and don’t need any tuition or correction whilst on your break.
Membership, payment breaks and cancellation
Please let us know if you are you are thinking of stopping your subscription. In keeping with the Shokaisha school system, unfortunately if you stop your monthly subscription, you will automatically lose access to all new course materials, as well as lose your membership of Shokaisha. It is possible though to re-start your membership again later, however please note that you will need to pay the joining fee again at that time (to cover the admin cost of registering again). Also, if you need access to any particular missed course materials, which may be necessary for the shiken 試験 annual exam assignments, you will be asked to pay the monthly fee(s) for the missed month(s) that you request. You can cancel your monthly subscription through Paypal, at any time during your billing cycle.