TUJ alum Miki Busscher meets with TUJ staff at the City Campus in Tokyo during an interview about her project.
A 2008 graduate of Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ), Miki Busscher is building bridges between Japan and South Florida through the art of Japanese calligraphy, promoting cultural exchange and supporting educational initiatives across the region.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in economics at TUJ, Buscher is now based in Miami, where she works under the name Kisen Calligraphy. In addition to her calligraphy work, she serves as a board member of the Japan Business Association of Miami (JBAM), helping connect Japanese companies with the local community.
In recent years, she has collaborated with Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF on to its Japanese Heritage Night, contributing designs such as original hachimaki headbands for fans. Through these initiatives, Busscher is expanding the role of calligraphy into the realm of sports and public cultural expression.
Her work has also been featured on the Miami Marlins’ jersey design for two consecutive years. This year’s design will be distributed at the Japanese Heritage Celebration on September 12 at loanDepot park, during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers further heightening interest in the event.
Challenge at TUJ and a Return to Calligraphy
During her time at TUJ, Busscher actively engaged in a wide range of activities while studying economics alongside her peers. One of her memorable experiences was co-founding an indoor rock-climbing club with friends, reflecting the sense of independence and leadership that continues to shape her work today.
She moved to Florida in 2012 following her marriage. Through raising her children, Busscher began reflecting on what she could pass on to the next generation and resumed practicing calligraphy, which she had studied during childhood. She resumed her studies and continued her training through online instruction with a calligraphy school in Japan, eventually earning a master-level certification.
Education and Community Engagement
Since 2019, Busscher has been teaching Japanese calligraphy at the Miami Hoshuko, a supplementary Japanese school accredited by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In addition to teaching, she has supported the school through charity activities and was recognized for her contributions in April 2026.
Her community engagement began with a project marking the start of Japan’s Reiwa era, where she instructed students in writing the characters “Reiwa.” This initiative later developed into exhibitions at local museums and community events.
Guided by her belief that “writing is a form of communication,” Busscher has also expanded her activities into media outreach. She has appeared on AceTalk, a program on South Florida’s Caribbean radio station WAVS 1170 AM, where she shared Japanese culture as a member of the local Japanese community. During a Mother’s Day broadcast aired on May 10, 2026, she introduced expressions of gratitude in Japanese, further promoting cultural understanding through language.
Practicing “Living Calligraphy”
Calligraphy is an art form built through the accumulation of individual strokes. Busscher applies this philosophy into her work, connecting the local community and the Japanese residents while bringing together culture, education, and business through sports.
At Inter Miami matches, the sight of fans wearing hachimaki designed by Busscher serves as a powerful example of calligraphy functioning within society—a living, shared cultural expression.
Reflecting on her journey, Busscher said, “Everything is connected by a single line.” From her childhood experiences with calligraphy to her studies at TUJ and her current work in Miami, each chapter has led naturally to the present.
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