An almost daily fixture on Victoria’s inner harbour causeway, this husband-and-wife team is back sharing their art after the pandemic.
Eijo and Danielle Toyonaga are an artistic duo who create art pieces in Kanji and rainbow calligraphy using passersby names and inspirational words.
They’re on Victoria’s inner harbour causeway almost every afternoon and they know approximately 3,500 different Kanji characters – a word that means Chinese characters in Japanese.
Through their art, they said their main focus and source of inspiration is bringing satisfaction and joy to their array of customers.
They also have many customers from all over the world requesting these art pieces, and the Toyonagas said they have people reaching out to them who were customers many years ago requesting another piece or two for themselves or their loved ones.
The couple also collect stones from surrounding beaches that they then polish and carve inspirational words in Japanese into what they call gratitude stones.
They said that these stones are a reminder for people to practice stillness and appreciation when holding them in their hands.
Eijo is also well known in the Greater Victoria area for his daily prayer practice at the B.C. legislature steps, where he prays for world peace and happiness.
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