Michiko was born and raised in Nara, Japan. She began her studies of Calligraphy at the tender age of 4 at Baiko Calligraphy school. She studied at Kyoto Seika University, majoring in English Language and Literature. When Michiko was 25 years old, she received a membership to the Tenshin Guild, calligraphy society (studying under her teacher Baiko Matsumoto) and her life as a calligrapher began. Michiko progressed to the next level, becoming a member of the Cho-ko Guild (studying under her teacher Kikou Miyazaki) which is the most prestigious calligraphy society in Japan. During her apprenticeship, she taught calligraphy, and studied the art of Japanese silk scroll making in Japan. In 1998, Master Calligrapher Michiko Imai was awarded, and currently holds, a guild license called “Shihan” for teaching both calligraphy and instructing teachers to teach calligraphy. She is among the few to have won multiple category awards in national competitions in Japan. Her work has been displayed at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, Nara City Museum of Art, and Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art. Michiko arrived in the United States in 2008 on a P-3 visa which is a “Cultural Unique Artist” visa. She is currently teaching and creating at her own studio Michiko Studio in Salem and is also a member of the faculty at the Kaji Aso Studio in Boston for Japanese studies. Michiko has performed her calligraphy at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Prudential Center in Boston, Boston Children’s Museum, Tufts University, Brandeis University, Bowling Green State University, and MCPHS University, and has given workshops for Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, Montserrat College of Art, Northeastern University, Emmanuel College, and other universities throughout United States. Michiko was also a special guest at Asian Focus on WHDH Channel 7.