Shodo

The Art of

Japanese Calligraphy

Cathy HartPerry MiddleSchoolWorthington, Ohio

The art of shodo began in China and came toJapan in the sixth or seventh century. Themethods for making brushes, ink, and paperalso came from China. In those ancient days,calligraphy was practiced by the Japaneseruling noble families. Eventually, the artspread among the common people, too. Today calligraphy is an art form to be admiredas well as practiced. Shodo is used to createNew Year's wishes (kakizome) and is also usedin other daily life situations.

Tanka panel in Shiojiri

This calligrapher is stampingand writing in a temple book. The accordion temple book isa keepsake of all of thetemples one has visited. Aunique page is added at eachone. It is a wonderful pieceof art.

The precise number of characters inexistence is disputed. Estimates rangefrom 40,000 to 80,000. The highschool sensei in Japan said there areabout 48,000 characters.Fluency in Chinese requires knowledgeof approximately 3000 to 5000characters, while fluency in Japaneserequires knowledge of approximately2000 to 3000 characters.

Junior high students in Japan

Both of these characters mean ‘horse’. The lower one is approximately 3000years old and the upper one is about 1000years old. Can you see how the older one at thebottom looks like a horse with its maneblowing in the wind? Do you see the fourlegs and a tail? Of course you can see itseye! How is the more recent one at the topdifferent?

These two characters also have the samemeaning. The top one is once again anewer, more abstract version and thelower one is a more ancient version. Can you guess the meaning?

That’s right! It means “child”.There are model sheets for the two versions of “horse” and “child” includedwith this lesson.

There’s also a model sheetfor “mountain”, which youcan see at the left.

Sumi(black ink)

Suzuri(inkstone)

Fude(brush)Hanshi

(calligraphypaper)

Shitajiki(soft writingpad)

Bunchin(paperweight)

Implements

Model (for theperson acrossthe table)

Implements

Bunchin – heavy metal bar used for a paperweight to preventthe paper from moving

Shitajiki – writing pad of soft cloth, often felt and usually black;can have markings on it used for student guides

Hanshi - calligraphy paper, standard size is 9 1/2” X 13”, thinso there is complete control over how the ink will be absorbed:at times a blotting effect showing a pause and at times aneffect where the brush runs out of ink making a complex setof lines showing movement, smooth side is used

Suzuri – ink stone of two parts called the ocean (umi) used tohold the ink and the land (riku) used to prepare or grind theink

Sumi – black ink made from charcoal; stick form is best sincepreparation is part of the art and it will last; however, bokujuu(liquid form) is often used by students for temporary work

Fude – brush made of bamboo and animal hair, shaped to a nicepoint

Fude come in all sizes!

Greg holding a giant fude for very large works

Kunimoto Hayashi holding a brushused for demonstration

Posture

Sit up straight without leaningon the back of your seat. Don'tsit up too close to the desk. Holdthe paper still with the handyou're not using to write with.

Students in Columbus JapaneseLanguage School at Granby Elementary

The brush should be held midwaybetween the two ends. Basicallyuse three fingers (your thumb,index finger, and middle finger) tohold it. Rest your ring finger forsupport, allowing your pinkie to laynaturally. The brush is heldupright, with the hand not touchingthe paper.

Holding the Brush

Writing in temple book in Asakusa

Each character is made upof a number of strokeswhich must be written in aprescribed order.The number of strokes percharacter for mostcharacters is between threeand thirty.

These kanji meaning “mountain” on the bottom and “fire” onthe top combine to mean “volcano”. They were created by

fourth graders in Japan.

The sensei uses a brush withwater on a special board todemonstrate the proper strokes.

Columbus Japanese Language School at GranbyElementary School

Junior high school in Shiojiri

Demonstrating twocharacters

The top character means “water”, the lower one might mean” king” (asis) or “bowl” (with one more dot), meaning water drop

To begin, learn to make“yokoga”, horizontal lines.

High school sensei in Japan

Mrs. Hart practicing with Nozomi

Then, try something simplewith only three strokes, likethe “yama” character whichmeans “mountain”.

Students at Columbus JapaneseLanguage School in Worthington

You might also want to try“moon”. It’s fairly simple, too. Model sheets for both “moon”and “mountain” are includedwith this lesson. There is asheet with just the characterand a second sheet showingthe order of the strokes foreach one. See how the student has themodel sheet of “moon” next toher work in this picture?

This student is writing “genki” whichmeans “strong, cheerful, healthy”.

Look for calligraphy books in both theschool and public libraries if you wantto explore further. There are manycharacters to learn!

Works of calligraphy are admired for the accurate composition oftheir characters, of course, but also for the way the brush ishandled in their creation, the shading of the ink, and the balancedplacement of the characters on the paper. Let’s see what you can do!