Japanesecalligraphy

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Japanesecalligraphy(shod)isaformofcalligraphy,orartisticwriting,oftheJapaneselanguage.
Foralongtime,themostesteemedcalligrapherinJapanhadbeenWangXizhi,aChinesecalligrapherin
the4thcentury,butaftertheinventionofHiraganaandKatakana,theJapaneseuniquesyllabaries,the
distinctiveJapanesewritingsystemdevelopedandcalligraphersproducedstylesintrinsictoJapan.

Contents
1Techniques
2Tools
3History
3.1Chineseroots
3.2BeforetheNaraperiod
3.3HeianPeriod
3.4KamakuraandMuromachiperiod
3.5Edoperiod
3.6Today
4ConnectiontoZenBuddhism
5Seealso
6Notes
7References
8Externallinks

Techniques
JapanesecalligraphysharesitsrootswithChinesecalligraphyandmanyofitsprinciplesandtechniquesare
verysimilarandrecognizesthesamebasicwritingstyles:
sealscript(tensho)(pinyin:zhunsh)
clericalscript(reisho)(pinyin:lsh)
regularscript(kaisho)(pinyin:kish)
semicursive(gysho)(pinyin:xngsh)
cursive(ssho)(pinyin:cosh).

Tools

Inmoderncalligraphy,anumberoftoolsareusedtomakea
composition.See"thefourtreasures".[1]Traditionallythesetools
are:
Aninkstick(sumi).Theoldertheinkstickis,thebetterit
is.Thebestinksticksarebetween50and100yearsold.
Mulberrypaper(washi)
Aninkstone(suzuri)togrindtheinkstickagainst,mixed
withwater.
Apaperweight(bunchin)toholdthepaperinplace

Atraditionalinkstonetogrindink
andwateragainston.

Acloth(shitajiki)toplaceunderthepaper(often
newsprintisusedaswell)topreventinkfrombleeding
through.
Abrush(fud)
Aseal.[1]Theartofengravingasealiscalled"tenkoku".
Thestudentisencouragedtoengravehisownseal.The
positionofthesealorthesealsisbasedonaestheticviews.
Oneisnotallowedtoputasealonasutra'scalligraphy.
Atypicalbrushusedforcalligraphy.

Duringpreparation,waterispouredintotheinkstoneandthe
inkstickisgroundagainstit,mixingthewaterwiththedriedinktoliquefyit.Asthisisatimeconsuming
process,moderndaycalligraphyprovidesliquidinkinabottlecalledBokuju(bokuj)andis
frequentlyusedbybeginners.Moreadvancedstudentsareencouragedtogrindtheirownink.The
traditionalandbestpositionforcalligraphy(asforinkpainting)isontheground.
Thebrushescomeinvariousshapesandsizes,andareusuallymadeusinganimalhairforthebristles.
Typicalanimalhairmaycomefromgoats,sheep,horsehair,etc.Thehandlemaybemadefromwood,
bamboo,plasticorothermaterials.[2]

History
Chineseroots
TheChineserootsofJapanesecalligraphygobacktothetwentyeighthcenturyB.C.,toatimewhen
pictographswereinscribedonboneforreligiouspurposes.Whenthiswritingdevelopedintoaninstrument
ofadministrationforthestate,theneedforauniformscriptwasfeltandLiSi,primeministerinthe
ChinesedynastyofQin,standardizedascriptanditswayofbeingwritten.Hesanctionedaformofscript
basedonsquaresofuniformsizeintowhichallcharacterscouldbewrittenfromeightstrokes.Healso
devisedrulesofcompositionwherehorizontalstrokesarewrittenfirstandcharactersarecomposedstarting
fromtoptobottom,lefttoright.Becausethesymbolswereinscribedwithsharpinstruments,thelineswere
originallyangularandinmanywaysLiSi'sachievementsweremadeobsoletebytheappearanceofbrush
andink(seeChinesecalligraphy).Theinkwetbrushcreatesalinequitedifferentfromasharpstylus.It

affordsvariationinthicknessandcurveofline.CalligraphyretainedtheblockformofLiSiandhiseight
strokesbutthewriterwasfreetocreatecharactersthatemphasizedaestheticallypleasingbalanceandform.
Thewayacharacterwaswrittengaveamessageofstyle.
CalligraphyintheChinesetraditionwasthusintroducedtoJapanabout600A.D.Knownasthekaray(
)tradition,ithasbeenpracticeduptotoday,rejuvenatedcontinuouslythroughcontactwithChinese
culture.[3]
TheoldestexistingcalligraphictextinJapanistheinscriptiononthehalooftheMedicineBuddhastatuein
theHryjiTemple.ThisChinesetextwaswritteninShakeitai(
)style,prominentintheChineseSixDynastiesperiod.

BeforetheNaraperiod
TheHryjiTemplealso
holdsbibliographicnoteson
theLotusSutra:theHokke
Gisho()was
writtenearlyinthe7th
centuryandisconsideredthe
oldestJapanesetext.Itis
writteninCursivescriptand
illustratesthatcalligraphyin
theAsukaperiodwas
alreadyrefinedtoahigh
degree.

Gakkiron,writtenbytheEmpress
Komyoin744.Shecopiedthistext
fromChinesecalligrapherWang
Xizhi'sandtodaythisisregardedas
oneofthemostimportantcopiesof
WangXizhi'scalligraphy.(seealso:
File:Gakkiron2.jpg)

Theoldesthandcopiedsutra
inJapanistheKong
Jdaraniky.Copiedbythe
priestHrinin686A.D.,the
calligraphystyleshows
influencesfromtheworkof
OuyangXun.

Inscriptiononthehaloofthestatue
oftheMedicineBuddha,Hryji
Temple
Writteninthe7thcentury

"BrokenStoneinUjiBridge"(ujibashidanpi)(mid7th
century)andStoneinNasuCounty"StoneinNasuCounty"(
nasukokuzhi)arealsotypicalexamplesfromthistime.Both
inscriptionswereinfluencedbytheNorthernWeirobuststyle.

Inthe7thcentury,theTangDynastyestablishedhegemonyinChina.TheirsecondEmperorTaizong
esteemedWangXizhi'scalligraphictextsandthispopularityinfluencedJapanesecalligraphers.Allofthe
originaltextswrittenbyWangXizhihavebeenlost,andcopiessuchasGakkiron()writtenbythe
EmpressKomyoarehighlyregardedasimportantsourcesforWangXizhi'sstyle.HoweverWang's
influencecanbarelybeoverstated,inparticularfortheway()styleuniquetoJapan:"Eventoday,
thereissomethingaboutJapanesecalligraphythatretainstheunchangedflavourofWangXizhi'sstyle".[4]

HeianPeriod

EmperorKammumovedthecapitalfromHeijkyinNara,firstto
Nagaokakyin784,andthentoHeianky,Kyotoin794.This
marksthebeginningoftheHeianera,Japan's"goldenage".Chinese
influencesincalligraphywerenotchangedintheearlyperiod.For
example,undertheEmperorSaga'sreign,royalty,thearistocracy
andevencourtladiesstudiedcalligraphybycopyingChinesepoetry
textsinartisticstyle.
WangXizhi'sinfluencesremaineddominant,whichareshownin
calligraphieswrittenbyKkaiorSaich.SomeotherChinese
calligraphers,suchasOuyangXunandYanZhenqingwerealso
highlyvalued.TheirmostnotableadmirerswereEmperorSagaand
TachibananoHayanarirespectively.
Atthesametime,astyleofcalligraphyuniquetoJapanemerged.
Writinghadbeenpopularized,andthekanasyllabarywasdevised
todealwithelementsofpronunciationthatcouldnotbewrittenwith
theborrowedChinesecharacters.Japanesecalligraphersstillfitted
thebasiccharacters,calledkanji(),intothesquareslaidout
CryfornobleSaich(),
centuriesbefore.SoukouShujitsuisconsideredthefirsttexttoshow
whichwaswrittenbyEmperorSaga
astyleuniquetoJapanesecalligraphy.ThisTanka()poemwas
forSaich'sdeath.Sagawasascholar
writtenin749A.D.,andshowssomedifferencesfromChinese
oftheChineseclassics.Hewasalso
calligraphy.OnonoMichikaze(894966A.D.),oneofthesocalled
renownedasaskillfulcalligrapher.
sanseki(,"ThreeBrushTraces"),alongwithFujiwarano
SukemasaandFujiwaranoYukinari,isconsideredthefounderof
theauthenticallyJapaneseway()style,orwayshod().Thisdevelopmentresonatedwith
thecourt:KkaisaidtoEmperorSaga,"ChinaisalargecountryandJapanisrelativelysmall,soIsuggest
writinginadifferentway."The"CryfornobleSaich"(kokuSaichshounin),apoemwritten
byEmperorSagaontheoccasionofSaich'sdeath,wasoneoftheexamplesofsuchatransformation.Ono
noMichikazeservedasanarchetypefortheShreninschool,whichlaterbecametheOiestyleof
calligraphy.TheOiestylewaslaterusedforofficialdocumentsintheEdoperiodandwastheprevailing
styletaughtintheterakoya()schoolsofthattime.

KamakuraandMuromachiperiod
TheascensionofMinamotoYoritomotothetitleofShogun,
followingtheHgenandHeijirebellions,andthevictoryofthe
MinamotoclanovertheTaira,markedthebeginningofthe
Kamakuraperiod(11851333A.D.),butnotquiteyettoareturnto
peaceandtranquility.Theeraissometimescalled"theageofthe
warriors"andabroadtransitionfromcourtinfluencestoaleading
roleofthemilitaryestablishmentpervadedtheculture.Itisalso,
however,atimewhenexchangeswithChinaoftheSongdynasty
continuedandBuddhismgreatlyflourished.Zenmonkssuchas
AmanuscriptinFujiwaranoTeika's
ShunjostudiedinChinaandthecopybooksthathebroughtwithhim
handof"SuperiorPoemsofour
areconsideredhighlyinfluentialforthekaray()traditionof
Time",showinghiscalligraphicstyle.
thetime,expressingaclearkaishostyle.[5]Butthiswasnottheonly
example,indeedasuccessionofChinesemonkswasnaturalizedatthattime,encouragedbyregentHj

Tokiyori.RankeiDoryfoundedtheKenchjitempleinKamakuraandmanyofhisworkshavebeen
preserved.However,withtheriseoftheRinzaischoolofZenBuddhismalesstechnicalstyleappeared,
representativeofZenattitudesandexemplifiedintheworksofMusSosekiwhowroteinarefinedsosho
style,orShhMycho(12821337betterknownasDaitoKokushi),thefounderofDaitokujiinKyoto,
whohadnottraveledtoChinatostudy.Intermsofway()style,theworksofFujiwaranoShunzei
andFujiwaranoTeikaareconsideredoutstandingexamplesofthelateHeianandearlyKamakura.[6]
PoliticalandmilitaryunrestcontinuedthroughouttheMuromachiperiod(13361537A.D.),characterized
bytensionsbetweenimperialandcivilauthorityandperiodsofoutrightcivilwar.However,asAshikaga
TakaujihadoustedEmperorGoDaigofromKyototoestablishhisownbakufuthere,theinterminglingof
residualmembersoftheimperialcourt,courtiers,daimyo,samurai,andZenpriestsresultedinvibrant
culturalimpulses.Theartsprospered,butarenotconsideredasrefinedasthatofearliertimes.Ofnoteis
theroleofIkkySjun,asuccessorofShhMychoatDaitokujiIkkywasinstrumentalinelevating
theappreciationofcalligraphytoanintegralpartoftheteaceremonyinthe15thcentury.[7]

Edoperiod
TokugawaIeyasucentralizedpowerinhisshogunatebetween1603
and1615.ThismarkedthebeginningoftheEdoperiod,which
brought250yearsofrelativestabilitytoJapan,lastinguntilthe
secondhalfofthe19thcentury.Theperiodwasmarkedbyan
emphasisonthevaluesofthebushi()andseclusionfrom
overseasinfluenceswiththeSakoku(lit.lockedcountry,or
chainedcountry)policy.Calligraphicstudieswereessentially
Afragmentfromthe"100Poets
limitedtothestudyofkaray()styleworks,viaMingDynasty
anthology"calligraphybyHon'ami
China.IndigenousdevelopmentswerecontributedbyIngenandthe
Ketsu.
bakusectofZenbuddhism,andtheDaishischoolofcalligraphy.
Thelatterfocusedonthestudyofthe"eightprinciplesofthe
characteryong"(eijihapp),whichgobacktoWangXizhi,andtheand72typesofhissei(lit.
"brushenergy")expoundedbyWangXizhi'steacher,theLadyWei.The1664reprintofacopybookbased
ontheseprinciplesinKyotocontributedanimportanttheoreticaldevelopment.[8]Calligrapherssuchas
HosoiKotaku,whoauthoredthefivevolumeKangaHyakudanin1735,furtheradvancedthekaray(
)style.VerycharacteristicfortheearlyEdoperiodwasaninnovationbyHon'amiKetsu(15581637)
whohadpapermadetoorderandpaintedabackdropofdecorativepatterns,butterfliesorfloralelements
thathiscalligraphyestablishedapoeticcorrespondencewith.TogetherwithKonoeNobutada(15651614)
andShkadShj(15841639)thethreeKan'eiSanpitsu()heisconsideredoneofthe
greatestcalligraphersintheway()styleatthetime,creatingexamplesof"auniquelyJapanese
calligraphy".[9]
Around1736YoshimunebeganrelaxingJapan'sisolationpolicyandChineseculturalimportsincreased,in
particularviatheportofNagasaki.Cataloguesofimportedcopybookstestifytoabroadappreciationof
ChinesecalligraphersamongtheJapaneseliteratiwhopursuedthekaraystyle:"traditionalists"studied
WangXizhiandWenZhengming,while"reformists"modeledtheirworkonthesoshstyleof
calligrapherssuchasZhangXu,HuaiSuandMiFu.Intermsofway,KonoeIehirocontributedmanyfine
kanaworksbutgenerallyspeaking,waystylewasnotasvigorouslypractisedaskarayatthattime.[10]
Neverthelesssomeexampleshavebeenpreservedbyscholarsofkokugaku(Nationalstudies),orpoets
andpainterssuchasKaganoChiyo,YosaBusonorSakaiHoitsu.

Today
CalligraphyisanelementaryschoolsubjectintheJapanesemandatoryeducationsystem.Inhighschool,
calligraphyisoneofthechoicesamongartsubjects,alongwithmusicorpainting.Itisalsoapopularhigh
schoolclubactivity,particularlywiththeadventofperformancecalligraphy.[11]Someuniversities,suchas
UniversityofTsukuba,TokyoGakugeiUniversityandFukuokaUniversityofEducation,havespecial
departmentsofcalligraphicstudythatemphasizeteachertrainingprogramsincalligraphy.
JapanesecalligraphyhasalsofascinatedmanyWesternartiststhroughthecenturiesmainlycalligraphers
themselves,butfamousartistsaswell,whostudiedandpracticedcalligraphyasaparalleltotheirownart
(seealsolistofprominentcalligraphers).

ConnectiontoZenBuddhism
Japanesecalligraphywasinfluencedby,andinfluenced,Zenthought.Forany
particularpieceofpaper,thecalligrapherhasbutonechancetocreatewiththebrush.
Thebrushstrokescannotbecorrected,andevenalackofconfidenceshowsupinthe
work.Thecalligraphermustconcentrateandbefluidinexecution.Thebrushwritesa
statementaboutthecalligrapheratamomentintime(seeHitsuzendo,theZenwayof
thebrush).ThroughZen,JapanesecalligraphyabsorbedadistinctJapaneseaesthetic
oftensymbolisedbytheensorcircleofenlightenment.
ZencalligraphyispracticedbyBuddhistmonksandmostshodpractitioners.Towrite
Zencalligraphywithmastery,onemustclearone'smindandletthelettersflowoutof
themselves,notpracticeandmakeatremendouseffort.Thisstateofmindwascalled
themushin("nomindstate")bytheJapanesephilosopherNishidaKitaro.Itis
basedontheprinciplesofZenBuddhism,whichstressesaconnectiontothespiritual
ratherthanthephysical.[12]
BeforeJapaneseteaceremonies(whichareconnectedtoZenBuddhism),oneistolook
ataworkofshodtoclearone'smind.Thisisconsideredanessentialstepinthe
preparationforateaceremony.[12]

Calligraphyby
MusSoseki
(12751351,
Japanesezen
master,poet,
andcalligrapher.
Thecharacters
""
("nospiritual
meaning")are
writtenina
flowing,
connectedsosh
style.

Seealso
Listofprominentcalligraphers
ListofNationalTreasuresofJapan(writings)
Sumie(Japaneseinkpainting)isrelatedinmethod.

Notes
1. ^abYuukoSuzuki,Introductiontojapanesecalligraphy,SearchPress,2005
2. ^"About.com:JapaneseCalligraphyBrushes"(http://japanese.about.com/od/calligraphy/a/082298.htm).
Retrieved7January2013.
3. ^Nakata1973,p.145ff.
4. ^Nakata1973,p.170
5. ^Nakata1973,p.153
6. ^Nakata1973,p.166
7. ^Nakata1973,p.156
8. ^Nakata1973,p.157
9. ^Nakata1973,p.168
10. ^Nakata1973,p.169
11. ^Inagaki,Naoto(January29,2012)."Performancecalligraphytouchesonessenceofartform"
(http://ajw.asahi.com/article/globe/feature/calligraphy/AJ201201290029).AsahiShimbun.RetrievedMay1,2012.
12. ^abSolanaYukoHalada."ShodoHistory"(http://www.zenshodo.com/history.htm).JapaneseCalligraphyin
ZenSpirit.

References
Nakata,Yujiro(1973).TheArtofJapaneseCalligraphy.NewYork/Tokyo:Weatherhill/Heibonsha.
ISBN0834810131.
HistoryofJapanesecalligraphy(),HachiroONOUE(),1934
YuukoSuzuki,Introductiontojapanesecalligraphy,SearchPress,2005.

Externallinks
ShodoJournalResearchInstitute(http://www.shodo
journal.com/)
JapaneseCalligraphyinZenSpirit

WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtoJapanese
calligraphy.

(http://www.zenshodo.com/)
BrushCalligraphyGalleries(http://www.skyrenart.com/ja.html)
JapaneseCalligraphygalleriesandmore(hungarianlanguage)(http://japan.kalligrafiaklub.hu/)

TheHistoryofJapaneseCalligraphy(http://www.beyondcalligraphy.com/japanese_calligraphy.html)
InEnglish,atBeyondCalligraphy.com
Bridgeofdreams:theMaryGriggsBurkecollectionofJapaneseart
(http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/153737),a
catalogfromTheMetropolitanMuseumofArtLibraries(fullyavailableonlineasPDF),which
containsmaterialonJapanesecalligraphy
Retrievedfrom"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_calligraphy&oldid=640496470"
Categories: D EastAsiancalligraphy Japaneseculture Japanesecrafts Calligraphy
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