Page 22 - All About History 55 - 2017 UK

The WriTTen Word

How to

Write Japanese Calligraphy

shodo is the ultimate form of self-expression, transmitting

your inner spirit onto paper Japan, 4th century – preSent Day

Calligraphy has long been held in high esteem Clear your mind
in Japan. It’s written in kanji, an alphabet that
To practice shodo, your mind needs to
was adopted in the 4th century after the arrival be ‘mushin’ — free from any distracting
of Buddhism. Emperors and aristocrats took up thoughts and emotions — so that you can
concentrate on the characters.
the art of calligraphy that the Buddhist monks
used to write holy scripture. Channel your ki
Over time, they began to put their own
Ki is the Japanese concept of energy,
spin on the art form. Japanese Zen Buddhist feelings and emotions. Calligraphy helps
monks practiced a style known as ‘shodo’ — channel this from the self, through ink,
onto paper.
‘sho’ translates to ‘handwriting’ and ‘do’ to ‘the
way’. They believed calligraphy had a spiritual Have a cup of tea
significance, allowing you to transmit your ki,
Japanese calligraphy is often displayed
or inner spirit, through the brush onto paper if in tearooms, where the phrase or poetry
you could become clear of thoughts. might set the theme of the tea ceremony
meeting or inform discussion.
WHAT YOU’LL Sumi ink
NEED… The ink used for calligraphy is made by
masters from the soot of pine branches,
preferably selected from the superior
mountain woodlands of Nara or Suzuka.
Rice paper
Rice paper comes in two types, raw and
sized, which have different textures and
so bring out different shades in sumi inks.
felt mat

inkstone

sumi ink stiCk

brushes

ACQUIRE THE FOUR TREASURES PREPARE YOUR INK
To start, you will need what are collectively known as the Ink is sold in solid blocks known as sticks that you have
01 four treasures: the inkstone, some ink, a brush and some 02 to prepare in an inkstone before it can be used. First,
paper. Brushes are the most important and they come in three drop a few drips of water onto the inkstone. Then, take your
paperWeight types — hard, soft and mixed — that are all made using animal sumi stick and gently grind it into the water so that black ink is
hair. As a beginner, a mixed brush is usually a good one to collected in the well. This repetitive ritual should also prepare
begin practising with. you for the next step.

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