Japanese Calligraphy, Shodo, its Chinese Roots and Zen Bond

Japanese calligraphy, called shodo in Japanese, is the calligraphy brushed in Japanese. As many other art forms in Japan, Japanese calligraphy has its roots in Chinese calligraphy. For many centuries one of the most respected calligraphers in Japan was Chinese Wang Xizhi from the 4th century.

Still, since the Hiragana and Katakana syllabaries were attached to the Japanese writing system, Japanese calligraphers started to develop their own Japanese approaches of calligraphy.

Different Kinds of Japanese Calligraphy

The traditional types are virtually the same in Chinese calligraphy as in Japanese calligraphy. They are as follows:

1. Seal Script, tensho in Japanese, an very old style of calligraphy

2. Regular Script, kaisho in Japanese language, also called Standard Script in English

3. Clerical Script, reisho in Japanese

4. Semi-Cursive, gyosho  in Japanese language

5. Cursive, sosho in Japanese language, sometimes named Running Script in English

The Four Treasures of Eastern Calligraphy

The 4 basic tools you use in traditional Japanese calligraphy are the 4 Treasures and they are: the brush, ink stick, rice paper - also known as mulberry paper in the West- and  the ink stone to liquefy the fresh ink.

Chinese Calligraphy Roots and Introduction to Japan

Chinese calligraphy goes back three thousand years, when pictorial figures or pictographs were engraved on bones usually with religious motivations. In time, in the Qin reign, the script was standardized as it had became an important instrument for running the Chinese state.

The Chinese tradition of calligraphy was introduced to Japan around AD 600. Since that time, in Japan calligraphy has been practiced uninterruptedly. It has formed its own style particularly in the Zen school.

Today in Japan pupils learn the art of Japanese calligraphy and it can be practiced in high school or universities along with other art disciplines such as painting or music.

Finally, the emergence of performance calligraphy has made it a popular activity practiced together in groups by the younger generation. Performance calligraphy has also been made known in the Western world and it seems to fascinate many people.

Japanese Calligraphy and Zen

Zen Buddhism has had a remarkable impact in Japanese calligraphy. The most popular symbol of the Zen school of Japanese calligraphy is the enso circle. The calligrapher depicts the enso circle of enlightenment in one free-flowing stroke that is never reshaped or altered.

Zen calligraphy, the Way of the Brush, is a sort of meditation in action.