Japanese Calligrapy - The Fun Way of Writing
The meaning of the word ‘calligraphy’ is - beautiful writing and every language has been endowed with its own beauty of calligraphic writings. This art form has been in practice for over three thousand years. Japanese too, have their own characteristic and beautiful calligraphy (also called Shodo) in place. The Japanese calligraphy is believed to have derived its roots from the Chinese system of writing. Being a very interesting subject, many people take to calligraphy, and today there are a handful of calligraphy societies in Japan. Japanese calligraphy, like its Chinese counterpart, uses couplets of four, five, or seven syllables. It is not merely a physical art, but also has an element of soul in it, which makes this ancient art form more captivating.
Japanese calligraphy follows the basic Chinese style. The Japanese have been initiated into Shodo by the Chinese in about 600 BC. Since then, it continues till today, with many changes and inputs from regular contact with the Chinese culture. The Japanese calligraphy has imbibed all the five basic scripts of the Chinese calligraphy which are tensho (seal style), kaiso (block style), reisho (scribe’s style), sosho (cursive style), and gyosho (semi cursive style). Apart from these, the Japanese have also developed the kana style around the eight century, which is of three types.
They Are Manyogana, Katakana, And Hiragana.
- Manyogana: They are Chinese characters (kanji), which are used phonetically to decipher the Japanese syllables.
- Katakana: This came as a simplified version of the Chinese calligraphy.
- Hiragana: This also was derived as a simplification of the Chinese calligraphy. Further, from this, hiragana developed the Japanese calligraphy, which is unique in itself.
The Japanese attach utmost importance to its calligraphy, which is why they have incorporated it into their elementary education system. It is an optional subject in the high schools of Japan, and students get the choice of opting for it, along with music, and painting. It is a highly patronized subject in Japanese universities. This explains why Japanese calligraphy has flourished so much.
Related Articles:
Chinese Chops - The Most Authentic Statement | Traditional Japanese Haiku | How to Write Haiku Poetry | Origins of Chinese Scripts (Hanzi) | Chinese Chops Seals | Japanese Calligraphy - The Fun Way of Writing | Chinese calligraphy for Mental and Spiritual Health | Using and caring for your Chinese Chop | Kakejiku Kakemono Hanging Scrolls