Japanese has three different writing systems: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Both alphabets (hiragana and katakana) consist of 46 standard characters which each represent a sound. Kanji was adapted from Chinese, and contains characters which represent one or more sounds, words, or a combination of both.
For more information about Japanese writing systems, please visit last year’s thread.

For the 2017 World Fair, I’d like to focus on shodou (書道) – Japanese calligraphy.  Japanese children study calligraphy at school, and it’s usually an elective in high school akin to music or art.

Shodou has a long, dense history and has been practiced for more than three thousand years in Japan, and originated in China. It came over to Japan around the same time kanji was introduced to the Japanese writing system. Despite its lengthy history, calligraphy is still thriving and evolving, and many people take tests to achieve various levels of a “calligraphy license”.

There are three types of shodou: kaisho, gyosho, sousho

• 楷書 (kaisho) – square style; what most students learn first, “regular” writing that focuses on correct stroke order, and is most similar to what you would find in a magazine or newspaper.

• 行書 (gyousho) – semi-cursive writing; similar to cursive in English, and is more flowing in nature than the stricter kaisho style.

• 双書 (sousho) – cursive writing; the last style that people studying shodo learn; the most artistic type where the aesthetic of the character is more important than readability.
  

In the example below, the characters on the left are written in sousho, the middle is gyousho, and the right is kaisho.

Shodou Facts

• Shodo students are also taught proper breathing techniques similar to what you would learn in martial arts or Zen meditation.

• There are two different ways to hold the brush: the first way is when you use your thumb, index, and middle fingers, and the second is when you use your thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers.

• Many Japanese people feel that shodou is a “supreme art form” – even more so than sculpting or painting.

• In a calligraphy set you will find a shitajiki (black mat to write on top of), a fude brush, hanshi (special calligraphy paper), sumi (ink which comes in solid form and water is added to), suzuri (a heavy container for the ink), and bunchin (a paperweight).

• Aside from the three types listed above, there are six more types which are studied once the first three are mastered.

• Children usually only learn kaisho style in school.

Show Us Your Skills
Are you ready to practice some writing and be creative? Grab a pen and paper, paintbrush, marker  or even your finger and a tablet and try your hand at shodou!

When you’ve happy with your masterpiece, take a photo, screenshot, scan (whatever works) and PM it to me – dreamsinpink by Tuesday, September 20th. I’ll then post them here, and we’ll vote for our favourite! The winner will receive a special signature. Feel free to be creative – add anything you feel makes your work shine.

To keep the playing field fair, everyone must use the same character – 愛 (ai or love). Below is a stroke guide to help you get started. Have fun!

Wow! I love seeing the different styles side-by-side. That was a very informative graphic.