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CALLIGRAPHY (Japanese = Shodou)
Last Update: October 4, 2005
Calligraphy has a long and distinguished history in China, and this enthusiasm has extended to those nations who imported China's writing system. In my mind, the greatest watershed in Japanese calligraphy and art in general occurs with the introduction of Zen Buddhism (Chinese in origin) early in the Kamakura Era (1185-1333). The contribution of Zen to Japanese culture is profound, and much of what the West admires in Japanese art today can be traced to Zen influences on Japanese architecture, poetry, ceramics, painting, calligraphy, gardening, the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and other crafts.
In calligraphy, the brush line that is sweeping and fluid -- spontaneous rather than predictable, irregular rather than regular -- is highly treasured. To paraphrase Alan Watts, much of Zen art is the "art of artlessness, the art of controlled accident." Below I present some of my favorite brush work, almost all by contemporary artists.
JAPANESE PATRON DEITY OF CALLIGRAPHY
Tenjin shrines, especially those devoted to Michizane Sugawara (845 - 903 AD), are closely associated with calligraphy. Michizane (a courtier in the Heian period) was deified after death, for his demise was followed shortly by a plague in Kyoto, said to be his revenge for being exiled. Michizane is the patron deity of scholarship, learning, and calligraphy. Every year on the 2nd of January, students go to his shrines to ask for help in the tough school entrance exams or to offer their first calligraphy of the year. Egara Tenjin (in Kamakura) is one of the three most revered Tenjin in Japan, and among the three largest. The other two are Dazaifu Tenmangu (near Fukuoka; Dazaifu is where Michizane was exiled), and Kitano Tenjin in Kyoto (Michizane's birthplace). Click here for more on Japanese shrines.
JAPANESE MYTHS INVOLVING CALLIGRAPHY
Japan's popular Fire Festivals, held around January 15 each year, are also closely associated with calligraphy. Shrine decorations, talismans, and other shrine ornaments used during the local New Year Holidays are gathered together and burned in bonfires. They are typically pilled onto bamboo, tree branches, and straw, and set on fire to wish for good health and a rich harvest in the coming year. At these events, children throw their calligraphy into the bonfires -- and if it flies high into the sky, it means they will become good at calligraphy.
Character for Good, Goodness, Virtue
1986. Brushed by young Buddhist monk at Sanjusangendo (one of the most impressive of all Buddhist temples in Kyoto). The temple houses the Kannon of 1000 hands and is said to contain 33,333 of her images. The fluid sweeping brush strokes invoke a sense of vitality and spontaneity. When watching him brush this character, it seemed as though his hand and arm were dancing rather than writing.
Character for Nothingness, Emptiness
Above. 1986. Brushed by same young Buddhist monk as first image above. Again note the uninterrupted sense of motion and fluidity of brush.
The large character is the word for "kokoro" or heart. This 17th century Japanese brush and ink handwriting, with its relaxed Zen spontaneity, is one of the exercises practiced by Zen monks today. Photo courtesy of: www.buddhanet.net/japan.htm
Kokoro - Heart, Love (front label on Tentaka Kokoro Sake)
Calligraphy by Afaq from Holland
(Martial Artist and Calligrapher)
Ki (Chi, Ch'i, Qi) - Vital Energy, Life Force, Breath, Spirit
Roughly equivalent to the Sanskrit Prana,
the peculiarly unforced energy associated with breath.
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Stylized form of Ki / Chi
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Traditional form of Ki / Chi
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Simplified form of Ki / Chi
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Holy Wind through the Bamboo Trees
by Afaq from Holland (Martial Artist and Calligrapher)
Sake - Japanese Nihonshu, or Rice Wine
Drawn by Yasutaka Daimon's father
Aji - Taste (scanned from a match book)
Above. Painting at Ryutakuji - A Famous Zen Temple in Japan
Wa - Harmony (from newspaper clipping)
DREAM (Japanese = Yume)
Calligraphy by Qiao Seng, a wonderful Zen artist.
The hand-painted seal says "Dreaming of Butterflies."
His artwork can be purchased by visiting his site.
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