About
Hachibokukai is a japanese calligraphy academy in NYC.
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We provide calligraphy lessons in your very own home in Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens!
Shodo
Japanese calligraphy, which is known as “Shodo,” is an artistic form of writing. It has been practiced for over three thousand years. It has not merely been an exercise for good handwriting, but a foremost art form since the earliest of times.
It is also said that rather than simply being pleasing to the eyes, Shodo is spiritual in nature. Japanese calligraphy attempts to bring life to words and endow them with personality. The artist is asked to follow the rule that each character must be written only once, in order that the characters are completed in a matter of seconds. No alterations, touch ups, or additions to letters are allowed.
The history of Shodo
The history of Shodo can be traced back to the origins of the Chinese civilization and the creation of the Chinese writing system around 4,500 years ago. The art had already been developed considerably by the time it arrived in Japan around the 7th century. It was approximately the same time that the Chinese system of writing (“kanji”) was also imported. At that time, Buddhists from India traveled to Japan through China and Korea. This resulted in many Japanese, including emperors, being converted to Buddhism. Buddhist scriptures were recorded in aesthetically pleasing Chinese writing by priests. Therefore, Shodo prevailed among Japanese monks who studied Buddhism as well as among politicians, who were students of the Chinese political system.
The Development of Shodo
During the 8th century, a style of calligraphy that was unique to Japan emerged. Writing had been popularized, and “kana” was devised to express original Japanese sounds that could not be written in Chinese characters. Japanese noble women developed “kana” into beautiful scripts that became a unique form of Japanese calligraphy.
After the Kamakura Period (1192-1333), “kakejiku,” a Japanese scroll painting or calligraphy, gained popularity as an interior decoration. It was influenced by the idea of Zen. Kakejiku often presents Zen phrases from distinguished Zen masters written in calligraphic form. When they were displayed in “chashitsu” tea rooms for traditional tea ceremonies, the choice of Kakejiku and Ikebana (flower arrangement) helped set the spiritual mood for the ceremonies. During the Edo period (1603-1867), along with the growth of the merchant class, “terakoya” became common. These were private educational institutions that taught reading and writing to children. Terakoya offered a higher level of education than was commonly available, and its curriculum began with a calligraphy courses. The Edo period also experienced great innovation lead by Honami Koetsu, an acclaimed Japanese artist. He introduced a unique flowing, cursive style to classical Japanese calligraphy.
Contemporary Shodo
After World WarⅡ, a new movement in writing came about --- a combination of Chinese characters and kana. This prevailed, and was in contrast to traditional styles that only used Chinese characters. In the 1960s, Shodo continued to grow and develop into a style and form called “gendai-sho” (modern shodo), an avant-garde postwar calligraphic style that featured more free and unrestrained ways of expressing one’s feelings. In the course of its development, Shodo deeply influenced the Western artists, particularly Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. The latter is said to have mentioned that he would possibly have become a calligrapher rather than a painter had he been born in China.
Shodo Styles
Shodo has five basic scripts. These include Tensho (stamp style), Reisho (scribe script), Sosho (cursive style), Gyosho (semi-cursive style), and Kaisho (block style). These all appeared before the end of the 4th century. Tensho and Reisho are old styles of writing in which letters were carved on animal bones or on wooden panels using sharp materials. The brush had not been invented yet. Sosho, Gyosho, and Kaisho were designed for different purposes. Kaisho was for official documents, whereas Gyosho or Sosho were for personal letters. These three ways of writings have advantages and disadvantages in terms of accuracy and speed. One needs to consider which is the best for the purpose at hand.
Shodo Tools
The four fundamental tools for Shodo include the “fude” (brush), “washi” (Japanese paper), “sumi” (ink) and “suzuri” (ink stone). There are two basic types of fude. There are larger brushes for writing the main characters of the text and smaller ones for writing the artist’s name. Among the materials used to make these brushes are horse hair, goat hair, and peacock feathers. Washi is thin, hand-made paper especially designed for Shodo. Sumi is a solid black block that is rubbed in water in a “suzuri.” A suzuri is a heavy, black stone container used to produce the black ink used in writing. Nowadays, a convenient pre-made ink in a plastic bottle called Bokujyu is readily available.
“Rinsho” is an important method for learning Shodo. This is the practice of duplicating ancient great works by acclaimed masters --- the same method that is used in learning to draw pictures or play instruments. In Shodo, becoming “mu-shin,” or in a state of “mindlessness,” is important. To write calligraphic characters that convey deep meanings, one must become entirely free from distraction. It is only through continual practice that one can come to understand the sense of the artist behind the work, and only by emptying one’s mind that one is capable of attaining that which is ordinarily beyond the realm of the possible.
Kotaro Hachinohe
http://kotarohatch.com