Japanese Calligraphy

Japanese Calligraphy or Shodō is a form of lettering art that has been developed over centuries to convey Japanese culture and communication through art and expression. Japanese Calligraphy developed from Chinese calligraphy roots; further adapted and changed with many different styles and periods over centuries, and modified due to external influence reflects the story of modern day Japan. We will look at image of Chinese characters and examples demonstrating this progression on the projector. I will Link characters to images of emperors or significant events in time that mark that period, demonstrating the external influences.

There are four main types of styles characters in Japanese calligraphy; We will focus on Hiragana style.

Hiragana-あいう  katakana-アイウ  chinese 安以宇  arabic sound – aiu

It is our intention to utilise the traditional and original Japanese Hiragana style; which is simplistic and phonetic; yet conveys the author’s message beautifully through art. This is attained via the command of 46 different characters simplified from their original Chinese origins.

You will be shown how to produce your own shodō; lettering using brush and ink to reflect beautiful Japanese traditional culture. The student can choose from the 46 characters. Choosing characters that are significant to them, eg; a name ‘John’, a word, ‘love’, or initials etc. This will then be put into a frame and the students can walk away with a finished artwork.

We look forward to taking you on this Journey.