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Welcome to the world of Japanese calligraphy.
Calligraphy is an art that captures a moment - a feeling reflected both in the meaning of the written characters and the movement and application of the ink itself. Calligraphy is unique in that there are no second chances on any individual piece, works cannot be revisited. Once the brush is removed from paper ink cannot be reapplied and this moment, captured by the strokes of the calligrapher, is over.
As a medium, calligraphy offers artists multiple tools to convey emotion and meaning. The variations of the ink’s tone and visual depth reflect the speed and pressure of the artists application, drawing the viewer’s eye across the piece just as the calligrapher drew their brush across the paper. The juxtaposition between the artist’s strokes and negative spaces on the pieces serve as reminders that sometimes, what is not said is just as important as what is. Finally, the significance and careful selection of a piece’s Kanji characters (the written, ancient Chinese characters) themselves offers the most obvious means to convey meaning. Writers can choose to reflect or contrast the energy and individualized message of a character in their energy and approach to the ink application process. A writer can make a work conflict or coalesce with it’s character’s significance - either seeking to capture and evoque or contrast the character’s meaning.
Calligraphy, just like the Kanji characters used in both the medium and everyday Japanese writing, originated in China. As calligraphy spread through Japan, it began to develop into new styles unique to Japan. Kinndai Shibunn (近代詩文) is one such style, and is a combination of traditional Chinese Kanji characters and Japanese Hiragana or Katakana. My teacher, Hokumei Nakano (中野北溟), is recognized as one of the great masters of this style. It is said that he started and innovated Kinndai Shibunn style and elevated it into a form of high art. I am lucky to be his pupil.
Calligraphy is steeped in tradition and as such, Calligraphers are typically bound to traditional application processes and mediums.
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About me
I started writing calligraphy when I was 9 years old, following in the tradition of my mother. Since then, calligraphy has been an important aspect of my life. I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by Hokkaido’s prestigious calligraphy culture - many of Japan’s most esteemed calligraphers come from Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. It is a costly art form, consuming both time and money - I am thankful to be able to pursue this art form at such a high level.
I was forced to quit for a while to focus on my studies but quickly returned, missing the senses of meditation and clarity I find when concentrating on my calligraphy. I love these feelings and the entire process associated with creating a piece - making ink from ink stones is one of my life’s favorite, most tranquil moments and it is said that ink‘s smells are good for activating and invigorating our brain.
I have received best in show awards for my mycalligraphy at various exhibitions. Two notable examples are the top prize at the national Sogen calligraphy competition and grand prize at the Hokkaido calligraphy competition. My works are frequently accepted for nationwide exhibitions. In the end, my calligraphy is not about competitions or prestige - I love writing calligraphy and hope my passion is reflected in my works and conveyed to you, the viewer.
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My teacher
My teacher is 98year old Hokumei Nakano (中野北溟), one of Japan’s contemporary master calligraphers and the top adviser of Japan’s largest calligraphy society, Mainichi Shodo Kai (毎日書道会). As of 2018, he is 98years old - because of his position in Mainichi Shodo Kai and his lifetime of skill and technique, he is regarded as the greatest living Japanese calligrapher. His works can be found in prestigious exhibitions across the world such as the English Library, National Museum of China, Guimet Museum and Finnish embassy in Japan etc. Due to his prestige and masterful skill even his smallest, postcard sized works, are valued at ¥300,000 JPY. Even works of this size are masterful and reflect the pinnacle of calligraphy.
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Paper
Calligraphy starts with special paper, called gGasennshi（画仙紙） or Washi（和紙）, with origins in ancient China and Japan. Washi is often aged for long periods of time before it ever makes contact with a calligrapher’s brush and ink. This is due to the unique properties of the paper - older paper becomes softer and begins to almost come to life, allowing inks to better bleed and spread throughout the paper’s fibers.
I usually use 10 year old Washi, called Kouseihai (紅星牌). Fifty 70x140cm sheets of Kouseihai costs approximately ¥40,000 JPY. I’ve found that this size balances well with with my style and brush strokes. Calligraphy is deliberate, precise and methodical - an individual work often takes hundreds of attempts to achieve balance between a character’s meaning and its visual flow and balance.
Ink
There are essentially 2 main categories of calligraphy inks: opaque ink, which is slightly viscous; and translucent, almost watery ink. Translucent ink is slightly clear and is traditionally either blue and brown in tint.
When selecting ink for a piece, an artist must first understand the paper. For example clear ink is traditionally paired with coarse, hard paper due to the ink’s more watery properties. This harder paper allows the more thin ink to bleed across the surface of the paper and take on a life and energy of its own. If ink and paper are not properly paired, the clear ink will stagnate and the energy and the flow will be lost. In this sense calligraphyis not only a form of art, but a form of chemistry and science.
All science is about experimentation and, when writing a new piece, one must first determine the proper combination of ink and paper. When determining the proper approach to a piece, a writer must take into account a number of variables beyond the aesthetic of a piece such as weather and temperature. To ensure a work has proper pairing of ink and paper, I usually rub ink stones. In doing so, I am able to personally oversee the condition of my ink, giving me a better understanding of the life the energy and life the ink will take on in the application process.
Clear ink needs more time to prepare and is best applied just when it is on the verge of going bad. In this brief window of time, the ink particles become more round allowing the ink to better live and bleed on the paper.
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Brush
Calligraphy brushes are highly specialized and, as a result, quite expensive. The brush used on my larger works costs approximately ¥300,000. Calligraphy is a very technique based art form with different brushes used for different kinds of inks and application processes. Slight variations, twists, differences in brush use can greatly change the outcome of a work. Clear ink is typically applied with a stiffer brush, dark ink with a softer brush. Due to the nature of the inks used, once a brush is used for dark ink, it can never be used for clear ink so a calligrapher must have an assortment of brushes, an arsenal of tools carefully selected for each piece. Brushes are generally hand crafted and made with either wool, rabbit hair, horse hair, weasle hair or other animal hairs/furs.
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