書道: Japanese Calligraphy
Hello everyone! Japanese calligraphy (書道、shodou) was one of the first cultural activities I did when I first started learning Japanese. What is 書道, and how does it play into Japanese culture? Japanese Calligraphy「書道」 Japanese calligraphy involves using a calligraphy brush (筆、fude) and black ink (墨、sumi), along with other materials, to artistically write different Japanese characters (Kanji). There are many different styles, and each person writes calligraphy a little differently - which led to the common phrase 書は人なり (Sho wa hito nari), or "calligraphy reveals personality". The History of Shodou 「書道の歴史」 Like with many things, kanji originally spread to Japan from China. Confucian texts near the end of the third century were the first to introduce kanji, and their usage gradually increased until around the seventh century. One of the first forms of calligraphy was "Zen calligraphy" (墨跡、bokuseki), practiced by early Buddhist priests. It was known for its a