Wakan Roeishu, Fujiwara Kinto. Heian Period. Photo: Property of the Kyoto National Museum. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Japanese calligraphy, or sho, was first introduced into Japan in the 600s AD by Chinese Buddhist monks. They recorded Buddhist scriptures in florid brush strokes that approached art. As the style became more popular in Japan, calligraphy was used with secular poetry, such as the haiku. There are five types of Japanese calligraphy: tensho (seal), sosho (cursive), gyosho (semi-cursive), kaisho (block) and reisho (scribe). It is usually written in a combination of kanji (chinese characters) and kana characters, which express sounds.

In addition to expressing writing, many works of calligraphy, especially those during the Kamakura period, include brush paintings beside them. These paintings are drawn in the same pen that the words are written in. This multiple use not only helps illustrate the scenes described in the calligraphy, but also unifies the work, defining it as a work of art. Calligraphy is similar to pre-Gutenberg bibles, except that calligraphy has survived the ages as a means of expression, not being made obsolete by technology.

Even the ink for calligraphy is still produced in the traditional manner. The ink is made from the carbon residue from burnt pine needles, and compressed into black sticks. To mix the ink, a wet stone is rubbed with the stick, forming a liquid ink. This ink can then be poured into a pan for dipping by a calligraphy brush.

Surprisingly enough, an excellent calligraphic haiku doesn’t take very long to produce; in a matter of seconds it is completed. One of the defining characteristics for good calligraphy is its rhythm and continuous nature; this can only be truly achieved in one brush stroke. However, before beginning, a calligrapher must take time to get a feel for the piece of writing Some even meditate before picking up the brush.