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Japanese Calligoraphy

Japanese Calligoraphy also called Shadou, it was originally introduced by the Chinese somewhere around the 6th century when the Buddhist missionaries were coming to Japan to preach about Buddhism. In the Heian Period the Japanese had taken a good grip on the new art form of Calligraphy and developed it into something more. At the time of the Heian period the three well known Japanese calligraphers were the Buddhist monk Kuukai, The emperor Saga and the courier Tachibana no Hayanari who were known as ''The three great brushes'' they created calligraphy that was comparable to the Chinese master Yan Zhenqing. In the 10-11th centuries the group known as the ''The three great brushes'' were succeeded by yet another group who were called ''The three chases'' the groups members were Ono no Tofu’s style started the Shouren School that later produced the Oie style of writing that was dominant during the Edo period., Fujiwara no Sukemasa and  Fujiwara no Yukinari. This trio developed a unique way of Japanese Calligraphy which was called Wayou. Ono no Tofu had created a school called the Shouren School which had later developed the style of writing and calligraphy during the Endo Period. Japanese Calligraphy has influenced western art and artists because of its free flowing lines and brush strokes and was very different to the typical typography of the western world. There are three types of basic Japanese Calligraphy which are kaisho, Gyousho and Sousho. 

 

Japanese calligraphy: The history and forms of Japanese calligraphy. 2013.  [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.japanese-name-translation.com/site/about_japanese_calligraphy.html. [Accessed 21 May 2013].

Japanese Calligraphy History. 2013. Japanese Calligraphy History. [ONLINE] Available at: http://japanese.about.com/od/calligraphy/a/120497.htm. [Accessed 21 May 2013].