Japanese calligraphy: painting, philosophy, poetry and the path

Japanese people rank calligraphy as a fine art and consider it more complicated than painting or engraving art, requiring a special moral preparation. Each work is not focused on the output but it is an intricate process of comprehension of the ancient wisdom and the way of self understanding. At the same time it is a healing and balancing Za Zen.

Tools: paper, ink, brush and ink pot

Materials and tools are the principal elements for technique and means of actualization of any idea or image in each art. Round or chisel brushes, water colors, oil, crayons or a wood block print, any of such tools tunes an artist inspiring him for discoveries, offers opportunities and restricts options, exasperates and at the same time fills with enthusiasm and excitement. No doubt, tools and materials are the objects of passion, collection and admiration.

A hieroglyph is three dimensional and stereoscopic. Wide lines are dominating and narrow hair strokes are seemed to be hidden on the second and third backgrounds. One portion of ink on the brush makes one character. The brush almost dry leaves some traces in the curve of the character, in some points translucent rays appear on the paper; the ink is smearing revealing the instantaneous contact with the truth.

According to modern calligraphic artist Morimoto Ryusaki, who explained the subject of the modern calligraphy at the Russian exhibitions, calligraphy is three-dimensional. A brushstroke on the paper makes only a stage of the brush movement sequence as the brush moves in the air and then it continues its movement to the ink. In order to understand the calligraphy you have to observe the process of writing. The perfect formula of the calligraphy is the movement of a conductor’s stick. A conductor never thinks about his stick, he thinks about music as the result of its movement.

History: China and Kukai

Nowadays calligraphy is a compulsory subject at the Japanese nursery school. Students of the upper school can optionally select calligraphy from the additional courses of calligraphy, music or painting. So, we can say that nowadays calligraphy is still ranked as an art. At the Medieval times calligraphy was considered as the most important and intrinsic art, a privilege of the Emperor, monks and clerks.

Buddhist monk Kukai, who lived in the VIII century, invented the kana, the syllabary, systematized thousands of characters, made the way of writing them simpler and designed a unified writing; he was one of the fist calligraphers in Japan, who founded public schools for all social categories. However, many achievements in linguistics and arts attributed to him, were the result of his important intellectual activities. Kukai founded the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism, became bodhisattva and did not die but entered into an eternal samadhi and is still alive on Mount Kōya, awaiting the appearance of Buddha. Buddhist monk Kukai, Emperor Saga, and courtier Tachibana no Hayanari, the first most celebrated calligraphers in the Japanese history, were respectfully known as the Sanpitsu (Three Great Brushes). It is difficult to believe that people of so high rank could be engaged in painting, produced Edo landscapes or performed in the Kabuki theater.

According to the Japanese legend, while in China he had been invited by the emperor to decorate the wall with the calligraphic inscriptions. He demonstrated the amazing ability to inscribe simultaneously five lines of words by using one brush in his mouth, one in each of his hands and one in each of his feet. He decorated five pieces of the wall at the same time.

Scrolls with good wishes or small pieces of poetry were placed, for instance, in the tokonoma — a special niche in a Japanese tea-house. The inscription selected for a certain ceremony was discussed during the event. The main idea of the tea ceremony was in its uniqueness at that very moment. This idea was close and understandable for each participant of the ceremony, who was excited of the event and at the same time was sad because of its brevity. Nowadays toconoma with a calligraphic scroll, ikebana or painting and woodblock prints in it is typical for each household.

The prints by famous Japanese artists are often accompanied with the texts, pieces of poetry in the center of their composition. The painting usually illustrates the phrase but not the phrase describes the picture.

Modern Calligraphy

After a large number of Americans and Europeans appeared in Japan in the XIX century, the country isolated and closed that time, had changed tremendously: its army took part in several wars, Japanese people learnt about European clothes, listened to the European music and generations of the impressionist artists appeared there. The calligraphic art technically coinciding with the European graphic art acquired an abstract representation in the modern form preserving its traditions and spirituality. Modern calligraphers exhibiting their works all over the world demonstrate their black and white scrolls at the museum and showcases, give master-classes, show the process of writing applying wood, fabrics, color, paper and leaf-gold for their works.

In the photos above and below: The exhibition of the modern calligraphic art at the National Art Center in Tokyo; each piece of work is recognizable and distinguished even without knowledge of their meaning. Intellectual and emotional efforts are required but at the same time they are required for some other European exhibition of the modern art. Though the translation of each character is provided.

Photo: tokyobling.wordpress.com

The last piece contains this hokku: "Like a fish in the profound depths of the ocean if you were not shining from within, you would not find any other light around".