Japanese calligraphy, shodou, is a highly developed art from using brush and black ink to write Japanese and Chinese characters.
Shodou traces it is origins to Cnina. It was introduced into Japan in the 8th century.
There are three basic styles, kaisho, gyousho, and sousho, with kana added as a fourth style. Kaisho is an unabbreviated block style with little movement, is also called shinsho. Gyousho is an intermediate style neither as stiff as kaisho nor as flowing as sousho. Sousho is highly cursive or abbreviated style written with swift strokes. It is feedom and aesthetic appeal has made sousho very popular with calligraphy masters.
Japanese calligraphy is judged not only by it is surface beauty and meaning but also by the calligrapher’s character.
