The word Shodō is translated as “The Way of Writing.” The first Kanji, SHO (書)means to write, and the second one DŌ (道), means the way or path.
Like many Japanese arts (such as Kado – flower arrangement, Chado – tea ceremony, and many martial arts like Karate-do, Aikido, and Judo), using the kanji DŌ gives it a deeper meaning. It is not just an activity; it becomes a way of life. Shodō is, to its fullest extent, a form of self-realization.
While Shodō is considered calligraphy from an artistic point of view, there is also penmanship or Shuji. It is essential to learn how to write the kanji correctly before we can brush them artistically. When I was learning Shodō with Maki Sensei, we did a lot of Shuji and very little Shodō. It wasn’t until later when I incorporated my Zen and martial arts training with calligraphy to experience Shodō.
Composition, posture, balance, rhythm, speed, and proper handling of the brush are essential for the display of good calligraphy. This form of calligraphy allows us to express ourselves in the “now.” No two calligraphies are ever the same, even when brushed by the same artist, because each line drawn is a representation of a moment in time that has now passed and therefore impossible to recreate. Unlike traditional painting, Shodō is created in one moment and not throughout a few hours or days. We create Shodō in a single go, without modifications or alterations.
Shodō traces its origins to Chinese calligraphy, where it is known as shūfǎ (method of writing). The Chinese writing system is based on pictographs and ideographs characters whose origins date back to the 6th century B.C. Originally, Chinese characters were engraved using sharp tools on surfaces such as animal bones, tortoise shells, and stones. As new writing tools such as brushes, ink, and paper were invented, ancient Chinese calligraphy masters were free to write creatively and develop personal calligraphy styles. This was all possible, mostly because of the development of a soft writing brush created by blending different types of animal hairs. This new tool allowed calligraphers to draw lines with several degrees in thickness and curves.
These Chinese characters are known in Japanese as kanji. The word kanji literally means “characters of Han” referring to China’s Han people and was introduced to Japan via Korea in the fourth century A.D. along with other elements of Chinese culture and Buddhism.
At the time, Japan had a spoken language of their own, but not a written one, therefore they adopted Chinese characters and used them to write the Japanese language. This adoption of Chinese characters proved to be complicated, and its efficacy in writing the Japanese language is still debated to this day. Chinese and Japanese languages are very different. Many words could not be written using the borrowed Chinese characters alone, and Japan soon recognized that using kanji alone was not sufficient to satisfy the needs of the Japanese language in written form. Today, Japan uses three writing systems: kanji, hiragana, and katakana.
The problem stems from the nature that Chinese characters carry both a meaning and a pronunciation. In the beginning, Japan used these characters purely phonetically, with no reference to their meanings. Characters were chosen based on their similarity to Japanese sounds. Later, they used a new method where the characters were used ideographically, with no reference to its Chinese pronunciation. In this case, characters were chosen based on their meanings. For this reason, today, kanji have two pronunciations or readings: on yomi, the Chinese derived reading and kun yomi, the Japanese pronunciation.
The art of calligraphy itself was brought to Japan via Buddhist monks, who learned calligraphy by copying the works of Chinese masters. Today such practice (Rinsho) is still a common way to learn calligraphy. Children in Japan learn calligraphy in elementary school, and some even take calligraphy lessons in after school programs. Adults, who take on calligraphy as a hobby, continue their practice by becoming members of a calligraphy school or association.
To me, Shodō is Zen training. Zen training goes beyond just learning meditation. The purpose of Zen training is to be free and happy by resolving the duality of mind and body, self and other, life and death. In my tradition of Zen, we use Shodō as one of three training methods to develop kiai or our deep spiritual power, transcend our self-imposed limits, and find our true selves. The other two methods are meditation and martial arts. So I approach Shodō from this point of view because I use it as a tool to enhance my senses and develop a state of mind of awareness.
The study of Shodō requires time and effort. Calligraphy is a physical activity and one you cannot comprehend only intellectually. You have to practice. And practice a lot.