Keep the wrist and elbow off the surface of the table
4) Hold the brush firmly without being tense
The well known calligrapher Ogishi once crept up behind his son Okenshi to try to snatch the brush from his hand, but without success. This prompted him to remark that his son had the makings of a great calligrapher, which indeed the son did become.
Use only a third of the length of the hairs for writing. That way ink is absorbed and the springiness of the tip retained. Imagine it like a three part spring, soft at the tip, mildly stiff for the remaining length of the hairs and hard at the shaft. This is the ideal combination. If only two degrees of torque exist, the spring is lost. This “backbone” is useful at first in writing. Only at a more advanced level does the need for an “unstarched” brush arise.
When practising, place your wet copies between the pages of an old newspaper to dry or soon all your floor-space will have been used up. Reorder the point of your brush now and then on the flat of your inkstone so all the hairs of the brush come to a sharp point even when you are in the middle of writing a character. If wet circles appear around the boundaries of the characters then there is too much water for the amount of ink in the mixture. This may be true even if your ink is pitch black. Keep in mind that calligraphy is composed of two components：
Discipline- evidencing good construction in the writing of your characters, giving the lines a definite quality, training one’s eye to be able to look deeply into the models to evaluate them and developing the will to persevere in your work.
Cultivation of the art-choosing suitable styles forms, themes and medium, being aware of historical precedents and finding the necessary inspiration.
What goes into a completed work Sakuhin
The elements of a work include:
Theme shudai. The copying of a famous work rinsho of another painter will very rarely be the theme of one’s work.
Inspiration reikan is the most important thing in a piece. If inspiration is lacking even something so obvious as the character for “hot” can appear quite cold.
The structure of the character kekkōhō refers to the direction of the stroke, the lengths or lines and dots and how corners are negotiated, (see appendix).
Kūkan refers to the white space between characters and the characters in relation to the paper, and kanga the integral spacing of the lines and dots in the character.
The quality of the line sen.
The colour of the ink bokushoku.
The title dal though this may often be predetermined since if one writes a poem it will already have a title. Nothing more can be said except for the interpretation of the brush.
These six elements are governed overall by two vital factors, harmony chōwa, a term encompassing a large area, but including control of ink and its colour, rhythmic qualities produced by the fluctuation in size and weight of characters and a balancing of all the factors above plus emotion jō, an abstract quality difficult to explain in words, but one I have tried to demonstrate with a few lines below.
A work should never be dull. Rather it should be refreshing, invigorating, exciting, stirring, proud or strong and, however you may express your feelings, always meaningful.
Presently three types of work are generally acceptable at exhibitions in Japan: calligraphy sho, carved seals tenkoku and carved calligraphy kokuji.
Further Elements
Above I spoke of calligraphy sho and it must be realized that by this the Japanese mean anything that is written with a brush based on characters, but not necessarily just characters. The work may be in any style, but should not be a mixture of styles unless the characters are to be written separately to stand side by side as contrasting forms. The text goku of the piece of prose or poetry must be written from right to left. Calligraphy may be divided into two main categories, not to be confused with styles: kanji, Chinese characters, and kana, the Japanese syllabary. In kanji the theme is generally a Chinese poem or prose, whereas kana will concentrate on poems of exclusively Japanese origins like the Manyōshū, (see appendix).
Placing the Seal Inkan
Seals are carved with one’s name or appropriate characters and used as a signature. That dot of red is the touch that finishes off the work and gives it a feeling of artistic completion. How many different seals to use and where to place them on the work are personal decisions. The latter of these two choices Is the more difficult of the problems. The trick is to look at other works and compare your own solutions. There are no hard and fast rules, but a badly placed seal can make a work seem heavy or appear unbalanced. Works will always have a seal even if the formal signature is absent. In the case of long written works jōfuku however, the majority will have both. Furthermore they will often have a few lines at the end rakkan commemorating when and where the work was written, (see appendix)
Once finished, a work should be equipped with a backing hyōgu to give it support and remove wrinkles from the paper before framing. The choice of materials to be used is quite important as are the type and colour of the ink sumi and paper. In certain abstract works the ink will be predetermined, though it is not a rule, and light coloured inks such as shōenboku that spread into a cloud around the character will often be used. Apart from paper, silk and gold are regularly used. One must possess great confidence and a mastery of subject to attempt using silk because of its prohibitive cost. Once written on, it cannot be used again. Gold, however, despite its reputation, is not as expensive as one might think (cf. kokuji). To write on gold, squares of gold foil are placed side by side on a smooth surface so that they overlap just a bit. If these are placed on a byōbu folding screen and hung on display the effect is outstanding. When writing on gold it is well to bear in mind the fact that the ink contrasts only weakly with the foil. In fact it is better to write with very thick nōboku ink as the surface of gold, shiny as it is, will often repel thin ink. The brilliance of gold may furthermore overpower intended subtleties in the work. The factor that makes such work relatively inexpensive is knowledge that mistakes can always be wiped off gold.
Tenkoku Carving Seals
If a seal is to be exhibited as a work in itself rather than as part of a larger work, it will normally be centered near the top of a piece of paper of A4 dimensions (210mm x 300mm although other paper kami can be used) or thereabouts. The contents of the characters on the seal will be written below the seal so viewers can understand it. Such works will usually be carved in old calligraphic styles such as antique kobun, seal tensho or occasionally the scribe’s reisho. Other exotic scripts meant particularly for seal carving are called generically zattaisho and include scripts of varying form, include “flying white” hihaku, “steel wire” and “fence” scripts. Finally either the name of the person who wrote the poem or the name of the artist who carved the seal or both are included.
Kokuji Carved calligraphy
To me a piece of carved calligraphy is the hardest to execute because it is really three works in one. Not only must the written characters be first class, but carving techniques must also be well developed. On top of this one must create a work that is appealing to the eye. A seal and a dedication are also often Included at the written
