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Does anyone here on RevTK take calligraphy courses, in Japan or otherwise ?

I have finally received some of my exercises corrected in Japan. I couldn't tell you who corrected them, the books I receive with the course are in japanese, and I can't read well enough yet

I find it a little ironic that my calligraphy took a flight to Japan but I have yet to go..

I am also really happy that I finally have my name in kanji, not my surname though, since I never signed with my surname :

歩
部　
理
寿

It certainly beats signing your work with katakana ( ファブリス ), especially when you have フ, ブ and ス which looks almost the same.

They were chosen by my calligraphy sensei and another who was on visit from Japan ... there is actually some meaning behind the characters. When I have time I'll try to write how it came about, in japanese. 楽しい思い出 ...

I'd be interested in doing some calligraphy just so I can understand how to read the characters. As it is, I can't understand most kanji written like that because it's so hard to make out the primatives.

I'm the same. I just spent the weekend visiting some temples and my Japanese friend helped me read the characters. I knew quite a few of them from Heisig but I didn't recognise them because of the way they were written. The same is often true of restaurant menus too. A calligraphy course sounds interesting.

For those of you who are in London, SOAS offers calligraphy courses.

I had the english version of my firstname written in kanji 総連, ソーレン. I think my last name can be kanjinized if you look at how they write sweden in kanji
瑞典
すうぇーでん
瑞円度仙

But Im not sure this one will fly

It was a calligraphy course I had in Kyoto. Lasted about 2,5 hours, just the tourist version

Immacolata Wrote:I had the english version of my firstname written in kanji 総連, ソーレン. I think my last name can be kanjinized if you look at how they write sweden in kanji
瑞典
すうぇーでん
瑞円度仙

But Im not sure this one will fly

It was a calligraphy course I had in Kyoto. Lasted about 2,5 hours, just the tourist version

I was once told that trying to spell a gaijin name in anything but katakana is a sure way to attract the righteous anger of the Japanese right-wing fundamentalists...

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I remember a discussion on that topic long ago.. someone who lived in Japan and had their name in kanji. I think the person said that it was generally well received, except maybe for signing official papers, and with right-wing fundamentalists ;P

Serge Wrote:I was once told that trying to spell a gaijin name in anything but katakana is a sure way to attract the righteous anger of the Japanese right-wing fundamentalists...

Heh, well reactions probably range from "Impressive" to "Moron!" when they see that I think it is probably most safe if you spell you name with katakana when dealing with japanese, at least for first impressions!

I've been encouraged quite a few times to attach kanji to my name. It's quite useful if you want to create a name stamp (判子) although I'm told you can make ones with katakana too. How they'd fit アンドリュー on that tiny little circle is beyond me though.

Anyone heard of Kampo Cultural Center? - Nihon Shuji?
http://www.kampo.com/kampo/nihshu.html

I am living in NYC and deciding whether I should take Nihon Society Calligraphy class or the Kampo Centers one.

Any ideas?

Also I am at about 300 Kanji Mark on Heisig, thats enough I hope.

I discovered that I rather like writing Kanji on paper, so why not take it the next level ?

Sorry if a bit off topic, but in reply to wrightak:

The name stamp I used in Japan read 安戸竜　(アンドリュー). I didn't choose the kanji though, they were chosen for me before I could read anything (I'd probably at least use 龍 and a more interesting ド syllable). You've got a fair bit of choice with these syllables, and it's quite an easy name to convert (Ando Ryu could itself be a japanese name...).

I've seen some very long katakana names on stamps - you'd be amazed how much they can squeeze in! I heard that gaijin had to have a katakana (NOT kanji) stamp for certain documents, but I never had a problem using mine (for bank account, renting an appartment, buying a car...)

I just did my very first calligraphy yesterday, as our sensei decided the first lesson of the new year should be spent on something else than language learning.

It was great! I took an immense liking to it, because it was so relaxing (as opposed to kanji learning) and would like to continue at home, but I do require some help in finding suitable supplies. Can anyone refer me to a reliable online store that ship internationally and carry things like practice rice paper, and sumi ink in various forms? Or a shop in or close to the Netherlands where I could get supplies?

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Suzuru I have a calligraphy class in Brussels, Belgium. My sensei is from the Kampo Harada tradition I believe. The only comment I've heard once was from a Japanese person who said that the course with my sensei was a little 'serious' compared to other styles. It may be that in some calligraphy classes you are given more freedom for "self expression", but everyone's personality shows through anyway. Some people are more "heavy handed" with the brush. Some are better at sousho than kaisho. I am better at kaisho than sousho, etc. It's one of those things that I didn't want to study on my own, and follow the teacher's guidance completely. Fortunately my teacher allowed me to progress faster early on, so I didn't have to spend upwards of six months on "eternity" 永

Quote:Also I am at about 300 Kanji Mark on Heisig, thats enough I hope.

I don't know about the courses in your area, but afaik, calligraphy is not a language course. Perhaps your sensei will enjoy sharing some of his culture or teach you the meaning of the characters, but in my class she rarely does. Most students have an interest in the language, but it is not required to have any knowledge of the kanji. With RTK you will probably have a head start since you won't have to worry about the stroke order so much and you'll already know many of the radicals.

astridtops I'm really glad you're learning calligraphy astridtops! It is very relaxing. I wish there was more chatting or a short pause at my course though.

I go on Saturdays morning, an excellent way to kick off the weekend! I don't practice it at home though so I couldn't help you with that.

You will see after a few months the calligraphy will really improve your handwriting, the kanji will look more natural and less "squarish". 頑張って下さいね!

I've been meaning to join in with the school I teach at. I actually asked about it near the end of last term, and my kyoto-sensei said he'd teach me this term, but I never saw that happening as he's just too busy... he'd show me once and that's it I'm sure. But I know they have classes, once or twice a month, for the 1st graders so surely I can go join in on those days... I'll try to do it starting with the new school year in April.

I asked my friend why Japanese can write kanji so gracefully and no matter what I just can't make it look right, and she said that people who can do that probably studied calligraphy as a kid. So yeah I guess it's definitely a handwriting booster.

I decided to start a calligraphy class about a year ago. I just found one close to my apartment in Tokyo. I didn't care too much about the school. Each school has their own way of writing characters. My school writes in a more traditional method, but I've seen examples of schools that have very "heavy" or "dynamic" styles. A person's personality really does come through in his or her calligraphy. The reason I started was to improve my handwriting. There is a regular pen writing part of my class, but I've worked mostly with the regular brush on 半紙。It has made a difference in my writing. But, I like it just for the aesthetics anyway. To be successful, like anything, requires practice. I go about twice a week for an hour and maybe practice 30 minutes outside that. I still have improved. Really looking at the model and studying it before trying to write it helps as does understanding the technique of each stroke. It seems beginners always start with 永 because it contains all the basic stokes. Stroke order is the basis to making a good looking kanji. If I mess up the stroke order, my teacher can tell right away. I took the stroke order seriously my second time through RTK.

In my school, most students start with the block kanji and move into the cursive style. Starting beginners on a cursive style is just asking for trouble. Learn how to write it normally then move into the more artistic version is better IMHO.

I saw a comment on hanko. I kept a hanko from my AET days on the JET program. I registered it at my ward office when I came back to Japan a year ago, and use it for official documents, mostly banking. It has ポール, which is my first name in katakana. I've never had trouble using it. My understanding is that if a foreigner becomes a Japanese citizen, he or she must pick Chinese characters for a name. Romaji or katakana aren't allowed. But don't quote me. I have another unofficial hanko I use for signing for packages that a host family bought for me. It has 宝留 on it.

I worked in a Japanese city hall for a few years. Foreigners without Kanji were not allowed to use kanji on their official hanko. Chinese, second generation Japanese, Koreans) could, but it seemed like it was a real pain for them to do it. That said, I believe there was a way to get kanji certified so you could use them legally, you just couldn't do it at city hall and also most people outside of city hall didn't realize that I wasn't allowed to officially use a kanji stamp.

After being here for over a year, I finally started calligraphy classes at a place 2 minutes' walking distance from my apartment. It's so much fun. My teacher started me off with 永 for 3 weeks and now I'm doing 友人. I think it's already helping me to improve my handwriting.

I now have 氷 in lesson six, which is of course very similar to 永 in terms of difficulty. But I'm actually glad my teacher started me off with getting a firm grip on simple horizontal and vertical lines needed for kanji like 工 and 土, so I could first get a feel for opening and closing a line before going into the trouble of, say, the more difficult 右払い.

I've done some caligraphy at one of the Elementary schools I work at. I was just hanging around with one of the classes after lunch and the teacher invited me to have a go. I've done it quite a few times since then as it's an interesting challenge!

As I just did what ever the class were practising I didn't start with 永. I don't remember what it was but it was two Kanji i didn't know before hand! Just before Christmas they did a special four character writing which required longer paper. My best attempt is here:
http://www.mattclaridge.com/blog/photos/.../genki.jpg

Strangely as I look at it again now it seems really bad. I've not got as far as the second character in RTK1 yet so that was a challenge. I guess for my third ever time it's not too bad. My one two weeks ago felt much better though!

Had my first calligraphy lesson last week with an old Master in Shanghai. The trouble is, he mostly spoke Shanghainese and only very little Mandarin so I have missed a lot of what was actually said. But it was very rewarding to watch him trace the shapes and try to copy them after him. My homework is to practice on newspapers - everyone seems to be doing that in China...

I sat in with the １年生 for the first time yesterday. That was good fun, mine looked better than some of theirs, heh. But I started at the end of the year so I started with びわの実. Hiragana is a bitch! 実 was soo much easier to make look right, it's not even funny. び is no fun at all. I did get a "日本人みたい!" on my の.

I hope to go to as many as my schedule allows in the next school year.

Ah, didn't see this thread until just now. I've been studying Chinese Calligraphy, one class every 2 weeks, at the local Zen Center. The class is taught by a really nice lady who's an artist who came here from China about 12-13 years ago. (She also teaches Chinese brush painting classes, too.)

Like everyone else, I find it very relaxing, even when I'm struggling. It's also interesting to see how Chinese and Japanese calligraphy differ. Someday I'd like to study Japanese calligraphy as well, but I can't find anybody around here who teaches it. (Chapel Hill/Raleigh-Durham, NC.) I don't have anything beautiful to show off online, but I do have a good resource for paper that I use:

http://www.orientalartsupply.com

They tend emphasize brush painting, but they also have some calligraphy supplies. I especially like their brushes, and their practice paper. The practice paper is dirt cheap-- like $5 for 100 sheets, and they're all marked with a light red grid for practicing tougher characters. Their brushes are nice, too. (Although I bought a few nicer brushes while I was in Nara.)

While I was in Tokyo, I found a really good book on Japanese Calligraphy (in English): "Brush Writing: Calligraphy Techniques for Beginners," by Ryokushuu Kuiseko, ISBN: 4-7700-1362-0. Cost about 2900 yen. Pretty stuff.

Another book I found was "Sho: Japanese Calligraphy" by Christopher J. Earnshaw, ISBN: 978-0-8048-1568-0, by Tuttle. Runs about $25 US. It's not as good as the other book, but it's fine. It has a little too much navel-gazing in it for my tastes, although it does have some good historical info. Just personal taste there.

I am in my second year in Japan, although I have been very interested in calligraphy since I was a teacher in Taiwan four years ago. I have studies here with a master calligrapher, although our classes do not follow a prescribed course. After seeing that I was a fairly quick learner, he has moved me on to the more cursive style. Obviously, the biggest difference between Chinese and Japanese calligraphy is the use of kana - so if someone is interested in distinctly 'Japanese' calligraphy, I suggest writing the old 'iro ha' poem. (If you are not familiar here it is: "い　ろ　は　に　ほ　へ　と　ち　り　る　を　わ　か　よ　た　れ　そ　つ　ね　な　ら　む　う　'wi' の　お　く　や　ま　け　ふ　こ　え　て　あ　さ　き　ゆ　め　み　し　'we'　ひ　も　せ　す　ん".
This poem is about a thousand years old, comprised of all 48 characters of the syllabary - the 46 used today plus 'wi' and 'we', which my computer can't even write because they're not used anymore.
Anyways, you may have seen rows in a theatre ranked by this system - the first row is "i", the second "ro", and so on. It is a Buddhist poem, written by Kukai, the founder of the Shingon sect. It is translated as: "though gay in hue, the blossoms flutter down also, who then in this world of ours may continue forever? Crossing today the uttermost limits of phenomenal existence I shall no more see fleeting dreams, neither be any longer intoxicated."
INterestingly, this poem also has corresponding kanji for each syllable ('wi' is 為　and 'we' is 恵). I was told - although I can't verify if it is true or not, maybe someone could help me out here - that there was a period that Japan only used the 48 kanji that corresponded to this poem, as a sort of Kanji alphabet. It seems improbable to me...
Anyways, sorry for the long post. I love studying calligraphy, and I encourage anyone serious about Kanji to do so. Not only is it nice to be able to write well, but the brush explains a lot about the etymology and how kanji changed after only being written with chisel and stone. Although I still prefer the aesthetics of Chinese calligraphy over Japanese, it's been great writing some calligraphy in kana to bewilder my chinese friends!

andye Wrote:Sorry if a bit off topic, but in reply to wrightak:

The name stamp I used in Japan read 安戸竜　(アンドリュー). I didn't choose the kanji though, they were chosen for me before I could read anything (I'd probably at least use 龍 and a more interesting ド syllable). You've got a fair bit of choice with these syllables, and it's quite an easy name to convert (Ando Ryu could itself be a japanese name...).

I've seen some very long katakana names on stamps - you'd be amazed how much they can squeeze in! I heard that gaijin had to have a katakana (NOT kanji) stamp for certain documents, but I never had a problem using mine (for bank account, renting an appartment, buying a car...)

After some discussion with the maker, I got my surname (5 kana) in one column on a name-stamp. They were reluctant, but I think it was cut with a computer program which can manipulate the shape of they kana to cram them in. I didn't like the aesthetic of splitting my name into two columns.

I recently bought some special paper to try out calligraphy. Its this stuff that you just paint on with water, and it appears black like ink. It doesn't really have the same feel as using ink though... but its clean and not messy. I haven't been able to make any beautiful characters with it though, and I'm not sure if thats more due to the paper, or due to the brush that I bought.