In February, I had the opportunity to attend a calligraphy workshop hosted by the Japanese department. This event was open to any student taking a Japanese language course. Coincidentally, this event came at the perfect time. This semester the topic of one of the chapters my class went over was Japanese culture and customs. 

Calligraphy or 書道 (Shodo) is an art that has been used and adapted for centuries in Japan starting in the 6th century. It has Chinese origins and has developed into a unique art form that is practiced across the country. The name 書道 consists of two kanjis (Japanese characters): 書 meaning writing or to write and 道 meaning way or street. Literally translating to “way of writing.” 

When practicing calligraphy, four things are used: a brush, ink, inkstone and paper. Brushes can come in all shapes and sizes. There are also several calligraphy styles including Tensho (ancient seal script) and so on. In the workshop we didn’t go over any particular style. We were just encouraged to start. 

I will admit, it was very challenging. Calligraphy can take years to master and even then you continue to learn over the course of your life. That’s why it’s called the way (or path) of writing! The hardest part for me was applying the right amount of pressure to the brush to get the stroke correct. My finished product was not the best but it was definitely legible.

The characters we wrote were はるの空 (haru no sora), meaning spring sky. We also wrote our names, in katakana, in smaller writing on the left. Katakana is the alphabet usually used for foreign words. 

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to attend this event. It was a challenge but it was also really fun! I’d love to do it again and I recommend trying it at least once!

Thanks for reading! 

Yailin Serrano