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| Seal
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Clerical
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Semi-cursive
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Cursive
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Regular
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From the seal script was
derived the clerical script; and from the clerical script were
derived both the regular script and the cursive scripts.
Characters are often written
in ancient variations or simplifications that deviate from the
modern standards used in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. Modern
variations or simplifications of characters, akin to Chinese
Simplified characters or Japanese
shinjitai, are occasionally used, especially since some
simplified forms derive from cursive script shapes in the first
place.
The Japanese syllabaries of
katakana and hiragana are used in calligraphy;
katakana were derived from regular script shapes and
hiragana from characters in the cursive script. In Korea,
the post-Korean
War period saw the increased use of
hangul, the Korean alphabet, in calligraphy.
Seal Script
The Seal Script (often called
Small Seal Script) is the formal script of the
Qin system of writing, the informal script of which was
precursor to the Clerical Script. Seal script is the oldest
style that continues to be widely practiced. Today, this ancient
style of Chinese writing is used predominantly in
seals, hence the English name. Although seals (name chops),
which make a signature-like impression, are carved in wood, jade
and other materials, the script itself was originally written
with brush and ink on paper, just like all other scripts.
Most people today cannot read
the seal script, so it is generally not used outside the fields
of calligraphy and carved seals. However, because seals act like
legal
signatures in
Chinese culture,
Korean culture, and
Japanese culture, and because vermillion seal impressions
are a fundamental part of the presentation of works of art such
as calligraphy and painting, seals and therefore seal script
remain ubiquitous.
Clerical Script
The Clerical Script (often
simply termed lìshū; and sometimes called Official, Draft or
Scribal Script) developed from the Seal Script. In general,
characters are often "flat" in appearance, being wider than they
are tall. The strokes may appear curved and with variations in
width. Most noticeable is the dramatically flared tail of one
dominant horizontal or downward-diagonal stroke, especially that
to the lower right. This characteristic stroke has famously been
called 'silkworm head and wild goose tail' (蠶頭雁尾 cántóu
yànwěi）in Chinese due to its distinctive shape.
The archaic Clerical Script of
the Chinese
Warring States period to
Qin Dynasty and early
Han Dynasty can often be difficult to read for a modern East
Asian person, but the mature Clerical Script of the middle to
late Han dynasty is generally legible. Modern works in the
Clerical Script tend to use the mature, late Hàn style, and may
also use modernized character structures, resulting in a form as
transparent and legible as Regular (or standard) Script. The
Clerical Script remains common as a typeface used for decorative
purposes (for example, in displays), but it is not commonly
written.
Semi-cursive
Script
The Semi-cursive Script (also called Running
Script, 行書) approximates normal handwriting in which strokes and, more rarely,
characters are allowed to run into one another. In writing in the Semi-cursive
Script, the brush leaves the paper less often than in the Regular Script.
Characters appear less angular and rounder.
In general, an educated person in China or
Japan can read characters written in the Semi-cursive Script with relative ease,
but may have occasional difficulties with certain idiosyncratic shapes.
Cursive Script
The Cursive Script (sometimes called Grass
Script, 草書) is a fully cursive script, and a person who can read the
Semi-cursive Script cannot be expected to read the Grass Script without
training. Entire characters may be written without lifting the brush from the
paper at all, and characters frequently flow into one another. Strokes are
modified or eliminated completely to facilitate smooth writing and to create a
beautiful, abstract appearance. Characters are highly rounded and soft in
appearance, with a noticeable lack of angular lines.
The Cursive Script is the source of Japanese
hiragana, as well as many modern simplified forms in Simplified Chinese
characters and Japanese shinjitai.
Regular
Script
The Regular Script (often called standard
script or simply kǎishū) is one of the last major calligraphic styles to
develop, emerging between the Chinese Han dynasty and
Three Kingdoms period, gaining dominance in the
Southern and Northern Dynasties, and maturing in the
Tang Dynasty. It emerged from a neatly written, early period semi-cursive
form of
clerical script. As the name suggests, the Regular Script is "regular", with
each of the strokes placed slowly and carefully, the brush lifted from the paper
and all the strokes distinct from each other.
The Regular Script is also the most easily and
widely recognized style, as it is the script to which children in East Asian
countries and beginners of East Asian languages are first introduced. For
learners of calligraphy, the Regular Script is usually studied first to give
students a feel for correct placement and balance, as well as to provide a
proper base for the other, more flowing styles.
In the Regular Script samples to the right,
the characters in the left column are in
Traditional Chinese while those to the right are in
Simplified Chinese.
Edomoji
There is also a large family of native
Japanese calligraphic styles known as
edomoji, characters created in the
Edo period of Japanese history, such as sumōmoji (sumo letters) used
to write
sumō wrestling posters, kanteiryū, used for
kabuki, higemoji, and so on. These styles are typically not taught in
Japanese calligraphy schools.
Chinese and Korean people can read edomoji,
but the style has a distinct Japanese feel to it. It is therefore commonly used
in China and Korea to advertise Japanese restaurants.
Munjado
Munjado is a Korean decorative style of
rendering Chinese characters in which brush strokes are replaced with
representational paintings that provide commentary on the meaning.[1]
The characters thus rendered are traditionally those for the eight Confucian
virtues of humility, honor, duty, propriety, trust, loyalty, brotherly love, and
filial piety.
Kaō
The kaō is a stylized calligraphic
signature. Many Japanese emperors, shogun, and even modern politicians develop
their own kaō.
Tools
The paper, ink, brush, and inkstone are
essential implements of East Asian calligraphy: they are known together as the
Four Treasures of the Study (T: 文房四寶 / S: 文房四宝) in China, and as the Four
Friends of the Study (HG: 문방사우 / HJ: 文房四友) in Korea. In addition to these four
tools, desk pads and paperweights are also used by calligraphers.
Paper
Special types of paper are used in East Asian
calligraphy.
In China,
Xuanzhi, traditionally made in
Anhui province, is the preferred type of paper. It is made from the
Tartar wingceltis (Pteroceltis tartarianovii), as well as other
materials including
rice, the
paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera),
bamboo,
hemp, etc.
In Japan,
Washi is made from the kozo (paper mulberry),
ganpi (Wikstroemia sikokiana), and
mitsumata (Edgeworthia papyrifera), as well as other materials
like bamboo, hemp, rice, and
wheat. Sometimes the brush is used to put ink on a pen.
Ink
The ink is made from lampblack (soot) and
binders, and comes in sticks which must be rubbed with water on an inkstone
until the right consistency is achieved. Much cheaper, pre-mixed bottled inks
are now available, but these are used primarily for practice as stick inks are
considered higher quality and chemical inks are more prone to bleeding over
time, making them less suitable for use in hanging scrolls. Learning to rub the
ink is an essential part of calligraphy study. Traditionally, East Asian
calligraphy is written only in black ink, but modern calligraphers sometimes use
other colours. Calligraphy teachers use a bright orange or red ink with which
they write practice characters for students and correct students' work.
Brush
The brush is the traditional writing implement
in East Asian calligraphy. The body of the brush can be made from either
bamboo, or rarer materials like
red sandalwood,
glass,
ivory,
silver, and
gold. The head of the brush can be made from the hair (or feather) of a wide
variety of animals, including the
wolf,
rabbit,
deer,
chicken,
duck,
goat,
pig,
tiger, etc. There is also a tradition in both China and Japan of making a
brush using the hair of a newborn, as a once-in-a-lifetime souvenir for the
child. This practice is associated with the legend of an ancient Chinese scholar
who scored first in the
Imperial examinations by using such a personalized brush.
Today, calligraphy may also be done using a
pen, but pen calligraphy does not enjoy the same prestige as traditional
brush calligraphy.
A video showing how to hold a Chinese brush
Inkstone
A stone or ceramic
inkstone is used to rub the solid ink stick into liquid ink and to contain
the ink once it is liquid. Cheaper inkstones are made of plastic.
Inkstones are often carved, so they are
collectible works of art on their own.
Paperweight
Paperweights are used to weigh down paper.
Paperweights come in several types: some are oblong wooden blocks carved with
calligraphic or pictorial designs; others are essentially small sculptures of
people or animals. Like inkstones, paperweights are collectible works of art on
their own right.
Desk
pad
The desk pad (Chinese
T: 畫氈,
S: 画毡,
Pinyin: huàzhān; Japanese: 下敷
shitajiki) is a pad made of felt. Some are printed with grids on both sides,
so that when it is placed under the translucent paper, it can be used as a guide
to ensure correct placement and size of characters. These printed pads are used
only by students. Both desk pads and the printed grids come in a variety of
sizes.
Seal
Works of calligraphy are usually completed by
the artist putting his or her
seal at the very end, in red ink. The seal serves the function of a
signature.
Study
The
Chinese method of holding the brush
How the brush is held depends on which
calligraphic genre is practiced. For
Chinese calligraphy, the method of holding the brush is more special; the
brush is held vertically straight gripped between the thumb and middle finger.
The index finger lightly touches the upper part of the shaft of the brush
(stabilizing it) while the ring and little fingers tuck under the bottom of the
shaft. The palm is hollow and you should be able to hold an egg in there. This
method, although difficult to hold correctly for the beginner, allows greater
freedom of movement, control and execution of strokes. For Japanese calligraphy,
the brush is held in the right hand between the thumb and the index finger, very
much like a Western pen.
A paperweight is placed at the top of all but
the largest pages to prevent slipping; for smaller pieces the left hand is also
placed at the bottom of the page for support.
In China, there are many people who practice
calligraphy in public places such as parks and sidewalks, using water as their
ink and the ground as their paper. Very large brushes are required. Although
such calligraphic works are temporary (as the water will eventually dry), they
serve the dual purpose of both being an informal public display of one's work,
and an opportunity to further practice one's calligraphy.
In Japan, smaller pieces of
Japanese calligraphy are traditionally written seated in the traditional
Japanese way (seiza),
on the knees with the buttocks resting on the heels. In modern times, however,
practitioners frequently practice calligraphy seated on a chair at a table.
Larger pieces may be written while standing; in this case the paper is usually
placed directly on the floor, but some calligraphers use an easel.
Calligraphy takes many years of dedicated
practice. Correct
stroke order, proper balance and rhythm of characters are essential in
calligraphy. Skilled handling of the brush produces a pleasing balance of
characters on the paper, thick and thin lines, and heavy and light inking. In
most cases, a calligrapher will practice writing the Chinese character yong
(永) many, many times in order to perfect the
eight basic essential strokes contained within the character. Those who can
correctly write the yong character beautifully can potentially write all
characters with beauty.
Basic calligraphy instruction is part of the
regular school curriculum in both
China and
Japan.
