Tag Archives: Japan

寿 (Kotobuki) “congratulations” or “long life”

This kanji is often found on Japanese greetings cards, and also on those fancy paper envelopes you put money in when you go to a wedding. It means “congratulations”. It can also mean “long life”. It is also the first kanji in the most common way to write sushi -（寿司）. This kanji is used forContinueContinue reading “寿 (Kotobuki) “congratulations” or “long life””

絆 (ki-zu-na) “bonds”

絆 can refer to any kind of “bond”, but it usually refers to the “bonds” that structure human relationships. Although the word “bond” sounds inflexible and unforgiving, in Japanese it usually has a positive nuance when used to describe human relationships. Even if the nature of a human relationship leads to a reduction in one’sContinueContinue reading “絆 (ki-zu-na) “bonds””

あおいうみ、さかなつり

(aoi umi, sakana tsuri)  “blue sea, catching fish” You might notice that the above characters are a different style to the characters I usually write.  Usually I write calligraphy in kanji, which is a logographic script in which each complex character has a meaning. The above is in hiragana, which is a syllabary – eachContinueContinue reading “あおいうみ、さかなつり”

仁 (jin) “benevolence”

One of the 7 virtues of bushido. “Jin” is also one of the most fundamental virtues of Confucianism (from which much of traditional Japanese morality was based), which could be defined as to treat each other with tenderness; to love each other. Samurai were expected to be benevolent. However, this was not the blind benevolenceContinueContinue reading “仁 (jin) “benevolence””

晴耕雨読　(sei-kō-u-doku)  “fine weather, labour, rain, read”

This is a “yo-ji-juku-go” (Japanese 4-character idiom), which describes how to live a peaceful yet productive life: work when it’s sunny, and rest when it rains. Doing everything in its proper season.

陰陽 (in-yo) “Yin and Yang”

Yin is dark, cold, receptive, magnetic. Yang is light, hot, giving, active. Both are present in everything. Day is Yang, Night is Yin. But during a Yang day, one will have periods of Yin rest. Yin-Yang is also an important concept in Japanese art. In the calligraphy above, outward brush-strokes are Yang and should beContinueContinue reading “陰陽 (in-yo) “Yin and Yang””

限 (gen) “limits”

It is precisely the act of pushing against limits, stretching them, bending them, playing with them, which leads to interesting artistic expression. In other words, in order to push boundaries, there must be boundaries existing in the first place. This is especially true of Japanese calligraphy. As an artform it is incredibly restrictive. The boundariesContinueContinue reading “限 (gen) “limits””