Tag Archives: japanese culture

on different calligraphy styles

Japanese calligraphy is a very restrictive form of art. The artist is constrained by the shape of the Japanese kanji characters.  However, within these tight restraints there is opportunity for freedom and expression.  The kanji characters can be written in different styles, with different ink types and colours, different colours and textures of paper, etc.ContinueContinue reading “on different calligraphy styles”

Calligraphy works for sale!

In Japan, calligraphy works of meaningful characters or phrases are displayed in homes, offices, temples and dōjōs as decoration and to provide inspiration. If you would like to own some Japanese calligraphy artwork to display in your home or office, check out my Etsy site for a selection of ready-made calligraphy works. Below is aContinueContinue reading “Calligraphy works for sale!”

道 (dō) “Way”, “Route”, “The Tao”

This is the “-dō” in the Japanese martial arts of judo, kendo and aikido, as well as shodo (calligraphy), sado (tea ceremony) and many others. Loosely translated, it means “way”, “route”, “path” or “doctrine”.  Studying a Japanese art is considered similar to taking a journey up a mountain. The summit is the refinement of oneself,ContinueContinue reading “道 (dō) “Way”, “Route”, “The Tao””

陰陽 (in-yo) “Yin and Yang” ***free wallpaper!***

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 an active Yang day, one will have periods of still, receptive Yin rest. Yin/Yang is an important concept in Japanese art. In calligraphy, outward brush-strokes are Yang and should beContinueContinue reading “陰陽 (in-yo) “Yin and Yang” ***free wallpaper!***”

気 (ki) “spirit”, “energy”

Japanese martial arts practitioners often give a loud quick shout as they perform an attacking move. This shout is a 気合 (ki-ai), often translated as “meeting of spirit”. This ki is the ki in aikido, qigong, and reiki. Ki is a central principle in traditional Chinese medicine and Eastern martial arts. It has been translatedContinueContinue reading “気 (ki) “spirit”, “energy””

日進月歩 (nis-shin-gep-po) “slow and steady progress”

This Japanese phrase is a 四字熟語 (“yo-ji-juku-go”), a 4-character idiom. The characters in this 4-character idiom are: 日 sun or day 進 continue 月 moon or night 歩 walk or step = continue, step by step, every day and night. This is often how I feel when I’m learning Japanese. Progress is so slow, butContinueContinue reading “日進月歩 (nis-shin-gep-po) “slow and steady progress””

一生懸命 (is-shou-ken-mei) “with utmost effort”

Japanese learners will no doubt be familiar with this one. This is the first yo-ji-juku-go (Japanese 4-character idiom) I ever learnt, and for ages I wasn’t aware of it being an idiomatic expression at all. It’s presented in Japanese textbooks as being a regular adjective with a meaning of something like “with utmost effort”. However, it isContinueContinue reading “一生懸命 (is-shou-ken-mei) “with utmost effort””

生き甲斐 (iki-gai) “reason for living”

Now in the Oxford English Dictionary, “Ikigai” is defined as “a motivating force; something or someone that gives a person a sense of purpose or a reason for living” Whilst this concept has existed in Japanese culture for a long time, it was popularised by a Japanese psychiatrist Mieko Kamiya in the 1960s.  More recently it hasContinueContinue reading “生き甲斐 (iki-gai) “reason for living””

鏡花水月 (kyo-ka-sui-getsu) “untouchable beauty”

The kanji in this 4-character idiom are: 鏡 = mirror 花 = flower 水 = water 月 = moon It evokes the image of the full moon reflected in water, or a flower reflected in a mirror – something beautiful but out of reach. I chose this idiom to write today because it contains theContinueContinue reading “鏡花水月 (kyo-ka-sui-getsu) “untouchable beauty””