Calligraphy class

Take your first steps on the road to becoming a master calligrapher with a 'shodo' class.

Shodo or 'the way of writing' is the art of Japanese calligraphy. Just as good handwriting is prized in the West, being skilful with a calligraphy brush to produce beautiful kanji characters is an important attribute that children begin to learn in primary school. However with the widespread use of computers, this art form is being kept alive by fewer and fewer devotees.

At a Japanese calligraphy class, you'll be introduced to the basics of shodo. First you must learn how to prepare black ink by grinding the ink stone across a tray and mixing it with a little water. Then after loading your brush, the teacher will teach you some basic kanji characters which are always drawn in a specific order of strokes. The teacher will also explain the three writing systems - kanji, hiragana and katakana, that make up Japanese script. You'll have plenty of time to practise your calligraphy skills before painting one kanji 'for best' to take home and keep.

Calligraphy class

located in Kyoto

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