The modern form of そ comes from the cursive form of the kanji 曽 (そ, so, i.e. “formerly”, “once”, etc.). Follow the progression of the different scripts shown in Figures 1 to 3 to understand its origin. Figure 1. Standard script (楷書, かいしょ, kaisho) of the kanji 曽. Figure 2. Semi-cursive script (行書, ぎょうしょ, gyōsho) of the kanji 曽. Figure 3. Cursive script (草書, そうしょ, sōsho) of the kanji 曽. Figure 4. Calligraphy of the hiragana character そ. Note the corresponding shape with … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2011
What to do with ink leftovers?
There are two major types of ink (墨, すみ, sumi) used for the Far Eastern calligraphy. One is a traditional solid ink, and the other one is a ready-made liquid. To read more about both types, visit our home page here. Many people ask me, "How do you make ink for calligraphy?" Well, it is quite simple. It is rubbed with water on the insktone (硯, すずり, suzuri). Controlling the density and colour is a skill gained throughout years of grinding ink. However, no one has ever asked me what to do … [Read more...]
平仮名 (ひらがな, hiragana): せ (i.e. “se”)
The modern form of せ comes from the cursive form of the kanji 世 (せ, se, i.e. “world”, “society”), though it would seem that semi-cursive style is visually closer to the shape of せ. Due to a fact that kanji 世 has multiple forms in standard script (楷書, かいしょ, kaisho), its cursive script forms may vary quite significantly from one another. Follow the progression of the different scripts shown in Figures 1 to 3 to understand the origin of せ. Figure 1. Standard script (楷書, かいしょ, kaisho) of the … [Read more...]
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