The word えい (えい, ei, i.e. “eternity”) written in Japanese Kana (かな) script. The hiragana character い is based on the cursive form of the kanji 以
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The modern form of う comes from the cursive form of the kanji 宇 (う, u, i.e. “counter for buildings”). Follow the progression of the different scripts shown
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The modern form of い comes from the cursive form of the kanji 以 (い, i, i.e. “by means of”, “because of”, etc.). Follow the different scripts shown in
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The modern form of the hiragana character あ comes from the cursive form of the kanji 安 (あん, an, i.e. “relaxed”, “cheap”, or “peaceful”).
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Before we venture into the abyssal realm of Chinese and Japanese calligraphy, we need to ask ourselves a question: what does “calligraphy” really mean? Word “calligraphy” has Greek etymology, and it derives
Read MoreBeyond Calligraphy is a artistic project aiming at introducing Chinese and Japanese calligraphy to anyone willing to learn more about this fascinating art. This blog is devoted to presenting current calligraphic events In the Far East (presently, with main focus on Japan), as well as various presentations lavishly decorated with pictures or videos, that reveal…
Read MoreThe commonly-known word “calligraphy” has Greek etymology, and it derives from κάλλος kallos “beauty” + γραφή graphẽ “writing”. However, in a way, this is a very unfortunate translation in regards to calligraphy based on the Chinese writing system (on this site, also referred to as kanji, 漢字 – i.e characters from China’s Han dynasty). The…
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