kana

What is Kana Ryoshi?

By Sakiko Yanagisawa / 10/02/2016 / 3 Comments

Have you ever seen the Genji Monogatari in the form of an 絵巻物 emaki-mono, an Illustrated Handscroll of the Tale of Genji based upon the famous novel by Murasaki Shikibu at a museum or reproduced in a book? I’m sure you were surprised to see the beautiful and delicate paper of the Genji Monogatari illustrated…

The Beauty of Inefficiency: A story about Traditional Hiragana

By Kaoru Akagawa / 22/03/2013 / 2 Comments

My grandmother is one of the last generations to use the old Hiragana in daily life. By contrast, my Father, who was born in

figure_3_producing_wang_xizhi_and_kukai_of_a_new_era

Words Become Art All Around The World

By Beyond Calligraphy / 05/11/2012 / 0 Comments

Calligraphy can be considered a formative art that uses writing as its medium. While typical writing is used as a set of signs designed to replace spoken words

Inspiration and Kana（Interview with Master Usuki ）

By Dave Gosine / 19/10/2012 / 1 Comment

Master Usuki participates actively mainly in Kansai area, and also is an administration officer of Yomiuri Calligraphy Exibhition (読売書法展理事), 日展入選, councilor

Kanji: 人

By Ponte Ryūrui / 11/07/2012 / 0 Comments

Shu shen (許慎, pinyin: Xǔ Shèn, ca. 58 C.E. – ca. 147 C.E.), the meaning of the character 人 was associated with the virtues of Heaven and Earth (i.e. the universe).

Kanji: 森

By Ponte Ryūrui / 20/06/2012 / 0 Comments

森 follows a concept of three pictographs of a tree (木, き, ki) combined in one character, and it emphasises thick tree growth, i.e. woods.

Kanji: 上

By Ponte Ryūrui / 14/06/2012 / 1 Comment

the character 上 originally meant “the higher part (or place)”, and it was represented by two horizontal lines. In later stages its meaning was broadened to

Kanji: 小

By Ponte Ryūrui / 24/05/2012 / 1 Comment

Xiao Xu Ben a revision of Shuowen Jiezi written by the Late Han dynasty scholar Xu Kai, supports the above mentioned definition of 小, by further explanation

Kanji: 女

By Ponte Ryūrui / 09/05/2012 / 1 Comment

a philologist of the Han dynasty (漢朝, pinyin: Hàn Cháo, 206 B.C. – 220 C.E.) is quite simple and straight forward. Xu states that the character 女 represents a woman.

Kanji: 出

By Ponte Ryūrui / 24/04/2012 / 1 Comment

The shape of the character 出 symbolises a step forward executed with vigour; each step starts from placing the heel on the ground. A strongly placed foot