For non-Japanese, being able to make the right choice, when it comes to Japanese Calligraphy, is quite difficult. I am a Japanese calligrapher with almost 40 years experience. I would like to give you here some hints on how to make a good choice.

Japanese Calligraphy is an art that require years and years of practice. In Japan, we say that this art is an art of the elderly, as the only way to get your own writing pattern is after many years. Every child in Japan learn at school to write some "calligraphy". This does not mean that every Japanese masters the brush. Skilled scholars have to learn this art under the strict supervision of a Master.

But the best way to see if the calligrapher is skilled or only pretend to be is to look at what he/she wrote. I have two different characters (or kanjis) to help you understand:

On the left, one written by a 15 year old, with very basic knowledge of calligraphy. On the right, the same kanji written by me:


It is quite clear that there's a visual difference. Here are the main points:

• kanji's lines are the key. On the left, lines are dull, monotone, where on the right, lines are living, being thick and thin, plain and brushed.

• one detail that is easy to see are the end of the strokes. Once a stroke has been written, the brush does not end straight, but the hand continue the movement. You can clearly see in the right kanji that the strokes end with a blurred end due to the movement's speed.

• the meaning of this kanji is LOVE. Japanese language being based on ideograms, you have to be able to transmit a feeling in the kanji. The only way is to "play" with the writing speed, the stroke's thickness and the starting and the ending of the line. 

• One more important point is the ink shades. All black kanjis are not nice calligraphies. You must have shades from grey to black. It may be difficult to see this details on a screen.

• Finally, balance of the kanji is important. Each stroke has a place in the calligraphy. The overall calligraphy must look nice, especially when you have more than one kanji.

Last but not least, I encourage you to compare as much as possible the calligraphies you are interested in. For example, print both pictures and put them side by side. Use my guidelines to see which one should be chosen.

The main reason I have decided to write this guide is that I am always surprised to see very basic calligraphies sold on internet. Those self-promoted master of calligraphy just wish to make money on your lack of knowledge of calligraphy. I do not think that this is a good way to promote a multi-secular art, not to mention the lack of rectitude of those sellers.

Well, I hope that you learned something today. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email me.

Fumi Wada - Calligrapher name: Wada Suïen.