書道: Japanese Calligraphy

Since coming to Japan, I have developed an interest in shodo, or Japanese calligraphy. The kanji for "shodo" literally means "way of writing", and Japanese calligraphy is definitely a very specific way of writing. Each character has a specific stroke order, and each particular stroke itself is done in a very specific way. It reminds me of the Japanese tea ceremony, where every movement is carefully choreographed, and is done the same way every time.
I began taking lessons at school with Yutani-sensei, the teacher in charge of the calligraphy club. I started first by learning the character for "e" or eternity, because it contains all the basic kinds of strokes, and so is good for a beginner like myself.

This was my first try, and I messed up a lot, but I was happy that I had the chance to learn all the strokes. Controlling the brush is a LOT harder than it looks, even with my art background, because all the movements are very specific to this kind of calligraphy. 

I messed around with a few more kanji, and finally I told Yutani-sensei that my favorite style of writing was the more old-fashioned "kana" style, the way that many old scrolls and haikus were written.  She let me try it, and I liked it much better, because, while it's still strictly controlled, it feels freer, and is also easier for me to maintain balance of the characters, since they are more simple than kanji. My art history teacher at Kansai Gaidai also told me that it's a more feminine way to write, but it's always been very difficult for me to read, since it's basically really fancy Japanese cursive. I'm hoping that learning how to write it myself will also help me learn how to read it.

From top to bottom, right to left, this says "yukigeshiki", which means snow.
I'm continuing to practice a few times every week, and hopefully I'll have some better examples to post in the future :)