Spring calligraphy

Semi-formal style of Japanese calligraphy, gyo-sho, is my favourite among the three scripts we practice. The other two styles are kai-sho (formal) and so-sho (informal). I tired to think why I prefer gyo-sho, and I think it is because of the balance between being constrained by the rules (the characters have to be readable) and the freedom to improvise the details. It conveys both proficiency and creative ability.

This week, I had another chance to compare my current writing (the image above) with that of three years ago. Writing gyo-sho definitely felt more comfortable than diving into the formal kai-sho style a week ago after a long break in practice. The feeling is very similar to kendo, where at the beginning of a practice session, muscles warm up, and the brain lets go a little bit of control, allowing the body to act spontaneously, at least sometimes, which manifests in small, spontaneous details of the techniques (waza). Of course, the parallels between painting, calligraphy and martial are well known and have been explored by many authors and artists, such as Dave Lowry in “Sword and Brush.”

Quite appropriately, the theme of this month’s calligraphy is welcoming of Spring. I think that striving for balance between structure and spontaneity, between following the rules and breaking them, is the positive change that is needed in all aspects of life, which is too often over-structured because of external demands and self-imposed expectations.