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Budo and the Art of Japanese Calligraphy
by H. E. Davey
Shodo, or the Way of Calligraphy, is studied
by a multitude of Japanese, from college professors to
housewives. However, even in Japan, few fully grasp the
connection between Budo and Shodo, or how Japanese brush
writing can be used as an exceptionally effective form of
supplemental training for the Budoka. This is holds true
despite the fact that many past masters of the martial
arts and ways were also masters of Shodo. Well-known
martial artists such as Miyamoto Musashi; Aikido's
founder, Ueshiba Morihei Sensei; and Muto Ryu Kenjutsu's
founder, Yamaoka Tesshu Sensei, are all held in equally
high regard as calligraphers. Yamaoka Sensei is a fine
example of a master of the dual ways of Sho and Bu.
Terayama Katsujo Sensei, in his foreword to The Sword
of No-Sword, writes:
Many followers of Budo, especially Aikido and
Aiki-jujutsu practitioners, place a similar emphasis on
the cultivation of Ki, kiai, and hara in their own
disciplines, just as Shodo is viewed by its disciples as
an equally effective method of developing oneself
spiritually. A spontaneous creative gesture that has much
in common with abstract expressionism, Shodo is more than
mere writing, and its skilled practitioners believe that
the "visible rhythm" created by the brush is a
"picture of the mind" which reveals the
calligrapher's physical and mental condition. For
hundreds of years in China and Japan, leaders in any
field, including Budo, were expected to demonstrate a
powerful, composed script. Recently, major American and
European corporations have started to employ handwriting
analysts to help them select future executives; however,
the study of byohitsu, or "sick strokes," is
not new to Japan. It is believed that the subconscious
mind is unmasked at the moment the brush is put to paper.
It is also felt that one's subconscious can be positively
influenced by copying masterpieces of Japanese
calligraphy executed by exceptional individuals such as
Yamaoka Tesshu Sensei. Like Budo, Shodo is ultimately a
means of cultivating the personality by developing
positive subconscious habits. Martial arts author Michel
Random writes, "It is said that internal serenity
drives the brush. The brush in effect interprets the
deepest part of the subconscious. The 'wisdom of the eye'
is what relates the characters to each other as though
assembling the movable and the immutable, the ego to the
10,000 things in the universe, the present to the
timeless."
Each brush stroke in Japanese calligraphy must
be perfectly executed since the artist never goes back to
touch up any character. Each movement of the fude, or
brush, is ideally performed with the full force of one's
mind and body, as if one's very life depended upon the
successful completion of each action. It is this spirit
of decisiveness, of throwing 100% of oneself into the
moment's action without hesitation, that perhaps most
clearly connects Budo and the art of Japanese calligraphy.
Random further states in The Martial Arts:
Shodo requires a balanced use of the mind and
body, as well as a state of mental and physical
integration. As many novices in the martial arts have
discovered, it is sometimes rather difficult to make the
mind and body work together as a unit. To simply paint a
straight line can be a surprising challenge, one that can
be accomplished only through a coordination of one's
faculties. In Japanese painting and calligraphy, a
strongly concentrated mind must control the brush, and a
relaxed body must allow the brush to act as an exact
reflection of the mind's movement. Shodo, as much as
Budo, demands this coordination. Through calligraphy
practice, the martial artist has an additional means of
realizing the essential harmony of thought and action,
and a visible means of illustrating this state of
unification at that. To achieve unification of mind and
body, of course, demands a positive, concentrated use of
the mind, along with a natural and relaxed use of the
body. It is this enhancement of concentration and
relaxation that many people, including Japanese
practitioners of the martial arts, find so appealing.
Just as Judo begins by gripping the opponent,
and Iaido begins by gripping the sword, so too does Shodo
start with the student's hold on the brush. Unless the
proper method of holding is mastered, no real progress is
possible. Some teachers in the past tried to suddenly
pull the brush from the student's hand as a means of
testing the grip. An ink-covered hand would reveal an
improperly held brush. However, squeezing tightly is not
the answer, because this does not produce flowing,
dynamic characters. Limply gripping, on the other hand,
results only in a loss of brush control. It was, and is,
therefore essential to learn to hold the fude in a way
that is neither tense nor limp, with a kind of
"alive" grip in which one's Ki is projected
from downward-pointing fingers through the brush, out of
the tip, and into the paper. This same supple, yet firm
grip, is vital in most forms of Budo, and it has been
characterized as "Ki de toru," that is, holding
with Ki.
As an individual prepares to paint, he or she
will notice if the tip of the brush is still or shaking.
A wobbling brush not only makes it difficult to paint
stable kanji, but it also indicates an unstable, nervous
mental state. In Shodo, and Budo, the body reflects the
mind. Therefore, the bushi would also notice if his
opponent's kissaki (sword tip) began to tremble, for this
was often an indication of suki--a break in the
opponent's composure and concentration, and an
opportunity to attack. In Shodo, as in Budo, as in daily
life, the mind and body are interconnected.
In both Shodo and Budo, one's spirit controls
the brush or, in the case of Budo, one's body. The Shodo
student needs to strongly focus on the character to be
painted for a split second, and then without hesitation,
move the brush in a relaxed manner. In this way, the
Shodo artist endeavors to succeed mentally before the
brush even touches the paper, in much the same way that a
skilled Budoka will spiritually win before engaging the
opponent. Japanese calligraphy dictates that the movement
of a person's Ki slightly precedes the brush as it draws
the character.
Shodo has a "visible rhythm"; in
other words, the kanji sit in repose on the paper, but
they must look and feel as if they are moving. (This is
the state of dochu no sei, or "stillness in
motion," that is often alluded to in esoteric
densho, or manuals containing a school's most profound
teachings. Its converse is "motion in
stillness." It is the unity of these two conditions
that results in skilled Shodo and Budo.) To create this
dynamic, yet balanced feeling, the brush must flow in a
free and easy manner. Each kanji has a set number of
strokes that must be brushed in a precisely defined
order. Within the form of each character, the brush
should move smoothly from one stroke to the next. This
creates a rhythm, which must not be broken if the
character is to take on a dynamic appearance, and unless
a constant flow of concentration is maintained, this
rhythm will be broken. Many people have an unfortunate
tendency to cut off their stream of attention at the
completion of an action. In calligraphy, this often
happens when finishing a single character or at the end
of a line of words. It is vital to maintain an unbroken
flow of Ki and concentration throughout the artistic act.
In Budo as well as Shodo, this is known as zanshin
(literally "remaining mind"), and it indicates
a kind of "mental follow-through" and unbroken
condition of calm awareness. Shodo has been used in the
past, as well as the present, as a way for Budoka to
develop zanshin without the presence of an actual
opponent.
Both Budo and Shodo have been characterized as
forms of "moving meditation." Michel Random
eloquently describes this unique method of meditation
with the brush:
Shodo is, thus, an art that can be appreciated
just as much by individuals that cannot read Japanese as
by those that can. For just as it is possible to enjoy
the rhythm and sound of music, without being able to read
the notes, it is also possible to appreciate Japanese
calligraphy without being fluent in Japanese. In the
dynamic beauty of Shodo, one finds the essential
components that make up all art--balance, rhythm, grace,
and the beauty of line. These aspects of Shodo, which are
also found in properly performed Budo, can be appreciated
by all cultures.
Dave Lowry, the esteemed author of Autumn Lightning,
describes his impressions, as a young American, observing
the calligraphy painted by his sensei:
Perhaps, through the practice of Shodo,
Western martial artists can come to also understand the
other so-called "impenetrable" Japanese
cultural arts that the bushi considered an invaluable
part of his education, and which are so rarely explored
by Budoka today.
Notes:
This article first appeared in the
Spring-Summer 1995 issue of the Furyu: The Budo Journal.
Many students of traditional Budo have read
that the education of the bushi consisted of a dual
emphasis on bun and bu. Bu refers to the study of martial
strategy and combat, while bun indicates the literary and
fine arts of Japan. Some scholars of Budo have even
declared that bun and bu must be considered as one. For
example, Nakajima Masayoshi Sensei, fifth headmaster of
Takenouchi-Hangan-Ryu, has written that, in addition to
the ryu's eighteen classical martial arts, students are
taught such fine arts as Shakuhachi (five-holed flute),
Shimai (a form of Noh dance), Yokyoku (Noh song), Sado
(tea ceremony), and Kado (flower arrangement). Moreover,
in feudal Japan, young bushi, or samurai, of the Aizu
clan attended the Nisshinkan, where in addition to taking
part in the martial activities that many would expect
from an institute of samurai education, the youths also
received detailed instruction in the Chinese classics,
religion, etiquette, classical music, mathematics,
healing arts, astronomy, and Japanese calligraphy. It was
the art of brush writing, in fact, that was among the
most important of studies for the higher-ranking bushi.
Actually, for many ancient warriors, as well as
present-day Japanese martial arts experts, Japanese
calligraphy (Shodo) amounts to a vital part of Budo
training.
Yamaoka Tesshu was an outstanding figure
of the turbulent era that marked the birth of modern
Japan. In the public sphere, Tesshu negotiated with
Saigo Takamori and arranged for the peaceful transfer
of power from the old order to the new; as an
individual student of the Ways, Tesshu attained
profound enlightenment at the age of forty-five and
realized the inner principles of swordsmanship, Zen,
and calligraphy. Thereafter, Tesshu was like Miyamoto
Musashi, "passing one's days without attachment
to any particular Way" (Book of Five Rings).
Tesshu too became an extraordinarily versatile and
prolific master: a peerless swordsman who established
the No-Sword School; a wise and compassionate Zen
teacher in the Tekisui tradition; and an unrivaled
calligrapher who gathered all things of heaven and
earth in his brush. Even today, nearly a century
after his death, Tesshu's incredible vitality can
still be discerned in his
As the actions of the sword in Kenjutsu
can be considered a reflection of one's mind, in Shodo,
the dynamic movement of the artist's spiritual force, or
Ki, becomes visible in the form of jet-black ink. Like
traditional Budo, Shodo, which is derived from
3000-year-old Chinese characters adopted by Japan, can be
practiced as a means of cultivating Ki. In Zen and the
Art of Japanese Calligraphy, Omori Sogen Roshi expresses
this idea:
The work of a Zen artist, on the other
hand, is permeated by what Hakuin called the
"overwhelming force of enlightened vision."
That force is kiai. Ki, the energy of the cosmos, is
always present but remains dormant if not cultivated.
Kiai is to be full of ki; it is incorporated in the
ink as
Setsudo said about this: "Bokki is not,
as most people believe, the colour of the ink, and does
not depend on the quality of the brush, ink, and paper.
If one's ki is not extended into the work, the bokki is
For is not the ability to make the stroke
flow naturally, to let the brush move freely across a
thin piece of paper, also a superior struggle of the
most testing kind? The spontaneous stroke of the
brush is reminiscent of the quick free thrust of the
sword or the freedom of the arrow fired effortlessly.
Wherever there is distress, worry or uneasiness,
there can be no perfect freedom or swiftness of
In Shodo, all mistakes are final, just as in
the martial arts a mistake ultimately, or at least
symbolically, results in the Budoka's death. For this
reason, many beginners in calligraphy lack the spiritual
strength to paint the character decisively. Each stroke
must be delivered like the slash of the bushi's sword,
yet the brush must be held in a relaxed manner, as well
as manipulated without a loss of controlled calmness.
Through rigorous training, a kind of seishin tanren
(spiritual forging), the student's mental condition is
altered, and this change in consciousness is expected to
be carried into the individual's daily life as well. For
the Budoka, the added strength and composure, which is
cultivated by Japanese calligraphy allows him or her to
more instantly respond to an opponent's attack without
hesitation. In one sense, the shuji-gami, or calligraphy
paper, which is so sensitive that the ink will
"bleed" through it in seconds, is one's
opponent and the brush one's sword. Every kanji, or
character, must be painted with a perfect asymmetrical
balance, which like a person's balance in Jujutsu, must
be developed until it is maintained on a subconscious
level. (In fact, the author has found his prior training
in Aiki-jujutsu to be invaluable for sensing balance in
Shodo, and over the years, his study of calligraphy has
enabled him to more precisely see, and correct, a lack of
balance in the bodies of his Aiki-jujutsu students.)
The sign is repeated until total
spontaneity is achieved, completely free from thought
Few realize that many of the brush strokes in
Shodo are similar, or the same as, the lines of the fude
in Japanese ink painting (Sumi-e). Both the Japanese and
the Chinese use pictographs as well as thousands of
ideograms in their languages, each with a specific
meaning, producing a virtually limitless combination of
expressions. A large number of kanji are actually
abstract and abbreviated pictures which can evoke emotion
in the viewer, just as some paintings do, owing to their
variety and depth. For this reason, it is not uncommon to
find that some Japanese calligraphers can actually paint,
and some Sumi-e experts can execute calligraphy, as the
two arts overlap considerably.
... Sensei was writing in the much older
kanji characters of Japanese script with ink and a
soft bristled brush. There is a maxim in the bujutsu,
ken, sho, ichi, a reminder that the katana and the
brush are one and the same in practice and the
swordsman must wield his blade with exactly the
accuracy and artistry with which he employs a brush
to render the intricate characters of calligraphy.
Sensei's characters, like his swordsmanship, were
adroit and flowing, unconsciously
It is the author's hope that this article will
encourage American martial artists to look beyond Budo's
more obvious physical aspects, to realize that it is a
Way born out of the arts, religions, and history of
Japan; that it is a cultural art like tea ceremony,
Shakuhachi, Shodo, and others; and that ultimately, it is
not possible to fully remove Budo from Japan's cultural
matrix without altering beyond recognition its true form.
In fact, it may help individuals not fluent in Japanese
to realize that Shodo is often painted in ancient and
highly abstract scripts, such as tensho and sosho, which
the average Japanese cannot even read. (Shodo is,
however, an enjoyable, stimulating method of learning the
Japanese language--the international language of Budo.)
About The Author:
H. E. Davey is the Director of the Sennin
Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts, located
in Albany, California (near San Francisco). It offers
classes in Japanese Yoga, Japanese healing arts,
Aiki-jujutsu, and Shodo. He is also a direct disciple of
Shodo master Kobara Ranseki Sensei, Vice President of the
Kokusai Shodo Bunka Koryu Kyokai of Japan. He holds the
highest rank in Kobara Sensei's method of Shodo, and he
exhibits his artwork annually in Japan at the International
Shodo Exhibition (Kokusai Shodo-Ten), where he has received
various awards, including Jun Taisho, the Associate Grand
Prize.
Copyright © 1997-2008 Shudokan Martial Arts Association.
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Updated: Jun 8, 2006