What is Shodo or Japanese Calligraphy?

[@joshuawedekind3903]

Can you please do a video on the various types of inks? I have found that some inks have an absolutely repulsive smell. Some are dark, others are more gray. Some are $5 a stick, and others go up to $200 a stick. I've spent several hundred US dollars on ink sticks and stones and liquid ink trying to find one that is pleasant to use and doesn't smell terrible. Thanks!

[@siddhartha.saif25]

thank you Esteban. very informative

[@oded3302]

Greetings... Will regular calligraphy ink is suitable for bonsai pots writing? (They will contact water regularly)

[@oscarurgelbernal558]

bueno ahora ya sé que contestar cuando me pregunten que es shodo

[@extremedisaster8578]

What is Chinese calligraphy or ShuFa

[@kwek2798]

Where do you get calligraphy paper

[@Gohitsushodostudio]

Several places online. Check out the link for the guide.

[@user-xq2po2wo8p]

上手いね。

[@luckygirl0369]

❤️

[@deepansharya1111]

I'm here because I want to find out "why japanese people write words on large paper while it can be done in normal notebook with a pen (less paper is used, less trees are cut, and who uses brush to write in daily life on large paper) and why all this is not done in English or other languages?". Writing English ABC alphabets on large paper is kind of an absurd idea to me, so why is it done in Japanese that's what I really wanted to know.

[@Finnv893]

Why did people with pissed poor living standards relative to ours painstakingly build huge ziggurats if they couldn't live in them, and when roofed grain silos were more cost effective? Once you have gained a macro understanding of tradition and culture building, you will answer your own questions.

[@deepansharya1111]

@@Finnv893 you're correct regarding the ziggurats, I just now read about it. They were religious symbols, devoted to their gods. People follow different practices on god's name in different religions which I am no one to question, I don't know about the Japanese culture also, but is calligraphy also religious in Japan?

[@Alex-fc8xn]

Calligraphy is also a thing in English. Japanese people do not normally write with brushes and ink on large pieces of paper, they use pencils and pens in notebooks. Shodo, on the other hand, is an ancient art form that is a combination of calligraphy/writing and watercolor. If you look at the origins, it came from China and was often a religious thing with the Buddhist concept of Zen, as was mentioned in the video. Properly done, it is a form of meditation as well as art. You may as well ask why people still paint with oil paints, watercolors, and other traditional mediums. They could just switch to digital and avoid wasting materials, right? If you think about all of this, maybe you will understand that it isn't about efficiency, but neither is it mindlessly wasteful, as so many things are these days. At least traditional shodo uses all biodegradable materials, the brushes will last far longer than pens or pencils if taken care of, and it supports traditional artisans who make the supplies and keep the knowledge and cultural practices alive. Also I might be wrong, but isn't the paper made of rice rather than trees?

[@deepansharya1111]

@@Alex-fc8xn Thankyou for sharing this perspective, it makes sense.

[@Alex-fc8xn]

@@deepansharya1111 happy I could help :)