Course Number and Title ARTS/JPNA111 Calligraphy and Kanji Culture

Updated August 2021

Subject Area Arts Class Style Lecture

Year Available 1st Year Term(s) Offered Spring and Fall Semesters

Prerequisites None Number of Credits 3

Instructor William Reed

Course Description PROFESSOR PROFILE William Reed discovered Calligraphy through an interest in Zen as a High School Student in the 1960s. This led to a year of study in Japan in 1972, beginning a lifelong engagement with Shodo, the Way of Brush Calligraphy. With close to 50 years of experience in Calligraphy, he has a 10th-dan rank in Shodo (Calligraphy), and is Vice-Chairman of the Japan Calligraphy Education Association (Zen Nihon Kyoiku Shodo Renmei). He has won top awards in numerous calligraphy exhibitions. He also holds a 7th-dan rank in the Kofude or Small Brush Category of Calligraphy, and is certified as a Graphology Advisor, the art of improving concentration and character traits through handwriting. He is author of the book Shodo: The Art of Coordinating Mind, Body, and Brush, and has published research for the Japan Creativity Society on Shodo in the Digital Age, and Effective Methods of Remembering the Kanji. In 2021 he will publish a new book on Calligraphy, Song of the Brush, Dance of the Ink.

Also holding an 8th-dan rank in the martial art of Aikido, he is a regular columnist in Gekkan Hiden a Martial Arts Magazine in a series entitled The Brush is the Sword of the Mind, and has appeared in dialog interviews with famous martial artists in both Gekkan Hiden and Kendo Nippon. He was commissioned to do Shodo Performances at the Butokuden Dojo adjacent to the Heian Shrine in Kyoto, at Erinji Zen Temple in Yamanashi, Nihonbashi Kokaido Hall in Tokyo, for the Japan Sports Agency BUDO Tourism Video, the aizu150.com Samurai Documentary, and for the Scottish Samurai at the Aberdeen Townhouse in Scotland.

COURSE DESCRIPTION Shodo is a Liberal Art unto itself, incorporating elements of Art, History, Psychology, and even Physical Finesse. Calligraphy is a whole brain exercise, engaging the visual, motor, linguistic, sensory, and memory functions of the brain, as well as promoting concentration and awareness, good posture, and breathing. Kanji engages the memory, imagination, spatial awareness, and eye-hand coordination. Calligraphy and Kanji Culture is a Course on how to learn the Art of Brush Calligraphy in the context of Kanji Culture. Kanji are the core of the Japanese writing system. You will discover the roots that bind Chinese and Japanese Culture through the Kanji. You will learn proven techniques to remember and study the Kanji. Calligraphy is a wonderful way to develop mindfulness. Through the brush you will improve your handwriting and mental focus, and even improve your character.

The course involves extensive Practice as well as opportunities for Presentation of your work. The subjects for study provide experiential access to intercultural understanding of the roots of Japanese and Chinese Culture through Calligraphy. No prerequisites are required, and students in this course from many cultures have demonstrated that high-performance is possible regardless of your country of origin. All topics are explained and translated into English, so that Japanese students can experience their own culture in English, and students from outside Japan gain direct access to the subject matter in English.

The course will involve short lecture demonstrations, and mostly practice with feedback from the professor. The approach will be to master the meaning, form, and beauty of the Kanji, copying from master models, and also to learn the secrets of how to control the brush and produce beautiful effects. You will also discover the dimensions of calligraphy that lead to mindfulness, energy, and health.

Assessment is based on skill and improvement in painting Kanji, Hiragana, and Images, as well as Knowledge of Calligraphy and Kanji Culture. Methods for Mastery of the Brush are clearly presented in class, and as with mastery of a musical instrument, attendance and practice are important. Students of this class have commented that they find the disciplined practice of calligraphy to be relaxing and invigorating for mind and body. Many students also enjoy the workshop components in which they learn how to create Haiga Paintings, or carve their own Signature Seals.

1 * Class plan for this academic year based on the students' course evaluation and feedback in previous academic year ONLINE vs IN-PERSON Classes: In 2020 we were forced to conduct all of our classes Online, and while there were some limitations, we discovered some important advantages to Online training. The classes are recorded on Zoom and available for review until the end of the semester. Students from outside of Japan or who are not on Campus are able to participate. We have found video to be an important tool for teaching, both in showing how Calligraphy is done, and in being able to demonstrate what you have learned and to get feedback. In-Person classes enable you to get direct feedback, enjoy painting together with friends, and get to experience high-quality materials. We will conduct In-Person classes, depending on guidelines provided by iCLA Administration. We may end up doing a hybrid of Online and In-Person Classes, which would be better than all one or the other. In case we do In-Person Classes at iCLA, we ask that you follow iCLA guidelines and common sense, by spraying your hands, wearing a mask, checking body temperature before you enter the practice room, keeping good ventilation and social distance within reason while we practice.

Course Objectives Confidence in Controlling the Brush . In this course you will move from Mystery to Mastery by learning tips for brush control, breathing, mental focus, and how to improve balance, stroke quality, and energy in your brush work.

Skill in Painting three major scripts of Kanji . Learn to paint the three basic styles of formal to semi-cursive to cursive calligraphy, with a large and small brush in Chinese Poetry.

Skill in Painting Hiragana in contemporary and classical forms . Learn the origins of Hiragana, as well as how to paint both contemporary and Heian classic Hiragana, as well as in classical cursive writing.

Appreciation of Japanese and Chinese poetry and painting . You will develop an appreciation for how ink painting beautifully balances images and writing, as well as how you can do this in creating your own Haiga poetry paintings.

Mindfulness through Zen and Japanese aesthetics . Calligraphy not only requires but also develops the special awareness expressed in Zen art and Japanese aesthetics. Calligraphy is both an expression and a reflection of your mind-body state, and it produces benefits for both. It will also heighten your multi-sensory awareness of the seasons.

Improved character development and energy through Calligraphy . Calligraphy is an Art in which you will learn how to control the brush and produce beautiful strokes and balanced characters, connect the energy lines inside and outside your body, and it leaves a visible trace, which you can polish and improve, which will be reflected back in your daily life.

Appreciation of Kanji Culture . You will learn how Kanji are constructed in combinations of symbols and pictures that tell stories, and make the Kanji easier to read and remember. You will also learn a method of remembering the Kanji that can be three to four times faster than ordinary Kanji study.

2 Message to students Calligraphy is as challenging and as rewarding as learning to play a musical instrument. As in music, it is said to take 10,000 hours of deep practice to reach true Mastery. Research has also shown, and iCLA students in previous semesters have demonstrated that it is possible to make quite respectable progress in 20 hours of practice with good coaching. There are 37.5 class hours in this course, plus whatever time you put into practice. Therefore you have ample opportunity to do well if you practice with the mastery tips that I will give you. Moreover, your skill and improvement in Calligraphy amounts to 60% of your grade, so practice is quite important. Please note that although we will cover many topics in Calligraphy in class lectures, you will actually be graded on your skill in Calligraphy (60%), Kanji Mnemonics (20%), and your Final Paper on the topics we covered in class (20%). In other words, you must show what you know. If you get discouraged by your ability to control the brush, I will be there for you and show you how to produce beautifully balanced Calligraphy. Because a large part of your grade depends on developing skill with the brush, we will devote more than half of the class time to practice. I will also provide close up videos showing how to use the brush, and I will ask you to submit both videos and final works for feedback. The better you are able to see it, the better you will be able to paint it. The materials that you use, brush, paper, ink, and inkstone make a big difference in the quality and enjoyment of your practice. Students sometimes try to save money by buying the cheapest brush they can find, or bringing in a brush which they used years ago in school. This will make it difficult to paint with any skill, because cheap materials are no better than toys. You cannot produce beautiful music with a plastic instrument, and it is the same with the brush. If you delay in obtaining materials, you will lose valuable weeks of practice. Be sure that you obtain these materials in the first or second week of the course. If you fall behind in obtaining practice supplies you will not have enough time to catch up on practice, and this can affect your grade. I will provide ample support with the best possible resources online, through video, and where possible in person. I have had the best training available over many decades, and can proudly say that I will bring you the best available instruction in Japan, and therefore in the world. I believe that your success is my success, and will do whatever I can to support your progress.

Prerequisite There is no prerequisite for this course.

Indicative Self-learning Practice: 3 hours per week. Practice is very important, because your skills and improvement will represent 60% of your final grade. Reading and Kanji Learning: 2 hours per week. This is not rote learning, but accelerated learning of Kanji that will greatly improve your ability to read and write in Japanese. Preparation for final paper: 10~15 hours. It is recommended that you write about the relevant section each week as we go, and not try to write your entire paper at the end. 3000 words amounts to roughly three pages for each of the five sections of the course. Plenty of Resource material will be provided on Edvance in Resources, and we will spend some class time looking at how to select and write about topics, so that it is clear what it is, what you remember best, what is remarkable and worth sharing, and what action it inspired you to take. It will be very clear to me how much preparation and research you dedicate to the paper, and the paper represents 20% of your grade, so it could easily help determine your final grade. I will only grade your final paper, but every 3 weeks I will review what you are expected to have in your paper for that section of the course.

Grading Criteria Your grade is determined on your performance and improvement in five categories. Students should keep a portfolio of their work, both from the beginning and at the end of the semester to demonstrate improvement. Everyone will be expected for their grade to submit photographs or digital copies of their best work from the following five items, each representing 20% of your grade. You must attend at least 20 of the 30 classes in order to pass the course. I will take note not only of attendance, but also of participation in class with video turned on. If screenshots consistently show your video to be turned on, this can have a positive impact on your grade as an indication of participation.

One 8-Character Poem in 3 Scripts with the small brush (20%) The IROHA Poem with the small brush in classical Heian script (20%) One 5-Character Phrase with the large brush in Kaisho, Gyosho, and Sosho (20%) Illustrations of Kanji Mnemonics for 25 characters, following the 8-Step format (20%) A 3000 word paper on topics you select from each of the 5 major sections (20%)

3 Organization The course is organized around 5 Themes, with one Topic per week. Some of the Topics may be covered in depth in just one or two classes, but the Calligraphy assigned must be practiced throughout the course. In Week 16 you will have a chance to do a show and tell with your best work. Here are the Rubrics for Calligraphy and Kanji Culture.

PERCENTAGE CALLIGRAPHY THEMES WEEKLY THEMES DELIVERY RESOURCES ASSESSMENT OF GRADE

Books and Resources Introduce books, PDFs, on Painting an 8-character Mystery to Mastery Learning by Tehon Edvance, supplies, Tehon, poem in 3 scripts with the 20.0% Brush Mastery Tips practice tips small brush

Kanji Scripts Painting the IROHA Poem Kanji Scripts , Iroha and hiragana Shodo Scripts Hiragana Roots with the small brush in 20.0% roots, Senjimon, Classical Poetry Classical Poetry classical Heian script

Four Treasures of Shodo Brush, Paper, Ink, Inktone, Painting a 5-character poem Calligraphy Culture Sumie and Haiga Painting Principles and practice of Poetry with the large brush in 20.0% Samurai Signatures Painting, Samurai Signatures Kaisho, Gyosho, and Sosho

Illustrations of Kanji Handwriting and Character Science of Graphology, Apps for Mnemonics for 25 Character Development Digital Calligraphy Digital Calligraphy, Music and 20.0% characters, following the 8- Calligraphy as Visual Jazz Calligraphy step format

Heisig, Kanshudo, Apps, Memory Kanji Mnemonics Challenge with Tehon without 3000 word paper on 5 Kanji Culture Kanji Memory Challenge 20.0% looking, Design and use of Calligraphy Themes Signature Seals Signature Seals

Plagiarism policy Plagiarism is the dishonest presentation of the work of others as if it were one’s own. Duplicate submission is also treated as plagiarism. Depending on nature of plagiarism you may fail the assignment or the course. Repeated act of plagiarism will be reported to the University which may apply additional penalties.

Required Materials and Textbooks REQUIRED MATERIALS The cost of materials including brushes, paper, sumi ink, ink dishes, felt undercloth, master copies, and other supplies is approximately 7000 yen, though prices may vary slightly. You should be able to find the recommended supplies on Amazon, and I will also suggest other places where you can purchase them. Brushes and paper are very important, so I will be very specific in what I recommend. I will show you clearly in the first week what a difference it can make if you use quality materials. If you buy cheap supplies it will be very difficult to make good progress.

Master copies for calligraphy practice will be provided. Reference to materials needed will be provided on Edvance, so it is important that you check the online lessons posted each week. Materials will be provided in PDF documents, links to online resources, as well as to books in the YGU Library.

4 1500 Small brush (No. 7) 3500 Large brush (No. 3) 300 Bunchin paperweight 300 Shitajiki 6x4 felt undercloth 400 Bokuchi ink dish 500 Sumi ink (shared) 500 Kami paper (shared) 7000 YEN TOTAL (NOTE: Prices may vary somewhat according to what is available from the Calligraphy Supplies store)

Course Schedule Week 1 Books and Resources

Week 2 Learning by Tehon

Week 3 Brush Mastery Tips

Week 4 Kanji Scripts

Week 5 Hiragana Roots

Week 6 Classical Poetry

Week 7 Four Treasures of Shodo

Week 8 Sumie and Haiga Painting

Week 9 Samurai Signatures

Week 10 Handwriting and Character

5 Week 11 Digital Calligraphy

Week 12 Calligraphy as Visual Jazz

Week 13 Kanji Mnemonics

Week 14 Kanji Memory Challenge

Week 15 Signature Seals

Week 16 Show and Tell Best Work

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