Long Time Expat In Japan
Surprisingly, I leveled up in the kana section of Shodo! Again! This was doubly unexpected because it is both hard for my classmates, or so I'm told, and also because I have never had any formal education in Japanese. I studied Kanji in Chinese, and even took a couple of lessons in Shodo (which they … Continue reading Level Up! Lvl 8 Kana
This week, my kanji submission for shodo is onko chishin. See below for a picture. Roughly translated, it means "know history's mistakes." https://bsdonovan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/img_0464.jpg The kanji we need to submit is often a four word idiom, what they call a Yoji Jukugo. Yoji = four word. Jukugo = idiom. So there's no real mystery there. But … Continue reading 温故知新 – Know History’s Mistakes
So in the last edition of Shodo Geijutsu, the monthly magazine only for official Shodo students, my name finally showed up. Two months ago, I submitted my first "work", if you can call it that. In fact, I feel way too uncomfortable with using the term. Instead, I'll call it my "submission." Seems appropriately neutral … Continue reading Not Last!
It's not just me, or so my sensei tells me. Most of her students dread the kana part of the monthly submission for calligraphy. It's the hardest, it's the most abstract, and has the most exceptions. Way back in the early days of the mid-90's, eons ago in dog years, I read a book by … Continue reading Hiragana – and Hard Fun
When I made the official application to be a calligraphy student, which means actually gaining ranks, I had to pick a name. My name in Japanese is usually written in katakana - most borrowed words and foreign words are. I thought I was just signing my name, but Sensei told me, If you're going to … Continue reading Pen Name
I started to learn Japanese calligraphy 2 months ago. My youngest was struggling a little bit in school; 2nd grade Kanji starts to get a little complicated and they need to learn a hundred or so. I thought it would be good to go with her, get some Dad-Daughter time and learn a thing or … Continue reading Learning Japanese Calligraphy
B.S. Donovan 
