I was on the train the other day, heading back from Odawara to Tokyo. It’s not too far, just long enough to drink two Chu-Hi, eat some cheese-tara and watch the rice fields and mountains transform into concrete and steel. After the second chu-hi I need a bio-break. I head out to the men’s room, … More Swallow Service
I haven’t been away from the brushes, to be honest. I just haven’t posted about it. I still go every Saturday (except Xmas and New Years was damned busy at work). All the kanji I write seems to contain a lot of wisdom, so I figured I’d share. Below is my kanji for December. It … More Back to the Brushes
When I reached 1st dan in calligraphy earlier this year, I needed to submit two works. One was freehand. The other was a copy. The following is what I needed to copy. And here is my copy. I should have let the ink dry up a bit more, but I think that the shape of … More Two Waka
In psychology, they say there are four stages of competence. They rise like this: 1) Unconscious Incompetence, when you suck so bad you don’t even know how bad you suck, 2) Conscious Incompetence, when you know you suck and just exactly how badly, 3) Conscious Competence, when you are good but you really gotta concentrate … More Conscious Incompetence- Shodan Style
I started Shodo four years ago as a way to help my youngest on her kanji tests in school, never with the intention of pursuing it seriously. Something about how my Sensei teaches, and the regularity of studying together every week changed my attitude. Below is my official certificate that I reached shodan, first dan … More Shodan
The best part of the level up test is when you can write free hand. Normally, I have to copy as perfectly as possible. That can be fun but a little boring. Of course, Sensei always helps with composition, but I really do have a free hand. This time, the assignment was the following waka … More Kana Level-up Test
Sensei tells me that I’m finally getting my lines straight. I love how she says it. It’s onomatopoeia, “Pshee!” Which means like wicked straight. I must admit, the following is probably the most “Pshee!” I have ever written my kanji. Kana is still my strong suit, but I had a hell of a time this … More June Shodo, aka “Pshee!”
