SHODO AND SUMI-E
Naomi is an accomplished artist with Japanese brush and ink
" 'But Naomi, Naomi and her mother, they feel it. It comes from here,'--he placed his palms on his belly--'from the soul, and it moves up through the body into the arm and into the brush. They write with their hearts, with their whole bodies, not their hands.' " (PAGE 126)
| Naomi and her grandfather practice shodo, literally the "way of writing," or Japanese calligraphy. The Western concept of calligraphy does not aptly encompass the rich artistic genre that shodo has become in Japan since its introduction from China in the 8th century. The Japanese writing system incorporates two syllabaries that are used in combination with several thousand kanji (Chinese ideograms). All Japanese children are introduced to shodo in elementary schools, and many undertake deeper studies of calligraphy outside of school. For an interesting discussion of Japanese calligraphy, see the chapter "Calligraphy" in Alex Kerr's book of essays, Lost Japan. Sumi-e, Japanese ink painting, also originated in China. Sumi-e equipment is similar to that of shodo--cakes of ink that are rubbed with water on an inkstone, fine brushes, and thin paper. Naomi's mother Akiko teaches sumi-e in a culture center, an institution found in most Japanese cities that offers classes in traditional as well as Western arts and culture. Scrolls of shodo and sumi-e might be found in the tokonoma, or recessed alcove, of a receiving room. |
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For information on shodo and other traditional Japanese arts and ways see:
http://www.michionline.org/
