Chinese and Japanese Buddhist Calligraphy - Essay Example

Chinese and Japanese Buddhist Calligraphy Geographical features, cultural traditions, and religious beliefs have influenced art in in Asian countries. Calligraphy or the art of writing characters, one of the most ubiquitous forms of art, was practiced and revered in the Chinese cultural sphere. However, it later got spread across other Asian countries like Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Vietnam, influencing the sensibilities and styles of different calligraphies. The art of calligraphy encompasses a sense of aesthetic richness that is estimated to have spanned over four millennia. It originated from a region of diverse cultures, traditions, and beliefs, contributing much to the writing art of Asian countries, particularly China and Japan. Building on the tradition of calligraphy, Japanese and Chinese arts developed a distinct style that sets it apart from the Western art and paintings. Both Japanese and Chinese Calligraphy originated and developed primarily from the ancient writing system of China. The discussion compares and contrasts the origins, forms, and inscriptions of Japanese Buddhist Calligraphy and Chinese Buddhist Calligraphy. Thesis: The similarities in Japanese and Chinese Buddhist Calligraphy are primarily based on the Chinese writing system from which they both originated. However, the differences that developed between the calligraphy styles can be attributed to the symbols, inscriptions, language, and the manner in which it is composed. The art of calligraphy originated during the ancient civilization of the Shang Dynasty in 1600 B.C.E., along with the development of the Chinese writing system. Originally, the Chinese characters were used for elegant calligraphy in scriptures done with ink brushes. But then Chinese calligraphy became recognized as one among the Four Arts of Chinese Scholars. The non-phonetic nature of the Chinese writing system and its lack of alphabets contribute to the calligraphy writing of Chinese characters. The structure of these characters reveals the meaning to the readers, instead of the sound of each character. This limitation in the Chinese language characters turns out to be the strength of Chinese calligraphy. This is because the traditional writings of this calligraphy denote specific meanings instead of conveying a phonetic or sematic meaning for the written characters. Moreover, the written calligraphy seems to play multiple roles and its form reveals a moral exemplar for the manifestation of human energy and vitality of nature. Thus, Chinese calligraphy represents its texts in both physical and moral forms, acquiring the identity of the calligrapher. On the other hand, Japanese calligraphers adopted the Chinese ideograms in the mid-sixth century, and developed the Japanese calligraphy. They formed a new writing system, which was fundamentally based on the Chinese characters but was altered to suit their own preferences. The new-formed calligraphy works in Japan were known as the ­shodo and was introduced to the land in the eighth century. The Japanese calligraphy during this period was a prominent representation of Chinese calligraphys timeless beauty. It was indeed an outcome of painting art with a philosophical sense and was viewed as an art of writing characters with aesthetic beauty. In the tenth and eleventh century, the Japanese calligraphy saw major development in its styles and creation of art, setting it apart from the Chinese calligraphy. Thus, one of the major similarities between both the calligraphy is that it originated from a common writing system. Calligraphers of ancient period used ‘seal character’ or Zhuanshu, as a unified form of writing system, which was based on the inscriptions from previous ages. In Chinese calligraphy, the characters were often written using a brush on bone or shell that is left for later carving. The Chinese calligraphers stressed on using slender fonts to offer evenness in writing speed and strength as well as included thick strokes and lines to denote the brush strength. Development of the scripts in the later years of Chinese calligraphy included cursive signs and symbols with predefined set of characters. However, on viewing as a whole, Chinese calligraphy is composed in a bold and unconstrained form, through abstract in its appearance because of the dynamic Chinese characters that reflect the soul of the writer. Thus, Chinese calligraphy is closely bound to kinesthetic forces of nature and human within a balanced framework that is supported by a strong structure whose equilibrium evokes moral rectitude. Similarly, the characters of Japanese calligraphy are created using bamboo brush or inks and are written on rice paper. Japanese calligraphy was not considered as a casual art but of something that includes a proper beginning, direction, art form, and ending of lines. The balance between all these elements contributed to the aesthetic value of the calligraphy as every line, point, and space testifies a meaning to itself. The hieroglyphs of Japanese calligraphy are proportional, harmonious, and balanced. Similar to the Chinese calligraphy, Japanese calligraphy is also extremely graceful and is embodied with elements that manifest perfect harmony and beauty. Thus, both the calligraphies resemble similarly in their appearance mainly because of their origin and characterization from a common writing system. Both Chinese and Japanese calligraphy were based primarily on a similar philosophy of Buddhism. Calligraphy in Japan, known as shodo, the way of writing, or shojutsu, the art of writing, is valued in secular and religious realms. It was vigorously adopted and practiced after the introduction of Buddhism in the mid-sixth century. However, until the early years of the Heian era, it was not pursued fully but later the Three Great Brushes began practicing the writing as an art. It is perhaps associated with the Zen sect of Buddhism, predating the development of the religion of Buddha in China and Japan. “Japanese calligraphy dates back to the seventh century, where it was part of art practice and meditation in monasteries.” (Kozak, 2010, p.201). Moreover, the contribution of Zen to Japanese calligraphy is profound, and much of it is reflected in Western arts through various other crafts and paintings. The Chinese Calligraphy influenced the Buddhist spirituality, and particularly the Zen school of thought to a major extent, through offering an aesthetic expression of symbols and language to interpret the meanings. Since the Chinese language includes symbolic expression of pictographs and evolved ideograms, it provides rich meaning and philosophy to both the Chinese and Japanese Buddhist calligraphy. Furthermore, the cultural history of both the countries influenced the original form of calligraphy along with its spiritual meanings. The interpretation of calligraphy has sustained throughout the ages, offering a holistic healing experience in respect to the religious practices of then period. For instance, the practice of Chinese Buddhist calligraphy was considered as a meditation that harmonizes nature and philosophical systems. Moreover, calligraphy, in general, expresses beauty, emotions, and primordial life force as a way of life through the writing art. In both the cultures, the art was prominently used by Buddhist calligraphers to reveal the essence of Zen art and culture. Calligraphy, in both Japan and Chinese culture, was used as a source of meditation and thus played a major role in Buddhist practices as an essential to the religion as a whole. Buddhist calligraphy has been an instrument for spreading teachings and veneration of Buddhism to the people. Chinese Buddhist calligraphy fundamentally exhibited the practice and study of Buddhism, by creating aesthetic works for practical purposes. Calligraphy was treated as a convenience practice that promotes calculation and divination in Buddhist teachings. Most of the calligraphy works developed by Chinese were done by Buddhist monarchs or nuns and depicted the subjects of Buddhist literature. “Calligraphy executed by Zen masters is said to reveal their understanding of the Dharma. It is common practice Zen monks and nuns to learn the art of calligraphy as a part of their monastic training.” (Baroni, 2002, p.43). Calligraphy was a much important skill of Buddhist monks as they indulged in artistic activities and religious practices combined together. In Japanese Buddhist Calligraphy, the art was explained with Zen theory and the strokes in the characters were used to explain it. Moreover, the understanding of Dharma in calligraphy is related to the understanding of Buddha. The Buddhist spirituality had a prominent influence on Chinese and Japanese calligraphy, in particular Zen school of thought was much related to Chinese cultural arts. It emphasizes intuitive and perceptual concept rather than a logical or empirical one. As per the Buddhist traditions, calligraphy is practiced as a means to improve meditation and wisdom. Japanese calligraphy allows the artist to get in touch with the nature of Buddha for creating an expression of enlightenment. The brush strokes have to come in harmony with the world, with no separation from the artist and the pen. The technique has to be learned and perfected over a lot many years with efficient practice. With the slightest hesitation on the part of the artist, during the execution of calligraphy, the ink will blot and ruin the entire calligraphy on the rice paper. The spontaneity of the art personifies the emptiness in Zen philosophy along with the concept of its origins. The way of calligraphy leads to comprehension of life’s meaning and eternal alignments. Particularly, in the Japanese traditions, calligraphy is an integral attribute of the tea ceremonies in religious and cultural practices. Buddhist calligraphy is diverse and the writing materials are classified into Inscriptions, Manuscripts, and Engraving Scripts. Both Japanese and Chinese Buddhist calligraphy were created using similar tools such as brush, ink, inkstone, and paper. They typically form the ancient writing system of calligraphy with complex spirituality and unparalleled beauty. Chinese writing styles are classified as the Kai script, Xing script, and Cao script, etc. Similarly, the styles of writing kanji in Japanese Calligraphy include square styled, Kaisho, semi-cursive styled, gyosho, or cursive styled, sosho. Japanese Buddhist Calligraphy was used as an art form that spiritually expresses Zen philosophy with distinct Japanese aesthetics, using symbols such as kaon, or enso, the circle of enlightenment. Japanese and Chinese calligraphy used bold lines and brush strokes along with dynamic imagery to express and inspire the religious thoughts. Based on the principles of Zen Buddhism, both the calligraphy stresses on the spiritual connection of oneself, rather than physical. Chinese calligraphers seek to express the harmony of inner self, society, and natural surroundings through their calligraphy. “Chinese calligraphers have an additional stroke of individuality in variations of separate strokes. Rhythm, line, and structure are more perfectly embodied in calligraphy than in painting or sculpture.” (Chiang, 1974). It is not a practical technique to write Chinese characters, but an art of expression and learning that promotes harmony with one’s self. However, Japanese calligraphy symbolizes enlightenment, emptiness, and life in harmony with beauty. Also, the calligraphy embodies simplicity and gracefulness in its works, predominantly expressing the principles of Japanese aesthetics. With evolution of writing styles and development of rules in the technique, calligraphy as a work of art forms a prominent part in Chinese and Japanese culture. Thus, it is evident that both Japanese and Chinese Calligraphy reminds the spectators of the Buddhist literature and ideals through the unique artistic writing styles of the art. The calligraphy seems to take a remarkable place in the ancient Chinese and Japanese civilization, as well as has some profound effects on old traditions and cultures of Buddhism. Not surprisingly, the Buddhist Calligraphy seems to manifest the artistic value of both the cultures, at the same time contributes to the art itself. References: Baroni, Helen. Josephine. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Zen Buddhism. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2002. Chiang, Yee. Chinese Calligraphy. Harvard University Press, 1974. Kozak, Arnie. The Everything Buddhism Book: A complete introduction to the history, traditions, and beliefs of Buddhism, past and present. Everything Books, 2010. Read More