Shodo (calligraphy) is the art of drawing characters with a writing brush and India ink to express spiritual depth and beauty. Shodo originally came from China, but in Japan Chinese characters, which are ideograms and so called “kanji,” were combined with the Japanese syllabary, so called “kana,” which were invented in Japan, to create the unique character art.

After soaking a brush into India ink, calligrapher can freely control, unlike with a pen, the thickness and shade of the characters. Therefore, calligraphers can express their written spirits and ideas. There are several styles of writing in shodo. Beyound the standard square style of writing (“kaisho”), calligraphic writing style can be divided into the somewhat simplified semi-cursive style (“gyosho”) and more simplified cursive style (“sosho”).

Although a brush is not ordinarily used for writing, shodo is included in the elementary school curriculum.

Calligraphy needs tools, so-called “Bumpo Shihou (four precious stationery),” such as brush, India ink, ink-stone, and paper. We are a manufacturer of brushes, and our brand for shodo brushes is called "Kojohen." We have more than 200 different kinds of "Kojohen" brushes. We sell wide range of brushes for beginners and even for calligraphers at our retail store "Hissho Kojohen.” We also have various types of India ink (ink bar and ink), inkstones, and various types of paper (Japanese washi writing paper in several size, color, and style.). You can buy some of our products from our website. Or you can send us an e-mail and tell us what kind of products you are looking for, then we can find the products exactly you want.

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