   is a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the japanese language. for a long time, the most esteemed calligrapher in japan had been wang xizhi, a chinese calligrapher in the 4th century, but after the invention of hiragana and katakana, the japanese unique syllabaries, the distinctive japanese writing system developed and calligraphers produced styles intrinsic to japan. == techniques == japanese calligraphy shares its roots with chinese calligraphy and many of its principles and techniques are very similar and recognizes the same basic writing styles: *  () *  () *  () *  () *  (). == tools == thumb|a traditional inkstone to grind ink and water against on. thumb|a typical brush used for calligraphy. in modern calligraphy, a number of tools are used to make a composition. see "the four treasures".yuuko suzuki, introduction to japanese calligraphy, search press, 2005 traditionally these tools are: * an . the older the inkstick is, the better it is. the best inksticks are between 50 and 100 years old. *  * an  to grind the inkstick against, mixed with water. * a  to hold the paper in place * a  to place under the paper (often newsprint is used as well) to prevent ink from bleeding through. * a  * a seal. the art of engraving a seal is called "tenkoku" ç¯å». the student is encouraged to engrave his own seal. the position of the seal or the seals is based on aesthetic views. one is not allowed to put a seal on a sutra's calligraphy. during preparation, water is poured into the inkstone and the inkstick is ground against it, mixing the water with the dried ink to liquefy it. as this is a time-consuming process, modern-day calligraphy provides liquid ink in a bottle called  and is frequently used by beginners. more advanced students are encouraged to grind their own ink. the traditional and best position for calligraphy (as for ink painting) is on the ground. the brushes come in various shapes and sizes, and are 
Calligraphy DA East_Asian_calligraphy Japanese_crafts Japanese_culture