Shodo
Subtitle: the quiet art of Japanese Zen calligraphy : learn the wisdom of Zen through traditional brush painting
By: Shozo Sato ; foreword by Gengo Akiba Roshi ; Zen advisor, Gengo Akiba Roshi ; assistant to author, Alice Ogura Sato ; calligrapher, Shina Fujiwara
Contributors: Akiba Roshi, Gengo, writer of added commentary; Fujiwara, Shina, artist; Sato, Alice Ogura, translator
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Published: 2013
Language: eng
Number of pages: 176
ISBN-13: 9784805312049
Subjects: Japanese Calligraphy; Zen calligraphy
Other titles: Quiet art of Japanese Zen calligraphy
Description: "In this beautiful and extraordinary book, Shozo Sato, an internationally recognized master of traditional Zen arts, teaches the Japanese art of calligraphy through the power and wisdom of Zen poetry. Single-line Zen Buddhist koan aphorisms or zengo are one of the most common subjects for the traditional Japanese brush calligraphy known as shodo. Regarded as one of the key disciplines in fostering the focused, meditative state of mind so essential to Zen, shodo is practiced regularly by all students of Zen Buddhism in Japan. After providing a brief history of Japanese calligraphy and its close relationship with the teachings of Zen Buddhism, Sato explicates the basic supplies and fundamental brushstroke skills that you will need. He goes on to present thirty zengo, each with:  an example by a skilled Zen monk or master calligrapher; an explanation of the individual characters and the Zen koan as a whole; and step-by-step instructions on how to paint the phrase in a number of styles (Kaisho, Gyosho, Sosho). A stunning volume on the intersection of Japanese aesthetics and Zen Buddhist thought, Shodo guides beginning and advanced students alike to a deeper understanding of this unique brush painting art form."--Publisher's website.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Foreword  -- Gengo Akiba Roshi; title: Preface --; title: Introduction. Bokki: The spirit of the brush ; The Chinese roots of Shodo ; The artistry and philosophy of Bokuseki --; title: The art of Kanji --; title: The four treasures in Shodo --; title: One Ideogram Zengo --; title: Two Ideogram Zengo --; title: Three Ideogram Zengo --; title: Four Ideogram Zengo --; title: Five Ideogram Zengo --; title: Seven & eight Ideogram Zengo --; title: Students of Shodo.