I really do not like my poor hand-writing, and so I started to learn Calligraphy at Ueno on Friday evening from last November. In Chado, there are a lot of opportunites to do hand-writing with a brush and sumi (chinese ink) ; writing my own names on guest books at tea gatherings and tea lessons, writing a poem on a Tanzaku (paper strip), and writing a record on Hosho (Japanese paper) in Shichijishiki(seven excercises).
After receiving basic lessons, I started to learn Kana characters writing on Jyofuku-shi (a long and big paper) with knees. By that, I learned that I must write charancters not with my hand, but with my body. For calligraphy, body-core is very important, like Chado. During the lessons, I concentrate to write the characters, and gradually I feel that the brush moves as I want. I really enjoy writing the characters with brush. All other students are quiete and concentrating like me. I am always inspired by them.
In these days, when I see hanging scrolls in the tea room, I view them with additional and different view points such as ; in which character, the ink was added? how the repeated characters were varied, differentiated? , and what is the original chinese character for that kana character ? It is a new fun for me in the tea gathering. By the way, there are various types of hanging scrolls such as ; Bokuseki (calligraphy), Kohitsugire (antient calligraphy fragment), Shosoku (letter) and Gasan (complimentary words accompanying a painting).
In Chado, Bokuseki, usuallly Zen-words, written by Zen-buddist and/or grand-tea-masters are most appreciated. In an alcove of the main tea room, a calligraphy is hanging. Each of the guests make a formal bow in front of that, in order to show our respect to that buddist/grand-tea-master. It is a joy for guests to guess why the host selected that calligraphy, and what is the theme of today's tea gathering.
The cherry blossoms along Meguro river and at Shoto-Park, started to bloom. I hope that they slowly bloom, and also slowly fall.