Japanese calligraphy uses both borrowed Chinese characters or kanji (漢字) and two unique Japanese scripts (kana)—syllabaries of modified Chinese characters. The two sets of characters for writing kana are hiragana (rounded, flowing strokes, more cursive in appearance)—e.g., ひらがな— and katakana (mostly straight, angular lines)—e.g., カタカナ. Modern Japanese often uses a mixture of all three scripts. Originally, kanji, hiragana, and katakana were not used together. Today, however, kanji and hiragana are used to write the Japanese language itself and katakana are mainly used to write foreign words adopted into the Japanese language. For more information on the Japanese written language see:

• Benjamin Barrett's article.
• Outline of Japanese Writing System
• Japanese Writing

Rōmaji is the standard way of transliterating Japanese into the Latin alphabet. In everyday written Japanese, it can be used to write numbers and abbreviations.

Kanji is usually written in styles based on Chinese scripts:

English	Chinese	Japanese
seal script	zhuan shu	tensho	篆書
clerical style	li shu	reisho	隷書
square style (block style)	kai shu	kaisho	楷書
semicursive style (running style)	xing shu	gyōsho	行書
cursive style (grass style)	cao shu	sōsho	草書

Examples of the main styles of Chinese calligraphy with a brief history and bibliography can be found at Styles of Calligraphy. I have also included here a brief essay that hopefully explains why this particular art form fascinates me so—see Calligraphy: A Collector's Apologia.

Often kanji (see below) are brushed in a bold, splashy, and forceful way while hiragana script (see below) tends toward an elegant cursive look, even wispy like tendrils of smoke. Each script style has its own peculiar visual pleasures.

Kanji

Mixed kanji and hiragana

Hiragana

Scrolls are commonly vertical and have phrases, quotations, poems, or aphorisms written on them. These are called ichigyōsho 一行書, nigyōsho 二行書, sangyōsho 三行書, etc. (i.e., one-, two-, three-, etc. line calligraphy).

Another popular form is ichijikan 一字関 (one word barriers) typically, a single large character intended as a visual koan that promotes reflection or contemplation (see image to the left of mu 無, emptiness, no self). The large character either stands alone or has an accompanying inscription—usually written in smaller characters—that explicates it. These scrolls are usually shorter in height and horizontal in orientation, although not always. Myogō 名号 (incantatory or holy names) of Buddhist or Shinto deities are also common (see image to the right of Fukurokuju's name 福禄寿).

Many Japanese calligraphers are influenced by a style called bokuseki 墨跡 (ink trace) developed by Buddhist monks, especially Zen practioners. This style is characterized by invention, personal expression, and often a studied disregard for calligraphic rules. Such works are often hard to decipher even for experts since the vitality and dynamic flow of the brushwork are often more highly prized than immediate legibility. These works exemplify the Chinese concept of xin yin 心印 (heart imprint) as a direct material expression in ink on paper of personal spirit.

For more information about Japanese calligraphy see:
Boudonnat, Louise and Harumi Kushizaki. Traces of the Brush: The Art of Japanese Calligraphy. [Paris}: Editions du Seuil, c2003.
Earnshaw, Christopher J. Sho, Japanese Calligraphy: An In-depth Introduction tp the Art of Writing Characters. Boston, Rutland, Vermont, Tokyo: Tuttle Publishong, 1988.

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