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very definition, calligraphy means the art of writing beautifully,
54
and calligraphy in Heian Japan
was an exalted art. This cultural appreciation of calligraphy was an inheritance from China.
China’s calligraphy legacy to Japan is evident in
a variety of ways, not least of which is the
reverence accorded famous Chinese calligraphers such as Wang Xizhi (
王羲之
, ca. 307-365).
Written characters were appreciated for their aesthetic beauty—“properties of balance, rhythm,
vitality, contrast, and continuity.”
55
By the late Heian period and early Kamakura period, similar
to situations in other areas of artistic expression like painting or sculpture, techniques and
lineages became a norm in the world of calligraphy. The Japanese elite were educated
in the art
of calligraphy and “initiated into the art in a formal ceremony entitled
fumi-hajime (inaugural
reading and writing).”
56
The aesthetics of writing were so prized that luxurious papers
containing valuable materials (such as gold and silver) were created on which calligraphers could
write.
It is likely that the Heian period intense admiration for written script extended to Sanskrit.
Like Chinese characters, Sanskrit characters offer the chance to appreciate brushstroke and
proportion while simultaneously allowing for personal style. Kūkai himself was a well-known
calligrapher of both Chinese and Sanskrit.
57
In the early decades of Sanskrit’s introduction, it
was not originally available to
a wide audience, but rather only to the
clergy and pious
aristocrats.
58
Like kana was initially classified as
onnade (
女手
, women’s writing; literally,
54
This English word comes from the Greek word
kalligraphia, the stem of which is
kallos (meaning beauty).
Therefore, the idea of beauty or a pleasing aesthetic is inherent in the word. Simpson, J. A., and E. S. C.
Weiner.
The Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989: 1. Handwriting, esp. when fine or pleasing.
2. The art of handwriting. [Gk
kalligraphia f.
kallos beauty]
55
Shimizu, Yoshiaki, John M. Rosenfield, and Naomi Noble Richard.
Masters of Japanese Calligraphy: 8th-19th
century. New York: Asia Society Galleries, 1984, p. 11.
56
Ibid, p. 49 who cites the various accounts of Emperor Fushimi’s (
伏見天皇,
1265-1317) ceremony that were
compiled by Komatsu Shigemi, in
Nihon shoryū zenshi, A, pp. 290-291.
57
His skills in Chinese composition and calligraphy were valued by Emperor Saga to the point where he received
from the court several requests to write poems. Bogel,
With a Single Glance, p. 167.
58
This will be discussed in the next chapter.
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23
women’s hand
), Sanskrit was limited to the hand of the specially trained monk. A parallel can
be found in the calligraphy of kana
and Sanskrit. As the use of kana spread,
the use of Sanskrit
likewise became more prominent.
59
A sustained study of this trend could provide more avenues
for exploration, but it is clear that the aesthetic beauty of Sanskrit’s characters is related to the
appreciation of writing that was so important in China and in Heian Japan. As aforementioned,
the visual qualities of
Sanskrit are encompassed nicely by the art of calligraphy, where characters
have a specific stroke order and rely on the aesthetic beauty provided with the balance and
movement within the character. Perhaps for
the context of this thesis, one can summarize the
importance of calligraphy in Heian Japan by realizing that, as Arthur Waley too pointed out, the
cult of calligraphy was a religion in itself.
60
Indeed, like religion the culture of calligraphy in
Japan is structured with schools and lineages.
61
It is extremely likely that such
a strong aspect of
the culture would extend to other, visually similar forms of writing.
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