The art of calligraphy is widely practiced and revered in the East Asian civilizations that use Chinese These include China， Japan， Korea， and formerly Vietnam[1]In addition to being an artform in its own right， calligraphy has also influenced ink and wash painting， which is accomplished using similar tools and The East Asian tradition of calligraphy originated and developed from China， specifically the ink and brush writing of Chinese There is a general standardization of the various styles of calligraphy in the East Asian Calligraphy has also led to the development of many other forms of art in East Asia， including seal carving， ornate paperweights， and [edit] ToolsThe paper， ink， brush， and inkstone are essential implements of East Asian calligraphy: they are known together as the Four Treasures of the Study (T: 文房四宝 / S: 文房四宝) in China， and as the Four Friends of the Study (HG: 문방사우 / HJ: 文房四友) in K In addition to these four tools， desk pads and paperweights are also used by [edit] PaperSpecial types of paper are used in East Asian In China， Xuanzhi， traditionally made in Anhui province， is the preferred type of It is made from the Tartar wingceltis (Pteroceltis tartarianovii)， as well as other materials including rice， the paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera)， bamboo， hemp， In Japan， Washi is made from the kozo (paper mulberry)， ganpi (Wikstroemia sikokiana)， and mitsumata (Edgeworthia papyrifera)， as well as other materials like bamboo， hemp， rice， and somtimes the brush is used to put ink on a pen[edit] InkThe ink is made from lampblack (soot) and binders， and comes in sticks which must be rubbed with water on an inkstone until the right consistency is Much cheaper， pre-mixed bottled inks are now available， but these are used primarily for practice as stick inks are considered higher quality and chemical inks are more prone to bleeding over time， making them less suitable for use in hanging Learning to rub the ink is an essential part of calligraphy Traditionally， East Asian calligraphy is written only in black ink， but modern calligraphers sometimes use other Calligraphy teachers use a bright orange ink with which they write practice characters for students and correct students' [edit] BrushThe brush is the traditional writing implement in East Asian The body of the brush can be made from either bamboo， or rarer materials like red sandalwood， glass， ivory， silver， and The head of the brush can be made from the hair (or feather) of a wide variety of animals， including the wolf， rabbit， deer， chicken， duck， goat， pig， tiger， There is also a tradition in both China and Japan of making a brush using the hair of a newborn， as a once-in-a-lifetime souvenir for the This practice is associated with the legend of an ancient Chinese scholar who scored first in the Imperial examinations by using such a personalized Today， calligraphy may also be done using a pen， but pen calligraphy does not enjoy the same prestige as traditional brush [edit] InkstoneA stone or ceramic inkstone is used to rub the solid ink stick into liquid ink and to contain the ink once it is Cheaper inkstones are made of Inkstones are often carved， so they are collectible works of art on their [edit] PaperweightPaperweights come in several types: some are oblong wooden blocks carved with calligraphic or pictorial designs; others are essentially small sculptures of people or Like inkstones， paperweights are collectible works of art on their own [edit] Desk padThe desk pad (Chinese T: 画毡， S: 画毡， Pinyin: huàzhān; Japanese: 下敷 shitajiki) is a pad made of Some are printed with grids on both sides， so that when it is placed under the translucent paper， it can be used as a guide to ensure correct placement and size of These printed pads are used only by Both desk pads and the printed grids come in a variety of [edit] SealMain article: Chinese sealWorks of calligraphy are usually completed by the artist putting his or her seal at the very end， in red The seal serves the function of a [edit] Study The Chinese method of holding the brushHow the brush is held depends on which calligraphic genre is For Chinese calligraphy， the method of holding the brush is more special; the brush is held vertically straight gripped between the thumb and middle The index finger lightly touches the upper part of the shaft of the brush (stabilizing it) while the ring and little fingers tuck under the bottom of the The palm is hollow and you should be able to hold an egg in This method， although difficult to hold correctly for the beginner， allows greater freedom of movement， control and execution of For Japanese calligraphy， the brush is held in the right hand between the thumb and the index finger， very much like a Western A paperweight is placed at the top of all but the largest pages to prevent slipping; for smaller pieces the left hand is also placed at the bottom of the page for In China， there are many people who practice calligraphy in public places such as parks and sidewalks， using water as their ink and the ground as their Very large brushes are Although such calligraphic works are temporary (as the water will eventually dry)， they serve the dual purpose of both being an informal public display of one's work， and an opportunity to further practice one's In Japan， smaller pieces of Japanese calligraphy are traditionally written seated in the traditional Japanese way (seiza)， on the knees with the buttocks resting on the In modern times， however， practitioners frequently practice calligraphy seated on a chair at a Larger pieces may be written while standing; in this case the paper is usually placed directly on the floor， but some calligraphers use an A man practicing calligraphy in Beihai Park， BeijingCalligraphy takes many years of dedicated Correct stroke order， proper balance and rhythm of characters are essential in Skilled handling of the brush produces a pleasing balance of characters on the paper， thick and thin lines， and heavy and light In most cases， a calligrapher will practice writing the Chinese character yong (永) many， many times in order to perfect the eight basic essential strokes contained within the Those who can correctly write the yong character beautifully can potentially write all characters with Basic calligraphy instruction is part of the regular school curriculum in both China and J[edit] Noted calligraphersNearly all traditionally educated men (and sometimes women) in East Asia are proficient in The most famous are:
