Acquire the basic knowledge of shodo (1)
You will learn 4 basic knowledge of Shodo here. They are how to hold a writing brush, sitting posture, arm posture and how to use calligraphy tools. Learning correct knowledge of Shodo leads to writing beautiful Shodo. If you do not know the correct basics, you will not be able to master the correct basics and write beautiful Shodo. By mastering the 4 basic knowledge, you can get a good foundation for writing correct and beautiful Shodo. (We have posted a part of our “Online Shodo Course” created by the Shodo master Shimoda.)
1. How to hold a writing brush
There are two ways to hold a writing brush. Please choose your favorite way.
Single-Hook "Tankou" Method
Hold a brush shaft between your thumb and index finger, and support the shaft with your middle finger. It’s almost the same as holding a pen, so it’s easy to hold and stroke a brush.
Double- Hook "Soukou" Method
Hang your index and middle fingers in front of the brush, pinch the shaft with those two fingers and thumb, and support the shaft with your ring finger. It is more stable than the single-hook method.
2. Sitting posture
In shodo, you can sit on the floor in Japanese style or with your knees bent and with your toes directly beneath your body a while writing. If you don’t like it, you can also sit on a chair.
Keep a space of knuckle between the desk and you when sitting.
Align the center of the paper with the center of your body.
Stretch your spine lightly, ease the tension in your shoulder and relax.
If you can’t relax your shoulder, it would be difficult to move your arms freely and draw beautiful lines as expected. Also, you will be tired and uncomfortable. On the other hand, if you relax and write, you can draw lively lines.
When you sit on a chair, please keep the following in mind.
1. The height of the desk should be slightly higher than your navel.
2. The body will stabilize if you open the feet slightly.
3. Without sitting too deeply, you will make room between the back and the back of the chair.
4. Lightly stretch out the back so that it does not bend forward. Pull out the power of the shoulder and relax.
3. Arm posture
We don’t care about arm posture when writing with a pen, but there is a way to use the arm that is suitable for writing Shodo. Just like the way to hold a writing brush and sitting posture, arm posture is will be the foundation for writing beautiful Shodo freely.
Put your left hand on the calligraphy paper in such a way that the palm supports the paper. By placing the paperweight on the top of the paper and pressing down on the bottom with the left hand, the paper is fixed firmly. Take care you elbow doesn’t touch the desk surface. For your right hand, keep the wrist at about the same height as the elbow.
It is not good to fix your elbow. Because you cannot move the brush freely if you fix the elbow. When writing, move the whole arm and keep your wrist straight. Be aware of moving elbows. Move the elbow from left to right when writing a line from left to right. When writing a line from top to bottom, move the elbow in the same way.
