 Walking around the Tokyo National Museum gallery this summer, I saw this scroll of poems with words that looked more like chicken-scratch than actual Japanese. Originally I took this photo because I intended to ask my host family whether or not they could read it. For those who are unfamiliar with Japanese, it looks like this:  *Hiragana is used for Japanese words and Katakana is used for foreign words (and some miscellaneous usages such as for onomatopoeias) With my limited knowledge of the language, I could make out a few characters,  but as for the rest, all I saw were scribbles.
Before I ever got around to asking my host family, I met a Japanese student who had studied Japanese calligraphy for nearly a decade during her childhood. So naturally I showed her the picture I had taken and asked her what she thought. “This is very beautiful calligraphy,” my new friend said, “The balance is very good.” When I told her I didn’t quite get what she meant by “good balance,” she explained that, 1. The lines went straight up and down and did not curve or slant 2. The connection of letters within individual words was smooth 3. The spaces between letters were all even, including the spacing of the connected letters. The “fluid” look actually required years of training to master. My friend said she would practice writing individual words over and over again until her teacher approved. But what I found most interesting was that the writing on the scroll was poetry. I still don’t know what it says, as my friend said the Japanese was too old for her to understand, but I imagine the reading of the poem flows just as smoothly as its lettering: a wonderful fusion of visual and written art. From past experience, I don’t remember the last time I saw a poem in which the visual components (besides the spacing) were taken into as much consideration as the poem itself. And I’m sure many writers don’t give a second thought to whether their writing is printed in Times New Roman or Arial. That led me to wonder what would happen if we also developed specific English lettering systems to write certain poems. Would it change the way we read them? (Note: the purple/blue spots on the scroll are part of a “flying cloud” decorative pattern.) Written by Ginny J.
5 Comments
12/14/2018 04:22:17 pm
Poetry and visual arts have their own strengths, they also work with particular audiences. Poetry is for people who love using words and literature. People who love reading and listening can appreciate poetry, on the other hand, visual arts are people who are much more fond of looking. Visual arts are for people who like going through things in a deeper fashion. At the end of the day, we must all understand that people are free to express themselves in what matter they wish. 1/17/2019 04:48:01 pm
Poetry is really an interesting kind of art. My best friend is also hooked into this kind of art and I can see the emotions in his eyes whenever he does some poetry. It makes me feel so special whenever someone give me some writings. Aside from I know that they had put an effort into it by writing, it makes me flatter because I know that what they have done is done sincerely. I really like this kind of arts. 2/5/2019 09:25:13 pm
Languages and writings are also considered one of the best arts that I have seen. When I went to Hong Kong months ago, I have asked for my name written in Hongki language and I was really amazed. They also put the symbolism of my name and also give me the meaning of my birth name. It was really interesting to know others language and writing as well. Seeing your blogs makes me have an interest again in studying different writings. 7/10/2019 08:44:19 am
Very interesting poetry and is very good for who loves reading and listening poetry , Thank you. 7/11/2019 12:30:18 am
Japanese poetry has very heart touching to people. we love the poetry. Thank you Leave a Reply. |
I share my body with an angel / of light who sunbursts / on my horizons at dusk - Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton
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