Japanese Calligraphy: The Evolution of Calligraphy

Calligraphy can be traced back to beginning 3500 yrs ago, in China. The first types of calligraphy found were called kokotsu-bun, or "shell-and-bone script". They were simple pictographs, sometimes carved into bones or tortoise shells. Typically the characters would not be uniform in shape or size, but still maintain a clear connection to what they represented. Some of them were simply carvings, while others were incised in bronze vessels, which were called kin-bun, or "bronze script".

This form of calligraphy was gradually reformed, and standardized. Eventually it became a new form of calligraphy in itself, called daiten, or "greater seal script". This form was used during the Ch'in Dynasty in China, from 221 to 206 B.C.E. These characters were further standardized to become shoten, or "lesser seal script". Shoten is today commonly used in seals today. The combination of the two became tensho, or "seal script".

Further still calligraphy evolved to reisho, "scribe's script", which was characterized by strong horizontal lines. Then sosho, "grass script" (or "cursive scritpt"), which was basically reisho written rapidly and fluidly. It was followed by kaisho, "standard script, and gyosho", "running script" (or semi-cursive script).