This exhibition is designed to present Shodo art that will inspire you in your daily life and Dharma practice. Here you will find Kanji artwork prints of Japanese calligraphy with expressive calligraphies that capture the very essence of the Japanese word.
The Japanese language uses three writing systems; one of them is Kanji. They are Chinese characters that have been introduced throughout the ages into the Japanese script.
Kanji take us back to the China of the 3rd century B.C. The divine predictions of the oracles were recorded with the first Chinese characters; simplified images of objects and ideas. We find tortoise shells and animal bones that are marvelously engraved with simple pictograms. This is the beginning of Kanji art!
These primitive characters changed their shape throughout the history of Chinese script, but the original picture remains vividly present. And that is why Kanji brushed in Japanese calligraphy have an enigmatic power. They bring about a creative awakening that relink us to the original creative effort of the human mind to give form to an idea. They are the direct expression of human imagination.
The Kanji gallery introduces this expressive character of Kanji as a daily inspiration for your life and Dharma practice.
We want to bring visual Kanji art to your home.
These Kanji prints are all unique pieces of art that are the result of a reflection and meditation on a particular subject or Dharma topic. Each Japanese calligraphy has the fresh energy of a beginner’s mind.
Kanji Shodo Art – A Universal Gift.
You can buy Kanji prints and Kanji post cards of these original Kanji calligraphies at the Cafepress Kanji Symbols Shop and the Artistic Kanji Prints Gallery
If you would like to buy an original calligraphy or would like to commission a specific Kanji please contact the artist.
福 – Fuku
Good Fortune, Good Luck, Happiness and Blessing.
Kaisho or Regular script
This Good Luck print shows the Japanese Kanji 福, “Fuku”, Fu in Chinese, which means good luck, good fortune, happiness and blessing. Actually the Fuku kanji shows an image that is familiar to all of us: a jar plenty of food or wine. When there is plenty of food and wine stored there is a feeling of good luck prosperity and peace.
Fuku
Good luck, fortune, bliss
Cursive script
Click here for fuku prints and posters
佛 – Butsu
Buddha, The Awakened One, Buddha Shakyamuni, the Buddha of our Era.
Sosho or Cursive script
This Buddha print shows the Kanji for Buddha 佛 – Butsu”, Fo in Chinese. I have signed the calligraphy with a red seal that says Prajnaparamita, The Perfection Of Wisdom, who is the mother of all Buddhas.
Butsu
Buddha, the Awakened One
Standard script
力 – Chikara
Strength, power, vigor and force.
Gyosho or semi-cursive script
This Chikara print shows the Kanji for strength 力 – Chikara. The original pictogram of Chikara shows either a flexed biceps or a plough, hence its meaning, force.
念 – Nen
Mindfulness
Brushed in a vivid semi-cursive style.
This mindfulness print shows a calligraphy of the Japanese kanj 念 – Nen. The kanji is composed of two elements: at the top stands 今, which means now and at the bottom
stands 心, that means mind. We can thus translate this kanji literally as Now Mind or Mind in the Present.
愛 – Ai
Love
Brushed in a spirited semi-cursive style.
This Love print shows a dynamic contemporary abstraction of the Japanese kanji 愛 – Ai, Love. In the middle of the Ai kanji stands 心, the heart from which love radiates. The slanting brushstroke to the right gives this love calligraphy a unique lively dimension.
夢 – Yume
Dream
Brushed in Kaisho.
This Dream kanji print shows a spirited calligraphy of the Japanese character Yume, 夢 – Dream, brushed in a straightforward and Zen-like style. The different elements of the Yume kanji are eyebrows, eyes, a bed and the night, hence a man or woman resting in bed at night and dreaming.
改 – Kai, 善 – Zen
Kaizen – Continuous Improvement
Brushed in the regular style of Japanese calligraphy.
This Kaizen kanji print depicts the Japanese kanji 改 – Kai, change and 善 – Zen, good or Kaizen, the Japanese expression for an ongoing change for the better or continuous improvement.
| Japanese calligraphy home | Shodo Art Gallery | Buddhist Art Scrolls |
| Japanese painting gallery | About the artist | Sutra copying |
| Japanese calligraphy supplies | Sutra kanji course |Kanji t-shirts |
