The Way of the Brush (Shodo)

 Ibata sensei

Ibata senei's brushes

Shotei Ibata's studio

31 March 2012

For the past four weeks, we have embarked on a new learning adventure: shoto, or the way of the brush (calligraphy).  Our Japanese tutor introduced us to our teacher, Shotei Ibata.  For reasons best known to himself, since he is an eminent artist and teacher, he agreed to meet with us in his studio and teach us the rudiments of holding the brush, mixing ink, making lines, and then simple Kanji and Hiriagana.   Feeling very clumsy, the equivalent in brush work of trying to get out a Japanese sentence, we spent a wonderful, peaceful hour and a half in his studio each week - we making awkward lines and characters, he cheerfully showing us a more proper way with his vermilion ink, and saying "oh, betta" from time to time to encourage us.   We hope we may continue to study calligraphy in Boston.  At the end, he and his wife took us out to sushi dinner, a great kindness. 

In his younger years, Ibata-sensei was a world-wide performance artist, combining music (heavy metal his preferred style), dance and large brush paintings on the floor.  His biggest brush was made from the tails of several horses.  He still teaches and and gives demonstrations in his studio.  We felt pleasded to buy a wood block print of a rooster in the wind, with the calligraphy saying "spring wind."

Love to all