Welcome to YOU-SHO!

Overview

Japanese Calligraphy is formative art using characters and letters. It's originally China, then it was introduced into Japan. In Japan, we use Chinese character "Kanji" and Japanese original letter "Hiragana" and "Katakana".

Kanji

Each of Kanji has their meaning. For instance...

means [Tree]
means [Woods]
means [Forest]

"" represent "a tree". From these Kanji, you can imagine a picture the number of trees has been increasing gradually.

Now, there are few thousands of kanji, but you can read Japanese books if you know 1945 kanji designated for everyday use decided by MEXT(Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology).

In Japanese elementary school, students must learn 1006 kanji during 6 years.

Kanji has three ways of writing.
"Kaisho", "Gyosho" and "Sosho".

Kaisho is the basic writing. Gyosho and Sosho are simplified way of Kaisho. You can see the difference below. This Kanji's meaning is [Universal]. It's going to change like this.

Hiragana

Hiragana appeared in the Heian period (A.D.794-1185), and it's the more simplified letter than Sosho. See the above.

In Court of the Heian period, women mostly used Hiragana and men used Kanji by customs.

basic hiragana					yo-on (contracted sound)
あ a	い i	う u	え e	お o	(ya)	(yu)	(yo)
か ka	き ki	く ku	け ke	こ ko	きゃ kya	きゅ kyu	きょ kyo
さ sa	し shi	す su	せ se	そ so	しゃ sha	しゅ shu	しょ sho
た ta	ち chi	つ tsu	て te	と to	ちゃ cha	ちゅ chu	ちょ cho
な na	に ni	ぬ nu	ね ne	の no	にゃ nya	にゅ nyu	にょ nyo
は ha	ひ hi	ふ fu	へ he	ほ ho	ひゃ hya	ひゅ hyu	ひょ hyo
ま ma	み mi	む mu	め me	も mo	みゃ mya	みゅ myu	みょ myo
や ya		ゆ yu		よ yo
ら ra	り ri	る ru	れ re	ろ ro	りゃ rya	りゅ ryu	りょ ryo
わ wa	ゐ wi		ゑ we	を wo
				ん n
daku-on (muddy sound)
が ga	ぎ gi	ぐ gu	げ ge	ご go	ぎゃ gya	ぎゅ gyu	ぎょ gyo
ざ za	じ ji	ず zu	ぜ ze	ぞ zo	じゃ ja	じゅ ju	じょ jo
だ da	ぢ di	づ du	で de	ど do	ぢゃ dya	ぢゅ dyu	ぢょ dyo
ば ba	び bi	ぶ bu	べ be	ぼ bo	びゃ bya	びゅ byu	びょ byo
han-daku-on (half muddy sound)
ぱ pa	ぴ pi	ぷ pu	ぺ pe	ぽ po	ぴゃ pya	ぴゅ pyu	ぴょ pyo
soku-on (double consonant)
		っ

Katakana

Katakana is represented by a part of Kanji. For example, this Kanji means "Add". In this case, we use left part of Kanji.

We use Katakana mainly for expressing the word came from foreign country such as tobacco from Portugal.

basic katakana					yo-on (contracted sound)
ア a	イ i	ウ u	エ e	オ o	(ya)	(yu)	(yo)
カ ka	キ ki	ク ku	ケ ke	コ ko	キャ kya	キュ kyu	キョ kyo
サ sa	シ shi	ス su	セ se	ソ so	シャ sha	シュ shu	ショ sho
タ ta	チ chi	ツ tsu	テ te	ト to	チャ cha	チュ chu	チョ cho
ナ na	ニ ni	ヌ nu	ネ ne	ノ no	ニャ nya	ニュ nyu	ニョ nyo
ハ ha	ヒ hi	フ fu	ヘ he	ホ ho	ヒャ hya	ヒュ hyu	ヒョ hyo
マ ma	ミ mi	ム mu	メ me	モ mo	ミャ mya	ミュ myu	ミョ myo
ヤ ya		ユ yu		ヨ yo
ラ ra	リ ri	ル ru	レ re	ロ ro	リャ rya	リュ ryu	リョ ryo
ワ wa				ヲ wo
				ン n
daku-on (muddy sound)
ガ ga	ギ gi	グ gu	ゲ ge	ゴ go	ギャ gya	ギュ gyu	ギョ gyo
ザ za	ジ ji	ズ zu	ゼ ze	ゾ zo	ジャ ja	ジュ ju	ジョ jo
ダ da	ヂ di	ヅ du	デ de	ド do	ヂャ dya	ヂュ dyu	ヂョ dyo
バ ba	ビ bi	ブ bu	ベ be	ボ bo	ビャ bya	ビュ byu	ビョ byo
han-daku-on (half muddy sound)
パ pa	ピ pi	プ pu	ペ pe	ポ po	ピャ pya	ピュ pyu	ピョ pyo
soku-on (double consonant)
		ッ

Development of Hiragana and Katakana enables us to express emotion or sense lively peculiar to Japanese. Tanka poetry is the typical way of expression.

This poem expresses the poet's feelings. He imagined the view from his inward.

Gendai - sho

Most of the people of today can't read what is written in classical Japanese Calligraphy. Gendai - Sho is modernized way of Japanese Calligraphy to read and enjoy for everyone.

I'm happy with the way I am.	Just the way as you are.

It has pictorial element which please our eyes, so you can enjoy it visually.

Hope you enjoy Japanese Calligraphy "Shodo" not only traditional Japanese art but modern art!!