Brushing Hakuin’s vision in shodō calligraphy

Inspired by Edo period Zen monk Hakuin Zenji’s writing and natural imagery, at our monthly shodō calligraphy online group and relaxed in person meeting at KSD Glasgow we wrote 風清 kaze kiyoshi, pure wind, following the words 月白, (bright) white moon.

The white moon of Hakuin in varied shodō styles

It was a nice atmosphere at the group, being relaxed and also lively at times, and everyone did well to get a feel for the characters, and enjoy the calligraphy techniques, even with kaze which has a range of strokes 🌬️

The phrase is from Hakuin Egaku’s 槐安国語 Kaiankokugo 1749. 月白風清‘White moon, pure wind’ which expresses an open and accepting attitude that doesn’t hold grudges. The experience of seeing the bright moon or feeling the cool breeze on your skin, and being refreshed, can pull us back into momentary awareness which can, if we’re open to it, remind us that we don’t need to be swayed by emotions, cravings and aversions. At our online group we brushed the four kanji characters together, and looked at examples by 20th century calligraphers.

We brushed in both the kaisho regular as well as sōsho cursive ‘grass’ style. As we worked, it was blustery outside. Here is a short, windy haiku by Matsuo Basho for this season:

wintry wind –

passing a man

with a swollen face

Thanks to everyone for taking part!