Japanese Cultural Workshops

After the summer break our Saturday morning class in Glasgow and our online Monday evening group met to relaxingly ease back into shodo calligraphy practice. Brushing the single character for dew or open air, Tsuyu 露, which in Zen writings has also had a meaning… Read More »Calligraphic simplicity brushing tsuyu 露

At our last Shodō workshops before the summer break, we enjoyed some relaxed yet inspiring brushing and our inspiration was calligraphy itself! We brushed the kanji characters of the word Shodō 書道, meaning the Way of Calligraphy or Path of Writing, or simply Japanese calligraphy,… Read More »Practicing Writing Shodō 書道 in Regular and Cursive Styles

At both our online and in person Shodō groups, which have been buzzing in recent months, we brushed the two kanji characters of the word Shunjū 春秋 . Shunjū means Spring and Autumn, or the seasons more generally, or the length of time passing. There… Read More »Welcoming spring with lively Shodō brushing!

In the Arts Complex of Bristol University at the end of April, Blair presented two taster Japanese Shodō calligraphy workshops with a Zen theme, for the Buddhist Studies Day in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, with schools and staff participating. This was part of… Read More »Bristol University Japanese Calligraphy Workshop

We had energetic and fun Shodō groups at KSD in Glasgow, as well at Zen Brush (online), brushing the two kanji characters of the word Zazen 座禅, meaning zen seated meditation. The za means sitting and the zen has meanings including meditation and awareness. Everyone… Read More »Meditative Shodō calligraphy – Zazen

At the end of last month and start of March we brushed the illuminating kanji characters of the word Godō 悟道 , meaning the way or path of satori/ enlightenment. It was great catching up with everyone at the monthly Shodō Japanese calligraphy groups in… Read More »Brushing the Way of Enlightenment

At the end of January and start of February we ran two sessions, our monthly group at KSD centre and the other a special group for students in the west end of Glasgow. One of the phrases we brushed was 福寿 Fukuju – which can… Read More »Celebrating life with the shodō brush

🍂 Thanks for taking part in our last Japanese Shodō calligraphy groups of the year at Kagyu Samye Dzong Glasgow, as well as online Zen Brush in November. We brushed the mysterious kanji characters of the word Inyō 陰陽, better known in Chinese as the opposite… Read More »The ladder for kami in Yin and Yang calligraphy

At the October Zen Brush Shodō calligraphy we worked on the illuminating kanji characters of the word Kōmyō 光明 – meaning luminous light, or spiritual brightness. It is a fluid word to write, with two light filled pictograms – first of a person holding up… Read More »Calligraphy of Kōmyō 光明 radiant light