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The ladder for kami in Yin and Yang calligraphy

🍂 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 but complementary cosmic forces of Yin and Yang. Literally the characters mean shade and light. We worked on them together in two styles (kaisho, sōsho) also investigating the gyōsho style to understand the simplification of the cursive styles.

The ladder for kami in Yin and Yang calligraphy

They were very challenging kanji in the kaisho with many strokes and careful balance of parts within each! The sōsho was a lot speedier and simplified. Participants were particularly interested in the animistic visuals such as the stairway for kami, and the streaming light rays.

Many thanks to those for joining and sharing images of their work🙏🏼

Suzanne