Calligraphy

Calligraphy is the art of writing and scripture. While Japanese calligraphy derives from Chinese calligraphy, the aesthetics are quite different. Japanese calligraphy is still prominent to this day where it is used as a subject in school, official documents, certificates, and more.

In Japanese, there are three different writing systems: hiragana (for Japanese native words), katakana (for non-Japanese words), and kanji (adapted Chinese characters). Originally, hiragana was a handwriting style made for women, while kanji was used by men. However, the Konoe family redefined calligraphy using various writing systems and styles, eliminating the distinction of the usage of hiragana and kanji between men and women.

While there were many famous calligraphers in the Konoe family, a prominent calligrapher is Konoe Nobutada who was one of the top three calligraphers of the Kanei period (1624-1643) known as the Kanei Sanpitsu.

Another prominent calligrapher in the Konoe family is Konoe Iehiro(1667-1736) who was known for his variety of writing style in hiragana and some of his works are in the Yomei Bunko.

There is an opportunity to learn about the history of calligraphy as well as write names in various styles of calligraphy.