Calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing.  In Japan, handwriting is appreciated as an art.  The study, creation, and collecting of fine calligraphy are all considered cultural pursuits.  In earlier times, writing was also thought to be a higher art form than painting, for it was believed that calligraphy embodied the writer's creative character and inner spirit. Japanese writing began from the Chinese writing system but later developed an elegant cursive script that became a great calligraphic tradition.

Brush, ink, paper, and silk - the basic materials of calligraphy - were introduced in the 5th century to Japan from China where written characters and different scripts had evolved for over two thousand years.  At first, the Japanese studied the Chinese language and used its new and complex characters for religious and government documents.  But by the 8th century, Japanese writers began to change their use of Chinese to create their own expressive literary forms. Chinese scripts were abbreviated to produce sets of phonetic symbols, called katagana and hiragana, each representing one syllable of the Japanese language.  The graceful, cursive lines of hiragana became the favored script for poetry, literature, and private letter writing.

The exhibition Beautiful Brush represents Japanese calligraphy in both Chinese and hiragana scripts through the work of two Japanese calligraphers, Rengetsu and Kaioku. The Buddhist nun Otagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875) was one of the most celebrated artists of the 19th century.  She was noted for her exceptionally fluid and delicate writing of hiragana in her poetry, paintings, and on her stoneware pottery for which she was also famous.  Her contemporary Nukina Kaioku (1778-1863) was a Confucian scholar and painter, who was a much admired for his powerful and bold Chinese-style calligraphy.  Together their artworks reveal the creative genius of Japan in the literary and visual arts.

The exhibited works are presented in conjunction with the 2000 Meeting of the Association of Japanese Literary Studies hosted by the East Asian Studies Program, Washington University.