Done! Japanese Calligraphy Basic Skills for Beginner SHODO

Done! Japanese Calligraphy Basic Skills for Beginner SHODO

Start: 09-05-2026

Finish: 16-05-2026

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Title: Mr practice of the symbol "soil"

Credit: @Melinda Erika Dothan

I practice this one kanji with the tools, I had right now at home.

I started to use ink first time in my life, when I was around 3-4 years old. I had a slightly darker blue to practice and also a black ink. I found them in my uncle's draw.

I lived with my mother's parents and my mother's brother in the very beginning of my life as a child.

My uncle is 17 years older than me. He moved out from his parents home during his university studies. 

He studied to be a medical doctor. During his studies, he met his future wife. She taught me first time, how to make situps. When? I was around 5 years old.

Why is it important?

To make good Kanji calligraphy, you need ink, paper, brush and similar tools... But you also need strong stomach muscles to hold your body tight.

The symbol "soil" is important to not just to practice writing, as it also a way to ground yourself.

If you want to ground yourself, you need strong root chakra. 

A strong stomach muscle helps you to activate your solar chakra. 

But when you start and finish a stroke or line in kanji, you pressure the brush down. 

Just like you can pressure your root chakra down on the chair by holding your upper body strait, so your central point and highest pressure can be in the same vertical line with your root chakra as well. 

So kanji calligraphy can be interpreted as a meditation, as a yoga, as mind focus and mindfulness. 

Obviously, I need to practice more to have as beautiful kanjis as the instructor, who is a master in this field.