Shodo: The Art of Coordinating Mind, Body and Brush

by William Reed

Explains how the brush can be used to rejuvenate the mind and body and release creativity, demonstrates how to recognize, visualize, and write Japanesse characters, and discusses the aesthetics of Japanese calligraphy

197 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a shame I only borrowed this. Reed's ability to delve deeper into shodo is unparalleled. I was surprised it was coming from him at first, but I kept reading to see Reed's credentials validate themselves. A definite must-have for any practitioners.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a student of Japanese calligraphy, I try to keep up with the English-language publications on the subject, so that I can either refer others to the book or warn them not to buy it. This book has a lot of the philosophy behind shodo (and other Japanese arts), although presented in what I consider a old-fashioned way. Part of this may be due to when the book was written, in the late 1980's, when there was far less knowledge in the US about Japanese art and culture. A lot of the author's advice does make practical sense in the application of the art of brush calligraphy, and in that way, the book is useful. I'm not too impressed with the calligraphy examples he offers--his style is rushed and sloppy--but that may be due to the fact I trained under another school and with different emphasis. Shodo is an art that subject to extremely wide interpretations. The book is certainly worth reading, but not that great as an exemplar.