Japanese and Chinese Brush Calligraphy – Kana and Kanji

Tutor: Yoko Takenami
Level: Suitable for all
Date: A one-day course: Saturday 13 July 2024, 11am-5pm
Price: £140

Course details
This course will give a hands-on experience of Japanese calligraphy, which epitomises the historic background of Japanese culture. Following a brief historic introduction, you will experience writing different forms and styles of characters used in Japanese and Chinese calligraphy.

The explanation of how each material should be used will be given before you familiarise yourself with using a brush and ink on paper. The movement of the brush is very dynamic; it requires a high level of concentration to control the movement of the brush.

The Japanese writing system was established by using Chinese characters called kanji to begin with, and the influx of these characters was seen with the dissemination of Buddhism in the 6th century.

As some uniquely Japanese phonetics called hira-gana and kata-kana were created based on kanji, these three groups of characters were used together. Geographically, Japan has been very closely connected to China throughout its history, but there were some periods in time when Japan closed its borders, leading to the unique Japanese system of writing to develop.

Materials to bring

• An apron and suitable workshop clothing
• Any Japanese or Chinese brushes if you have any you wish to use

Materials included
The tutor will supply papers, ink, brushes and any equipment needed on the day.

Equipment provided
All necessary equipment will be provided for use on the course.

About the tutor
Yoko started Japanese calligraphy at the age of seven and obtained the 'shihan' certificate from Zenshogei in Japan to teach in 1990. She published her book 'Simple Art of Japanese Calligraphy' in 2004 and holds workshops and demonstrations at various events, such as Art in Action, Tokyo City Promotion in London, City of London Festival and other private institutions.

General information
Short courses are open to anyone aged 18 and over.
The course fee covers tuition and materials where stated. You will need to bring all other items listed under the ‘Materials to bring’ section.

Refreshments
Coffee and tea are included in the course fee, but you will need to bring lunch with you to eat in the refreshments room. There are plenty of local venues to purchase food locally, if needed, though we recommend that you bring a packed lunch.

Refunds and cancellations
Cancellations are permitted up to 6 weeks before the start of a course and subject to a £35 cancellation fee. Refunds will not be given for cancellations less than 6 weeks before the start of a course.

Students who do not attend due to illness, personal or professional commitments do not have the right to a refund. For this reason, we recommend that students take out personal insurance against any unforeseeable circumstances before the start of their course. It is not possible to transfer to future courses.

We reserve the right to cancel a class in unusual circumstances. We try to avoid this where possible, but sometimes it is unavoidable. In this situation, a full refund will be given. We’re sorry that we cannot be financially responsible for extreme weather conditions, travel disruption or any other situations that are outside our control.

Access
If you have any specific access needs, we will need to know about your access requirements in advance. Please tell us about your needs in confidence by emailing: bookingsoffice@westdean.ac.uk

This venue has steps to the front reception, with limited access via a side gate to the ground floor. There is a small lift to higher floors or stairs.

Safety
Short course students are required to sign a safety compliance form as part of West Dean Health and Safety regulations.

Disclaimer
The information given is accurate at the time of publication. However, West Dean College reserves the right to cancel or amend courses if circumstances require.