Japanese fine arts have evolved over a period of hundreds of years and are a combination of early Chinese influence coupled with innate Japanese sensibilities and culture. Among them, ink painting (sumi-e), woodblock prints (ukiyo-e) and calligraphy (shodohh) are not only appreciated by people the world over but have made their contribution to artistic styles worldwide.

Ink Painting (sumi-e)

Sumi-e, literally "ink picture" was first introduced to Japan from China by Zen priests during the 13th century. Like shodoh or Japanese calligraphy, it is a monochromatic style of painting in which a simple brush is used with black ink to paint on white rice paper. The traditional subject matter of sumi-e paintings is landscapes, objects from nature such as bamboo, flowers and leaves and sometimes animals or people. Sumi-e is characterized by simple lines and strokes designed to capture the essence of a given subject and is very much tied into the tenets of Zen spirituality. While sumi-e is traditionally painted with black ink on white paper, over the years this art form evolved and many wonderful examples of sumi-e can be seen painted on silk and using a variety of colored inks.

Woodblock Prints (hanga)

The earliest evidence of woodblock printing in Japan was in 764 when Empress Koken ordered a series of sutras printed for distribution to temples throughout the country. This art form evolved to include religious imagery, but it wasn't until the early seventeenth century when color was added and woodblock prints began to incorporate non-secular themes as well.

During the Edo Period, woodblock prints came to be known as ukiyo-e or floating-world pictures and depicted scenes of everyday life. Popular themes included geisha, sumo wrestlers, kabuki actors, landscapes and street scenes. In the early years, ukiyo-e was rejected by the upper-class which considered it to be too plebian and as a result, discarded prints were often used to wrap fine Japanese dishes for transport to the West where a great market had developed. It wasn't until after a demand for ukiyo-e developed by French collectors that this fine art form gained recognition in Japan.

Ukiyo-e masters became known for their treatment of specific themes. Sharaku and Toyokuni became famous for the portraits of actors; Harunobu, Kiyonaga, Eishi and Utamaro for their portraits of beautiful women and Hiroshige and Hokusai for their landscapes which often times included everyday people. Perhaps one of the most recognized ukiyo-e images in the world is Hokusai's "Stormy Sea off Kanagawa" which is one print from the series, "Thirty-six Views of Fuji."

Calligraphy (shodoh)

Calligraphy, which is the art of beautiful handwriting, has been practiced in both the East and West for centuries, however because of the complexity of the kanji and hiragana and katakana characters which make up Japanese writing, it evolved into a very sophisticated and demanding art form which is still practiced today.

shodoh or the "way of writing" was first introduced to Japan around the seventh century A.D. through Buddhist scriptures. Originating in India, this art form came to Japan via China and Korea as Buddhist traditions and ideologies were spread throughout the country. Buddhist priests traditionally recorded scriptures in Chinese characters or kanji, however with the emergence of the Japanese phonetic alphabets (hiragana and katakana), shodoh became the popular form of writing among the middle and upper classes. Even today Japanese school children spend many hours practicing shodoh as it represents the aesthetic basis for all Japanese writing. Mastering shodoh has always been and is still considered an integral part of a geisha's training as well as for young women in preparation for marriage. shodoh is considered an art form unto itself and is often the subject of paintings. In many Japanese homes an alcove called a tokonoma is used to showcase silk or paper scrolls which are decorated with poems or expressions masterfully written in shodoh. Today it is still a popular hobby among many Japanese adults.

The tools of shodoh:

• fude: a brush with a tapered point traditionally made out of bamboo
• sumi: solid block of ink which is ground into a liquid by rubbing it on a suzuri (bottled ink is also available today) while adding a little water
• suzuri: a heavy, shallow rectangular dish made of black stone used for grinding the ink
• hanshi: the traditional light-weight rice paper used for shodoh (shodoh can be written on different types of paper and even silk)
• shitajiki: the mat which provides a soft, smooth surface for the hanshi
• bunchin: a weight used to hold the paper down when writing