1. How Brush Writing Is Meant to Support Pencil Skills in Japan's School Guidelines
According to the Elementary School Course of Study (2008 revision) published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, hard-pen writing (using pencils, etc.) is taught in every grade. Brush writing is taught in every grade from third grade onward. About 30 class periods per year are allocated to brush writing in each grade.[1]
The guidelines state that brush instruction should be conducted to "cultivate the basis for hard-pen writing ability." Brush writing is not placed as an independent goal but rather as practice that connects to everyday pencil writing.[1]
Is this idea new? The concept that "brushes are for pencil writing" might seem recent. However, a similar explanation can be found in guidebooks from more than 70 years ago.
2. How Guidebooks from Around 1951 Linked Brush Writing to Pencil Skills
The National Institute for Educational Policy Research has published a calligraphy guidebook from around 1951 (Showa 26). The page does not list the year, so the date is estimated from the address. This guidebook states that the goal of calligraphy is to "acquire effective writing skills by utilizing the advantages of the brush as a tool."[2]
This positions children who are already used to pencils as learning further techniques to write characters effectively using a brush. While the wording differs slightly from today's "foundation for hard-pen writing," the idea of connecting pencil writing and brush writing, rather than seeing them as separate, is the same.
The guidebook also states that brush learning helps build life skills and attitudes, such as concentrating the mind, proceeding with work thoroughly, cherishing objects, and keeping one's surroundings tidy and clean.[2]
It is easy to imagine that preparing the brush, ink, and paper, and then cleaning up, was part of the lesson.
According to materials summarizing the changes in subject names for writing education, 1951 was "Writing Methods/Calligraphy," and in the 1958 (Showa 33) Course of Study, it became "Shosha" (Writing) within the Japanese language subject.[3]
Even though it is the same "brush," the name has changed over time. So, what kind of subject did the earlier "Calligraphy" start as?
3. Why the 1872 School Regulations Ranked Calligraphy as the Lowest-Level Subject
The "Middle School and Elementary School Teaching Regulations" published by the National Archives of Japan were issued in 1872 (Meiji 5), the month after the new school system was established.[4]
"Calligraphy" was placed in the lowest level, the eighth level. The intent was to teach hiragana and katakana using practice books and calligraphy texts, focusing on the shape of characters and the movement of the brush, without needing to teach kunyomi (reading classical Chinese texts).[4]
In the seventh level, students progressed to kanji in regular script.[4]
According to the explanation in the same materials, these regulations were modeled on Western educational curricula, differing from the terakoya (private schools for commoners) and han schools (domain schools) of the Edo period.[4]
Calligraphy was placed as one subject alongside vocabulary reading and Western arithmetic.[4]
First, acquire the shape of characters and the movement of the brush, rather than the meaning of how to read them. This character of calligraphy seems to overlap somewhat with today's "shosha." So, what was "tenarai" (handwriting practice) like before schools existed?
4. How Children Learned Handwriting in Terakoya Before Schools Existed
Terakoya were places where common people in the Edo period learned reading and writing. It is said that writing, specifically "tenarai" (handwriting practice), was emphasized.[5]
Teachers were called "tenarai shishō" (handwriting teachers) and included monks, Shinto priests, ronin (masterless samurai), doctors, and others.[5]
Children attending were boys and girls aged about 6 or 7 to 12 or 13, with about 20 to 30 students per master.[5]
Textbooks called "ōraimono," written in the form of letters, were used as models.[5]
A summary of materials from Gunma Prefecture explains that the center of the terakoya curriculum was calligraphy, aiming to help students understand the meaning of characters and sentences through copying.[6]
It is also said that there were more than 10,000 terakoya nationwide by the end of the Edo period.[6]
However, this number should be read as a rough estimate ("it is said").
Edo-period hand practice was a path to acquiring reading and writing itself. Meiji-era calligraphy can be seen as taking the "writing characters" part of that and making it the first subject in schools. So, how does today's school writing differ from calligraphy as an art?
5. How Elementary School Writing (Shosha) Differs from High School Calligraphy (Shodo)
Elementary school "shosha" (writing) is part of the Japanese language subject, while high school "shodo" (calligraphy) is placed as a subject in the arts department.
Generally, shosha is organized as focusing on the practical aspect of writing characters correctly and neatly for use in learning and daily life, while shodo is considered arts education.[7]
However, shosha also has a foundation that leads to artistry, and shodo also has a practical aspect.
The Edo hand practice, Meiji calligraphy, Showa guidebooks, and today's shosha all center on "acquiring the power to write."
Although names and descriptions have changed, the connection between the brush and reading, writing, and daily characters seems to continue.
This distinction is based on a general organization in a report by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Textbooks and school policies may emphasize different points.[7]
Note: In Edo hand practice, Meiji calligraphy, and today's shosha, writing’s role has been described in different terms over time.
6. Try It Yourself: Writing the Same Character with a Pencil and a Brush
Try writing the same character with a pencil and, if available, school calligraphy tools, and compare them. Simple characters like "tree" or "ten" are enough.
Brush writing changes the thickness of the lines, making the shapes of stops, hooks, and flicks easier to see.
Afterward, rewrite it with a pencil to check if the shape seen with the brush helps your pencil writing.
To avoid getting ink on clothes or desks, lay down newspaper before you start.
If you want to investigate further, the writing pages in Japanese language textbooks may describe how brush practice connects to specific parts of pencil writing.
The Japanese section of the Course of Study can be read on the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology website.
On the National Archives of Japan website, explanations of the 1872 elementary school teaching regulations are also published.[4]