Calligraphy styles

There are three basic styles of Japanese calligraphy namely, gyousho, kaisho, and sousho. Kana is rarely considered the fourth style. Kaisho is a block style with little movements and it is also called as shinsho. The movements in this style are stiff. Gyousho is a style that is in the middle of the two extremes. It is not as freely moving as sousho or as rigid as kaisho. Sousho is a free-moving style comprised with sweeping and quick strokes. Its beauty and free movement has earned sousho the credit of becoming the most famous style to various calligraphy experts.

Kana, which is considered as the fourth style was is an outgrowth of the more unconventional forms of sousho. A lot of Heian women consider it as their main script. Because of this, Japanese consider it as the women’s script (onnade). Kana turned to be popular because of the poems of Waka. Kana is elegant and refined if it is compared with bold Chinese calligraphy.