Overview: Calligraphy is the art of writing characters with a brush. The use of kanji characters, which entered from China, spread with the practice of copying sutras. In temples and shrines, the art projects the state of the practitioner's mind. Calligraphy developed independently through the kana syllabary 1,200 years ago. Kana calligrapher Koho Hibino, master of a flowing style, says it embodies Japanese emotional and aesthetic sensibilities. Discover the essence of the black-and-white realm of calligraphy.