In the art of sho, spirituality and physical activities have to coincide, therefore breathing control is of utmost importance.

katakana is reserved solely for writing foreign words.

Ichigyo mono wall hangings containing zengo are the most revered of all the items on display in the tokonoma or alcove of a tea room.

an essential step in the preparation for a tea ceremony is looking at a work of shodo to clear one’s mind.

both the tea ceremony and Zen share the basic philosophy that all extraneous or redundant activities should be removed and in spirit and action the whole environment should reflect economy and minimalism.

for the artist of shodo—whether in China, Japan or Korea—the traditional style of kanji is still used.

The creative process in shodo, as in many other arts, is in many ways a “spiritual purification” of the creator.

change in the order of strokes is acceptable, as is adjusting brush strokes to suit one’s own style, and for artistic creativity. This flexibility in gyosho allows the shodo artist the opportunity to produce remarkable works. For this reason also, most Japanese calligraphy is done in gyosho, including bokuseki writings by Zen priests.

(see the Appendix for info on the 2009 edition, the “Shin Shogen”),