I don’t remember the exact time, but it must have been when I started to learn Kanji that I began to wonder about the characters. Although niwatori (Japanese for chicken) is the word for a bird (鳥 tori) that lives in the garden (庭 niwa), it is not written as 庭鳥 (lit. garden bird), but 鶏. A hamaguri (a type of clam) looks like a chestnut (栗 kuri) and can be found at the beach (浜 hama), still its Kanji writing is 蛤. The same for mizuumi (lake), which says in Japanese a sea (海 umi) of water (水 mizu) but its Kanji is 湖. This was a mystery to me. However, the reason was simple. Kanji originates from China and 鶏 is the writing for chicken, 蛤 for clam and 湖 for lake, niwatori, hamaguri and mizuumi are the Japanese words that were later attached to the characters as Japanese reading.

I learned about different calligraphic styles: Kaisho, Gyosho and Sosho. To achieve a proper shape in Kaisho style, we need to follow a defined stroke order while writing each Kanji. To my confusion, the stroke order of one and the same Kanji varies, when applying the Kaisho or the Sosho style. Sosho is dynamic, strokes are connected and the two Japanese syllabic scripts Hiragana and Katakana departed from here.

Observing the neat handwriting of adults, I was anxious that growing up goes together with the need of learning to read Kanji and mastering to write Sosho. At the same time it became my dream to become a person who is knowledgeable in reading and fine writing.

Today, years later, as a graphic designer, I have many thoughts about characters.

There is a difference between one and the same character, whether it is visualized by a typeface or calligraphy. A typeface is like an architecture, it is constructed as a result of engineering, for sure it is rational. Handwriting, whether by brush or pen, transmits the personality of the writer. An atmosphere is created, together with a sense of intellect. The calligraphy of Ono no Tōfū – one of the three leading calligraphers – rather reminds me of landscape paintings. Characters are my treasury sources for design. By studying and tracing the details of typefaces and calligraphy, I learned about balance, core, white space, curves, intonation, rhythm – simply the foundation of design.

Kanji are ideograms and Kana (Hiragana and Katakana) are phonograms. The combination of the two different scripts (regarding origin and style) enriches the Japanese typesetting by creating variety and rhythm that supports the readability. Based on their complexity, Kanji draw the attention of the reader and give a quick glance to the context of the text. While I envy the beautifully even appearance of a Latin letter based text, the hybridity of a Japanese text has its special advantage.

The ceaseless interest in characters and typography is a source and motivation for my creation. And I feel blessed to be born into this writing culture. The heritage of Kanji is profound and magnificent. To me Kanji are the proof of human sensibility for beauty and knowledge and hence the treasure of the Orient.