Parents' Column | Calligraphy
Winter-break kakizome:
tips for writing it well
The winter-break homework: kakizome, the first calligraphy of the New Year. Sheet after sheet goes wrong, and parent and child both end up worn out… it happens a lot. The single best tip is: don’t go straight to the final copy. What to prepare, how to look at the model, how to pace practice over winter break, and what families can do — from our calligraphy classrooms.
Kakizome is an old custom: the first time you write with a brush in the new year. Today, many schools set it as winter-break homework or hold a “kakizome day” at the start of the third term. Children write larger characters than usual, balanced on a set sheet of paper, so it is a hard task for them. But with the right tips and the right order, anyone can get good at it.
First, check the school’s assignment
Kakizome is done differently at each school and in each grade. Before starting, check the following on the handout from school.
- The characters and the model: Which words to write. Has a model (tehon) been handed out?
- Paper type and number of sheets: Hanshi (the standard sheet), or the long, narrow kakizome paper? How many sheets are there for the final copy?
- Brush or pencil: Brush calligraphy at school starts in Grade 3. Grades 1–2 usually do “pencil kakizome,” written with a pencil or pen.
- How to write the name: Where and how to write the grade, class and name.
- Due date and how to hand it in: May it be folded, or should it be rolled up and carried?
What to prepare
| Item | Point |
|---|---|
| Calligraphy set | Brush, liquid ink, inkstone, paperweight, felt mat. The set used at school is fine. For long, narrow paper, a long felt mat makes writing easier |
| Newspaper | Lots of it. For spreading widely underneath, and as practice paper |
| Practice paper | Hanshi, or paper the same size as the final copy. The first practice can be on newspaper |
| Clothes that can get dirty | Ink is hard to wash out, so watch the sleeve length too |
| A place to dry | Somewhere the written sheets can lie flat. Spread newspaper on the floor beforehand |
Five tips for writing well
- Take time to “look” at the model
Before writing, look carefully at the model: the size of the characters, the spaces between them, where the strokes are long and where they are short. Tracing the model with a finger to feel how the brush moves also helps. The better a child writes, the more closely they look before writing.
- Decide where the characters go first
Decide in advance where on the paper each character will sit. Lightly folding the practice paper to mark roughly where each character goes keeps the sizes even. (Check the school’s rules on whether the final-copy paper may be folded.)
- Hold the brush upright and write big
Load the brush with plenty of ink, shape it on the edge of the inkstone, then write. Hold the brush straight up. For large characters, lift the elbow slightly off the desk and write with the whole arm; the lines come out free and flowing.
- Stops, hooks and sweeps: slow down
A character’s impression is decided at the end of each stroke. For a “stop” (tome), stop firmly before lifting the brush. For a “hook” (hane), pause once, then flick up lightly. For a “sweep” (harai), ease off the pressure but keep the brush on the paper to the very end. Just here, write a little more slowly than usual.
- Be careful right through to the name
It often happens that the main text comes out well and then the name falls apart. Write the name smaller than the main text, lining up the bottom. Practice the name just as you practice the main text.
How to pace practice over winter break
Trying to do it all in one day leads to tiredness and messy writing. We recommend about 20–30 minutes a day, spread over several days.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before winter break | Check the assignment, the model and the number of sheets. Get any missing tools |
| Early in winter break | Practice one character at a time. Focus on the hard characters and on stops, hooks and sweeps |
| Mid winter break | Write the whole piece through. Decide the position and size of the characters and where the name goes |
| After New Year’s Day | Final copy. Write a few sheets while concentration lasts, and pick the best one |
By tradition, kakizome is written on January 2. Writing the final copy on this day gives a fresh start to the new year.
Pencil kakizome for Grades 1–2
The tips are the same for kakizome written with a pencil or pen.
- In the center of each box, all the same size: Writing hiragana slightly smaller than kanji makes the whole piece look neater.
- Use the pencil the school specifies: If nothing is specified, a darker (softer) pencil writes clearly without pressing hard.
- Don’t rub too hard with the eraser: The paper gets wrinkled. If there is a mistake, starting again on a fresh sheet looks cleaner.
- Grip and posture: With a poor grip, the lines wobble. See The correct pencil grip and how to fix it at home for details.
What families can do
- Make a place to write: Just spreading newspaper widely and setting up a spot where “it’s fine to get messy” lets children write freely.
- Don’t guide their hand: Kakizome is handed in as the child’s own writing. Help only as far as looking at the model together.
- Say the good points first: “This sweep is beautiful.” Finding something good first changes the next sheet.
- When they’re tired, stop: Writing dozens of sheets in a row only makes the writing worse. Draw a line: “That’s enough for today.”
- Dry flat: Don’t stack the written sheets; dry them flat on newspaper.
Frequently asked questions
How many sheets should we write?
For the final copy, use the number of sheets handed out by the school. Practice on newspaper or practice paper, one character at a time and then the whole piece. More than the number of sheets, what matters is comparing each sheet with the model and thinking, “Next time I’ll fix this part.”
Can we go over a failed stroke to fix it?
In school handwriting, the rule is no “double writing” — going back over a stroke already written. Even with a small slip, a line written in one stroke makes for livelier writing.
What about left-handed children?
With brush writing, we sometimes practice with the right hand after talking it over with the child, but we never force a change. For details, see the “left-handed” part of Lessons that make handwriting beautiful.
I’m worried about ink stains.
Spread newspaper widely and wear clothes that can get dirty. Pour the ink into the inkstone a little at a time; then a spill won’t spread as far.
Should my child take calligraphy lessons for kakizome?
If it is just the winter-break homework, the tips in this article are enough to improve a lot. If you also want neater everyday handwriting in notebooks, or want your child to get used to the brush, lessons at a classroom build it up from the grip and brush handling. For when to start, see When should a child start calligraphy (kakikata shodo)?.
Look at the model really carefully first, then write big and free!
About the author
Taito MoritaFounder & principal of Kodomo School (Morita Group Co., Ltd.)
He carries on the Morita Juku founded in Toyohashi in 1972. Through soroban, calligraphy and art at about 90 classrooms in Aichi and Shizuoka and at our Hanoi school in Vietnam, he helps children build the strength to believe in themselves. He also gives talks and seminars on education.
Message from our founderTalks & seminarsUpdated: October 8, 2026
Parents' Column
More about calligraphy
Find a classroom
Calligraphy (shuji) classes in your city
Start with a free trial lesson
Soroban and calligraphy trial lessons are free (about 20 minutes; just bring something to write with). The art trial lesson is 40 minutes and costs ¥1,000 (nothing to bring). Come with your child and see the feel of the classroom and how well the teacher suits your child.