Hajime · the beginning
Starter Set
$72.99USD
$20 shipping included
Start here
- The full tool set
- 50 sheets of hanshi paper
- 5 model sheets
- The book
New81 free practice sheets, from 愛 to 夢→
Japanese calligraphy for people outside Japan 書道
Learn calligraphy the way Japanese children do.
The tools from our classrooms, a step-by-step book in English, and model sheets brushed by our own teachers. From a Japanese education company teaching children since 1976.
Shipped directly from Japan $20 shipping included
Since 1976in Japanese education
750+ studentsin our classrooms every week
By handevery model brushed by our teachers
From Japanshipped directly to your door
The book
Japanese Calligraphy for Beginners
Learn shodo step by step, the way students in Japan do
Written by Sanayuki Morita, who grew up in our family’s school. Short chapters take you from holding the brush to writing whole words, with every stroke explained in plain English.
Every brush model in the book was written by hand by our teachers. No computer fonts.
The paperback comes in every set.
Did you know
In Japan, children still learn this every week
Brush calligraphy is still taught in every Japanese elementary school. From third grade, children open an ink set at their desk and write with a brush in class.
Many also go to an after-school calligraphy class once a week, the way American kids go to piano or soccer. That is what our teachers do: more than 750 children come to our classrooms every week.
小学三年From 3rd grade
Brush writing is part of every school’s Japanese class, through junior high.
一月二日January 2
Kakizome, the first writing of the new year. Many schools give it as winter homework.
毎週Every week
After-school calligraphy class, where students climb ranks called kyu and dan.
書道 はじめの一式
Shodo Starter Setby Morita Group · Toyohashi, Japan
Box design. Final packaging may differ.
The Starter Set 初
Everything for your first characters
$72.99USD$20 shipping fee included
What we would hand a new student on their first day in class, with the book and five model sheets from our teachers.
- 大筆Large brush
- 小筆Small brush
- 墨液Sumi ink
- 硯Inkwell
- 下敷きFelt mat
- 文鎮Paperweight
- 筆巻きBrush roll & bag
- 半紙Hanshi paper × 50
- お手本Model sheets × 5
- 本The book
Shipped directly from Japan
Not from a US warehouse. Our staff in Toyohashi pack every set and mail it to you with tracking.
The sets
Three ways to begin
Start with the Starter Set. The Practice Set adds paper and models for daily practice. The Toyohashi Set adds a brush handmade in Toyohashi.
Narai · practice
Practice Set
$99USD
$20 shipping included
- Everything in the Starter Set, plus:
- 100 more sheets, 150 in all
- 15 model sheets
- Water-writing paper for ink-free practice
Takumi · the craftsman
Toyohashi Set
$129USD
$20 shipping included
Handmade brush
- Everything in the Practice Set, plus:
- A brush handmade in Toyohashi
- Your name in Japanese, brushed by our teacher
Ordering opens soon. Prices are in US dollars and include $20 shipping. Every set ships directly from Toyohashi, Japan, with tracking. US import duties will be calculated and prepaid at checkout, so there will be nothing to pay at your door.
Coming soon
Ordering opens soon. Be the first to know.
We are getting the first sets ready in Toyohashi. Leave your email and we will write to you when ordering opens.
- An email when the sets are ready to order
- New free practice sheets from our teachers
- Nothing else. No spam, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
We only use your email to tell you about Shodo sets and free practice sheets. We never share it. Privacy policy (in Japanese)
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Why calligraphy
Pick up a brush. Slow down. Begin.
A quiet hour
Each stroke is written once, with no undo. Your attention stays on the brush and the paper.
Away from screens
Ink, paper and a brush. Twenty minutes with your hands instead of a phone.
Words with meaning
希望 is hope. 挑戦 is challenge. You learn Japanese one word at a time.
A clear path
Shodo means “the way of writing.” In Japan, students climb through ranks, so the next step is always clear.
1,200+
Years of the brush in Japan
History
A letter brushed by the monk Kukai in the early 800s still survives in Kyoto, and Japan counts it as a National Treasure. Brush writing has been part of Japanese life ever since.
- 古墳
400s
Writing arrives
Chinese characters reach Japan by way of the Korean Peninsula, and the brush comes with them.
- 平安
Early 800s
The Three Great Brushes
The monk Kukai, Emperor Saga and Tachibana no Hayanari are remembered as the Sanpitsu, Japan’s three great calligraphers.
- 平安
900s–1000s
Japan’s own letters
Kana letters develop, and with them a softer, Japanese style of brush writing.
- 江戸
1600s–1800s
A brush for every child
Neighborhood schools called terakoya teach ordinary children to read and write, all with a brush.
- 江戸
1804
Brushmaking begins in Toyohashi
A brushmaker from Kyoto is invited to our town. Toyohashi has made brushes ever since.
- 明治
1872
Calligraphy in every school
Japan opens its first national school system, and calligraphy is one of the subjects.
- 令和
Today
Still on every child’s desk
Every child in Japan learns brush writing at school from third grade, and many write kakizome each January.
Toyohashi fude 豊橋筆
Brushes made by hand in our hometown
Toyohashi makes most of Japan’s high-grade calligraphy brushes. Craftsmen mix the hairs by hand in water, a method called neri-mase, so the brush holds ink well and keeps a fine point.
- Since 1804More than 200 years of brushmaking
- 1976Designated a Traditional Craft of Japan
- By handEach brush shaped one at a time
Master brushes
Made to order by a certified craftsman
From $1,000USD
One brush, made for you by a dento kogeishi, a nationally certified master of the craft. Join the waitlist to hear first when orders open.
Join the waitlistFree practice sheets お手本
Our teachers’ models, free to print
The same models our students copy in class. Print one, set it beside your paper, and copy it stroke by stroke.
About us
A Japanese education company in Toyohashi
Morita Group has taught children in Toyohashi and nearby cities since 1976. Today more than 750 children come to our Kodomo School classrooms every week to learn calligraphy, abacus and art after school.
The models in our sets come from those teachers, brushed in those classrooms. When you practice with them, you practice the way our students do.
Operated by
Kodomo School
Calligraphy, abacus and art classes for children · Morita Group Co., Ltd., Toyohashi, Japan
Visit Kodomo School
Questions
Before you start
Do I need to know Japanese?
No. The book explains every stroke in English, and each model sheet comes with its meaning and how to read it.
What should I write first?
The book starts with the basic strokes, then eight simple characters: 力 大 日 月 火 生 正 平. After that you move on to two-character words like the model sheets in the set.
Who is the set for?
Adults and teens who want to start Japanese calligraphy. Younger children should use it with an adult, because the ink can stain.
Where does my set ship from?
Directly from Japan. Our staff in Toyohashi pack every set and mail it to you with tracking. The $20 shipping fee is already in the price. When ordering opens, US import duties will be calculated and prepaid at checkout, so there will be nothing to pay at your door.
Will the ink stain?
Yes, calligraphy ink is hard to wash out. Put the felt mat under your paper, cover the table with newspaper, and wear old clothes. That is what our students do.
Your first stroke is one box away.
Tools, paper, five handwritten models and the book. Shipped directly from Japan, $20 shipping included.