Sousho
Cursive writing or hierba writing
The Sousho style 草書 or “grass writing” refers to the cursive style. A style that prioritizes the fluidity and continuity of the writing when one stroke seeks another and the maximum contact on the paper during its execution. For this reason, the letter is synthesized in rhythmic movements, thus showing a richness in the strokes with changes worked in a very subtle way. The beauty of the stroke is more important than the legibility of the character itself. The pioneer of cursive writing was Zhang Zhi 張芝 or Tsao Sheng 草聖, during the Han dynasty. He was a person with very few resources, so he could not afford to buy paper. He studied on whatever cloth he had available. After each practice, he washed his brushes, his ink stone and the cloths in the pond near his house. Legend has it that, finally, the water in the pond turned completely black. Even today in China, the phrase "in front of a pond," Lin Chi 臨池, means studying calligraphy.
To achieve fluidity in the strokes, it is important to know the Kaisho form or regular writing to recognize its strokes and its writing order. In this way, one can feel confident and not show hesitation in writing when going over the sheet of paper with strokes that seek each other smoothly and without abrupt progressions. Even knowing the Gyousho form, semi-cursive writing, can prepare us to achieve maximum smoothness in writing without getting lost in the path. During changes of rhythm, we do not stop, but slow down the speed so as not to mark the corners, for example. And the intervention of the body to achieve these results is more necessary in the practice of this style than in others. This very abstract appearance of the characters can make us think that they are made at random, but like all styles, it has its rules and becomes a real challenge when it comes to understanding or “reading” its kanji. We need to cultivate a specific attitude to delve into the study of this style, give life to the strokes and be able to enjoy it, since its execution requires a high level of improvisation and therefore attention to the present moment. Text written by Elena Hikari
