A Calligraphy Book (Nani wazu) - Hasegawa Myōtei

A woodblock print from a nineteenth-century Japanese calligraphy manual, featuring the Nani wazu poem in fluid, expressive kana script.

This print originates from a calligraphy manual by Hasegawa Myōtei, a Japanese artist active during the late Edo period. The work displays the Nani wazu, a classic poem often used as a primer for students of kana script. Myōtei was known for her ability to translate the fluid, gestural quality of brush-written characters into the medium of woodblock printing.

The composition features characters rendered with varying line weights, moving from thick, ink-heavy strokes to thin, trailing lines that mimic the speed and pressure of a calligrapher's hand. The layout maintains the traditional vertical orientation of Japanese text, though the characters are spaced to create a sense of rhythm across the two pages. The paper shows the natural ageing typical of woodblock-printed books from this era, with a warm, off-white tone that provides a neutral background for the black ink.

Unlike standard printed text, these pages capture the performative nature of calligraphy. The lines loop and intersect with a sense of spontaneity, reflecting the artist's technical control. This piece offers a view into the pedagogical tools used in nineteenth-century Japan, where the study of literature and the practice of writing were inseparable. The print serves as a record of a specific stylistic approach to kana, demonstrating how woodblock technology was adapted to preserve the nuances of individual handwriting styles. By focusing on the movement of the brush, Myōtei elevates a functional educational text into a visual study of form and balance. The work remains a clear example of the intersection between literary tradition and graphic art in the Edo period.