Shodo-Japanese Calligraphy: Shodo is the art of drawing characters with brush and ink to express spiritual depth through the beauty of the brush strokes. Calligraphy began in China, but in Japan, both Kanji (Chinese characters) and Kana (Japanese phonetic characters) are combined and devised to create a uniquely Japanese art. With the brush soaked in ink, the thickness and the tone of the characters can be controlled. In this way, a calligrapher expresses his or her own spirit and thought. In the class, students will express and practice the art of Japanese calligraphy with a brush and black ink, learning both Kana and Kanji characters. The drawing process itself encourages a calming of the mind and peacefulness, similar to a form of meditation. Tools provided for classroom only. This is an art class with black ink, so you might want to wear a smock or cloth that can be washed. Konomi Shinohara Corbin taught the first Calligraphy class offered at the University of Michigan some years ago. She has taught Japanese Language at both the University of Michigan and at Eastern Michigan University.