Shuji demonstrations teach viewers how to write names of hit anime series, popular kanji.

There’s a unique beauty to shuji, traditional Japanese brushstroke calligraphy. Artfully written characters, rendered in pitch-black ink on an otherwise spotless white paper, convey a sense of the artist’s personality and creative force while also establishing a connection with those who’ve written or typed the same characters in their daily lives.

It’s not just the finished product that’s satisfying to see, either. Watching as an experienced calligrapher wields their brush with graceful and confident motions can be both calming and inspiring, and that’s part of the intended appeal of Japanese YouTuber Mantenka Hime’s videos.

I say “part of,” since it’s pretty clear, from her camera angle and wardrobe choices, that Mantenka Hime is aware that there might be aesthetics beyond calligraphy encouraging people to watch.

Mantenka Hime’s YouTube channel started a month ago, with the above video, in which she writes her name, being her first venture. She’s currently posted over a dozen more, such as this one where she writes a kanji character that she says is particular popular with foreign learners of Japanese, 美, meaning “beautiful.”

While calligraphy beginners might feel tempted to wildly slash back and forth with the brush, it’s important to take proper care with each and every movement. In writing 美, for example, Mantenka Hime stresses the importance of keeping all four of the horizontal lines straight, not letting them angle diagonally. Likewise, the vertical section line connecting the four horizontal lines (which is actually made of two separate top-to-bottom strokes) should remain perpendicular to the bottom of the paper.

Mantenka Hime also seems to be taking a page from YouTuber pianist Riyoko Takagi by incorporating a bit of cosplay and anime allusions into her videos. Here, for example, she sports a kimono-style top while showing how to write Kimetsu no Yaiba, the Japanese title of hit series Demon Slayer.

▼ For extra old-school atmosphere, she writes the four characters, 鬼滅の刃, to be read in vertical columns, staring on the right and moving to the left.

More so than lengthy verbal explanations, Mantenka Hime’s videos are focused on visual examples, and often include an overhead view or her writing in a separate window in the video’s top left corner. As a result, even viewers who don’t speak Japanese can learn the proper order, number, and direction of strokes to write each character. Watch closely, and you’ll even be able to spot where she performs hane, the subtle flourish where the artists leaves behind brush strokes while drawing the bristles away from the paper at the end of certain strokes.

▼ Mantenka Hime writing the name of another anime series, Gintama, and pointing out the 45-degree hane on the “Gin” (銀) part of “Gintama”

And if Mantenka Hime’s video have you intrigued enough to give Japanese calligraphy a try for yourself, but you’re on a budget, don’t forget that you can get usable shuji brushes from capsule vending machine toys these days.

Source: YouTube/ひめチャンネル via Otakomu
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