The Japanese convey their hopes for the new year through kakizome, the ritualized first calligraphy writing of the year.

The Japanese writing system is made up of Kanji (Chinese characters), Hirigana, and Katakana. Without going into it too much, just know that Hirigana and Katakana are collectively known as the ...

Archaic forms of kanji that are difficult to decipher in ... scholars and others can gain a better grasp of what people were writing about in bygone times. Six research institutes were involved ...