JJapanese

Right-handedness in Japan

Since right-handedness is very traditional and important, especially in Japan, I was wondering why the lines of tategaki move from right to left?

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I am having trouble practicing with a pen, as I am worried I will smudge the paper.

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Is there a correct technique to write tategaki?

2 comments

  1. Can’t say I’ve ever even thought about this. Use a pen that doesn’t smudge I guess? Because you go up to down, you have a whole line for the pen to dry so it’s really rarely an issue.

  2. Traditionally Japanese was written with a brush, and the hand wouldn’t be resting on the paper as you wrote, so smudging wasn’t an issue.

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