Martial Arts Calligraphy is an esoteric style of martial arts designed primarily for competitions.
Description
Martial Arts Calligraphy is a style that means to infuse the spirit and body with strength and discipline through precise, ordered, and artistic forms. These were expressed externally and strictly practiced through the art of calligraphy itself. The concept was not as farfetched as it first appeared. Masterful calligraphy even under ideal conditions required fine motor control, much preparation, and mental focus. These were all traits shared with martial arts.
In an official Martial Arts Calligraphy match, all combatants are armed with oversized calligraphy brushes (easily the size of quarterstaves) and challenged to draw a judge-selected kanji character as quickly, neatly and precisely as possible. As they draw, though, the combatants are encouraged to attack each other with brushes, ink, improvised weapons derived from calligraphy paraphenlia (such as inkstones and letter holders), and, finally, bare hands. The winner is whoever completes their kanji first, to the judge's standing; being the last one standing is not required, but certainly makes it much easier to complete.
When the object was to disrupt another's technique, successful application of martial arts calligraphy required resourcefulness, the ability to plan steps ahead, the speed and precise control to make strokes under adverse conditions, and the creativity to attack and defend at the same time, all while accomplishing an objective. In other words, calligraphy became an allegory for war.
However, because of their training, a Martial Arts Calligrapher can actually fight in regular battles as well, using their unorthodox weaponry to gain a psychological advantage over their foes. The oversized brushes make excellent quarterstaves, smaller versions can be used as cudgels or shortstaves, and ink can be used as a way to blind or impair a foe;
Perhaps the most inconvenient thing about Martial Arts Calligraphy is the ink. All the ink used had to be made fresh and literally on the spot. The ink itself is a complex mixture and toxic is used incorrectly.
Ink Techniques
The strongest feature of this art is its ability to create various effects based solely on the user's ingenuity. Those martial artists with greater training can achieve more spectacular effects by using secret ink recipes and/or channeling their ki into the ink. It is said only one who has drawn thousands of pictures han achieve this level of skill as talent is the source of their technique.
A distinct advantage of this technique is that user can perform it with a single hand, leaving the other free for enemy counter-attacks. By infusing his ki into the ink beforehand and drawing objects with a brush on his scroll, user is able to bring his creations to life by animating the ink directly off the page. These creations grow to life-size once they have been brought to life.
Ink Techniques require imagination and creativity and are highly versatile allowing user to adapt to the circumstances of any confrontation.While the basics of the technique are simple, there is much room for creativity. Indeed, users of Ink Techniques each has his or her own distinctive style, for each painting looks and feels entirely different from another.
They can create giant birds for long range transport for themself or others and monsters or giants for attack,[14] or objects like umbrellas for everyday use. User can create snakes and use them as strong bindings on enemies, or mice to quickly scout an area. User can make clones of himself for reconnaissance. For discreet communiques user is able to turn the words he writes into small animals, allowing them to travel to their intended target unnoticed. Few techniques rival it in terms of versatility. Ink Techniques are considered one of the most beautiful techniques in the world.
Fūinjutsu
Fūinjutsu (封印術; Literally meaning "Sealing Techniques") are a more secret branch of the art that uses special ink patterns on the skin to aid in the channeling of internal ki. Fūinjutsu involves increasing user’s or their allies attributes and physical abilities, while weakening their opponent's. the branch relies mainly on speed to mark opponents, and strikes once are their limbs are weighed down and can be viewed as vulnerable. These special markings, being that they are tied to the user's own ki energy, are thusly impossible to remove through conventional techniques. Fūinjutsu can be used to seal objects, living beings, ki, along with a wide variety of other things within another object. Fūinjutsu can also be used to unseal objects either from within something or someone.
Schools
The Kimen School is a more secret branch of the art is using special ink patterns on the skin to aid in the channeling of internal ki. Shigenosuke was a radical within his strange school of martial arts. He believed that the art of calligraphy could be used more directly. He traveled the world, studying foreign arts: tribal tattoos from the South Seas, war paint from ancient Europe and Africa, and the writings of the Near East. He refined his art and returned to Japan, only to be deemed an outcast and a heretic by his school. He tried to create a branch of the art, but something went wrong. Shigenosuke went into self imposed exile. No one heard from him in half a century.
The Sakai School is the art of ink manipulation and animation. An ancient art passed down the line of the Sakai family for generations, meant to entertain, but it could do great harm as well making it dangerous, both to the practitioner and the bystander.
The Utada School of Martial Arts Calligraphy went extinct in the Meiji Era. Practitioners would mix their blood with their ink and then try and imbue themselves with the power of the symbols they drew. Involves increasing user’s or their allies… Because by mixing elements from your blood into the ink, it will become attuned to you and be unusable by anyone else. The Utada School can also be used to seal objects. Unfortunately the style became debased and amoral, like a cult. Which was why it was wiped out.
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