What all such brushes have in common, however, is their flexibility. It is this feature more than any other that allows the calligraphic line to be so fluid and expressive. The ink employed in ...

An curved arrow pointing right. A handmade calligraphy brush, custom made for a master calligrapher, can cost over $1,000. At Hata Bunshindou each brush tip is made by a single artisan.

As the practice we recognize today spread across East Asia, countries like China, Japan, and Korea developed their own methods of creating high-quality calligraphy tools. Top-of-the-line brushes ...