JAPANESE CALLIGRAPHY A FIRST YEAR CURRICULUM This book consists of a collection of forty-eight assignments, carefully . graded to provide the beginner with an orderly introduction to the art of Japanese calligraphy. It is arranged in twelve monthly group you will also find information and exercises having to do with the bushu system, the arrangement of the character dictionary, and notes on katakana and hiragana, the phonetic writing systems of Japan.