Japanese calligraphy

is common art in Japan.
History.
Japanese Calligraphy started with introduction of Kanji from China.
After Buddhism was introduced into Japan, Calligraphy spread rapidly.
Emperors such as Shotokutaishi ("聖徳太子") and Shoumu ("聖武天皇")　wanted people to copy sutras by hand. Also, Japanese envoys to Tang Dynasty China took Chinese culture back to Japan. This affected the way of Japanese Calligraphy.