Austere Elegance in Japanese Calligraphy

渋み (shibumi)

The Japanese word 渋み literally means "astringency" or "astringent taste" and is related to the word 渋い (read shibui), however, 渋み is used to mean the Japanese aesthetic of "austere elegance" or "quiet beauty".

The word 渋み has been commonly written differently over the centuries. That is, the word is the same, the meaning is the same, but the "spelling" is different. Previously, the all kanji 渋味 was common. However, "recently" 渋み has gained favor and the reasoning is clear: shibumi is quintessentially Japanese and writing shibumi partly or all in hiragana makes the word itself uniquely Japanese.

Here I include designs for all three variations: 渋味, 渋み, and しぶみ. My personal preference is to use 渋み though you can correctly choose the design and the spelling that appeals to you.

Verify: 渋み in the Japanese-English Dictionary

Austere Elegance (渋み) in Block style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Block Vertical VB2C

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Block Vertical VB2D

Austere Elegance (渋み) in Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Cursive Vertical VC2B

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Cursive Vertical VC2C

Austere Elegance (渋み) in Design style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Design Vertical VD3B

Austere Elegance (渋み) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Semi-Cursive Vertical VS2C

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Semi-Cursive Vertical VS2D

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Semi-Cursive Vertical VS2E

Austere Elegance (渋み) in Hiragana style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Hiragana Vertical VH2A

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Hiragana Vertical VH2B

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Hiragana Vertical VH2C

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Block Horizontal HB2A

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Cursive Horizontal HC2A

Austere Elegance 渋み shibumi Semi-Cursive Horizontal HS2A

About the Designs

Each design is Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase's hand-brushed calligraphy of the word or phrase on this page, delivered as a PDF you can print. Every PDF includes the line art, so a tattoo artist or a craftsperson can work from the outline as well as the brushed image.

Delivery

Your PDF is available for download the moment your order completes, and a copy is attached to your emailed receipt.