Between Script and Pictures in Japan

Abstract

Starting with the brush as the common instrument for rendering both word and picture, the paper outlines various visual characteristics of Japanese script. It also demonstrates how combinations of words and pictures have been used interchangeably and occupied the same space in every form of Japanese creative production — from story writing to advertising. These characteristics are shown to have encouraged leading novelists to think graphically and artists to think textually. Finally, it reflects on this Japanese condition to question the commonly held view that there is a clear divide between script and picture.