# Japanese Calligraphy: Shodo — Brush tracing, made in Japan

> Brush tracing, made in Japan (iPhone/iPad app by Kenichi Ando.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/japanese-calligraphy-shodo/id6802174870 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Kenichi Ando](https://appshunter.io/developer/1764800769)
- Category: Lifestyle, Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 91 MB
- Languages: American English, Japanese
- Released: 2026-10-26
- Data updated: 2026-11-10

## What is Japanese Calligraphy?

Shodo, the art of Japanese calligraphy, was recommended for UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in November 2026, with the final decision due in December. This app brings the real practice to your iPad: made in Japan by a Japanese developer, with the paper, the brush strokes and the texts that Japanese people have copied for centuries. No experience and no Japanese needed.

HOW IT WORKS
Faint guide characters appear on the paper. Trace them with Apple Pencil or your finger. When a character repeats, the guide fades step by step until you write it on your own. That is how children in Japan learn to write, and it works for kanji at any age.

A MINDFUL TEN MINUTES
Shakyo, copying a sutra by hand, is practiced at temples across Japan as a form of moving meditation. Open the Heart Sutra, follow the brush, and let the 276 characters slow you down. Add a wish and your name at the end, the traditional way.

A REAL BRUSH, NOT A FELT PEN
• Pressure makes the line thick or thin; pause and the tip spreads, flick and it tapers
• Three brushes (guide, soft, dark ink) with dry-brush texture
• Three scripts: regular (kaisho), semi-cursive (gyosho) and cursive (sosho)
• Authentic sutra paper with 17 characters per column: natural, white or gold on indigo

LEARN KANJI THE RIGHT WAY
• Stroke order for every character, and a gentle hint when a stroke is out of order
• Readings (furigana) beside the guide, so you always know what you are writing
• A ballpoint-pen mode with cross-guided cells, just like a Japanese handwriting workbook: 111 sheets of hiragana, katakana, basic kanji, seasonal words, idioms, proverbs, letter phrases, family names and the 47 prefectures
• Moves to the next character automatically; stop any time and pick up where you left off

WHAT YOU CAN WRITE
• Sutras: the Heart Sutra (Hannya Shingyo), the Ten-Verse Kannon Sutra, Shari Raimon, the Kannon Sutra verse and the Mantra of Light
• All 100 poems of the Hyakunin Isshu, 93 haiku by Basho, Buson, Issa and Shiki, 8 classical Chinese poems
• Japanese literature: Ame ni mo Makezu, I Am a Cat, Botchan, Rashomon, Night on the Galactic Railroad and more
• Kakizome (January 1–15): the first calligraphy of the year. Write your word for the year in large characters and print it as an A4 artwork with your name, the date and a red seal

KEEP GOING, KEEP WHAT YOU MAKE
• A five-week calendar, your streak and your total
• Review the whole sheet, tap any character to rewrite it, then save as an image, print or share

PRICE
• Free: 200+ texts including the Heart Sutra, all kana sheets and ten Hyakunin Isshu poems (with ads)
• All Works Pack, a one-time purchase: every text, the Yu Kyokasho script, backup and restore, and no ads. Not a subscription

CREDITS
Guide fonts: Yuji Syuku, Klee One and Noto Serif JP (SIL Open Font License), Kouzan Mouhitsu Font (Kouzan Aoyagi) and Yu Kyokasho (downloaded by iOS from Apple with the All Works Pack). Stroke-order data: KanjiVG (© Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0). All texts are in the public domain or are common phrases. The developer is not affiliated with UNESCO.

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All Works Pack | $5.99 | one-time |


## Is Japanese Calligraphy safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess Japanese Calligraphy.

## Is Japanese Calligraphy legit?

Japanese Calligraphy: Shodo appears legitimate, with a few gaps. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Japanese Calligraphy is 70 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.3.0 — 2026-11-09

Thank you for practicing with us.
• To keep the app free, a small banner now appears above the writing area. It sits apart from the paper so it stays out of your brush's way.
• With the All Works Pack, there are still no ads anywhere.
• Minor display improvements.

### 3.2.0 — 2026-11-06

■ Now in English, worldwide
Shodo, Japanese calligraphy, was recommended for UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in November 2026. This release brings the whole app to English: trace the Heart Sutra, Hyakunin Isshu poems, haiku and kana with a real brush feel, or practice kanji handwriting with a ballpoint pen. No Japanese needed: readings are shown beside every character.
■ From January 1: Kakizome, the first calligraphy of the year
Write your word for the year in large characters and print it as an A4 artwork with your name, the date and a red seal.

### 3.1.0 — 2026-11-04

■ 期間限定（11月〜12月）：年賀状の練習を追加しました
・出す相手別の文例50をなぞって練習。書き上げたら干支の絵を添えて、はがきの画像にできます
・ほかに、お手本の作品が増えました（全428作品）

### 3.0.1 — 2026-11-02

App Store 上のアプリ情報を整理しました。アプリの機能に変更はありません。

### 3.0.0 — 2026-10-28

写経とペン字の練習アプリ「写経帖」に生まれ変わりました。
薄いお手本をなぞるだけで、筆で写経、ボールペンで美文字練習ができます。般若心経・百人一首・俳句から、ひらがな・手紙の定型文まで342作品。

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## More apps by Kenichi Ando

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All apps by Kenichi Ando: https://appshunter.io/developer/1764800769

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-11-10.*