Using 30min of their lunch break, we gathered in a meeting room in Budapest to do some exercise of Japanese calligraphy.
In Japan we all still do a bit of calligraphy at first school. So all the Japanese actors did have some experiences but not as Samurai... We started with the right posture and how to hold and grip the brush.
Then we look at some old writings. Oishi left some of his actual hand writing in several museums. Below is one, looks very well balanced, confident hand.
Another one is done by Chikara, his son. Young, very soft and fresh writing. Although the production has not decided who plays Chikara back then we did this exercise without him before he joined the whole project.
Kai is left handed but he hasn't decided which hand he's gonna use for signing. We used in both hands as exercise but he used his left in the end for the shoot. He was the only one who hasn't seen or used any calligraphy tools or writings. I found it interesting when he asked me whether all the references I brought were the same Japanese - they done in all different sorts of styles so no wonder!
It was only 30min. I thought I have not done enough although we were talking about having the second session of exercise soon.
I went back to my hotel room, had a very bad sleep during the night by worrying about how they are going to do in front of camera. Thinking about my responsibility as an instructor. I never have problem of sleeping but that night I struggled. Woke up many many times, short and shallow sleeps.
Tomorrow morning I was tired and grumpy. Everyone was staring at their computer screen on our floor. Together. People whom I've never spoken to came to me and asked how I was. On their screen I saw houses and stuff in a muddy water. Took while to realise this is happening in Japan. Then my mobile rung. It was the morning of 11th of March 2011.
They didn't shoot the signing scene in Budapest, I found out later. It was coming in Windsor forest in June / July and I was there with them.
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