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I want to get started in Japanese calligraphy, so I've decided that I want to buy myself some material for Christmas. I know some Japanese, so it's not about learning how to write letters / stroke order and stuff. My main problem is that there seems to be a host of materials to choose from and I just don't know where to start from. Specifically, my questions are: - What brush / brushes should I get? That seems by far to be the most important one. What are good brands? What is a good size for a brush (and how are brush sizes measured?) What are the differences between Japanese and Chinese brushes? (I've heard that Chinese brushes tend to be softer.) My writing tends to be on the small side, and I think I would prefer smaller brushes. - Would you recommend buying ink stick and stone to mix your own ink, or is ready made ink in bottles sufficient? (I've read that grinding ink is an art all to itself.) - Should I get special paper, or will normal paper be sufficient? These are the most important questions that come to mind right now. I'd be very grateful for every reply