The graceful yet relatively controlled cursive script fills three columns on two oversize scrolls (27 inches by 105 inches).

WSJ: The Vision and Calligraphy of Aoyama San'u | Tokyo National Museum | Transformational Characters | By Michael Judge

Next, "The Calligraphy of Aoyama San'u, " which begins with his early cursive script and ends with the more intuitive and pictographic calligraphy of his later years.

WSJ: The Vision and Calligraphy of Aoyama San'u | Tokyo National Museum | Transformational Characters | By Michael Judge

"After that last burst of clarity, once literacy spreads beyond professional scribes to ordinary readers like you and me, manuscript writing becomes distorted and stretched out by the very difficult-to-read early modern cursive script of the 15th to 17th century, " he said.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Whether they are recording information or simply creating beautiful forms, calligraphers brushes are used to ink five different styles of script, known as seal , official , cursive , running and regular .

UNESCO: Culture

Look at modern writers' cursive signatures, and you're looking at a late form of this popularized script.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS