Onnade (女手, おんなで, lit. “woman’s hand”)

Another name for Japanese kana (かな) script. Originally, kana (and more precisely hiragana) was used mainly by women. In feudal Japan, females had no access (or it was very limited) to higher levels of education. Onnade was derived from cursive万葉仮名 (まんようがな, manyōgana), also known as 草仮名 (そうがな, sōgana, i.e. “draft (cursive) kana”). One could say that Japanese かな is the most delicate and feminine style in calligraphy. Its beauty is transcendant.

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