calligraphy; penmanship; writing (esp. of a Zen monk)
Often refers to the brushwork or written characters of a Zen monk, valued as art or spiritual expression. Can also refer to penmanship in general.
This calligraphy is by a famous Zen monk.
His penmanship conveys a sense of strength.
Standard kanji spelling.
Variant kanji spelling using 蹟 instead of 跡; both are used.
墨 (ink) + 跡 (trace/mark). The variant 墨蹟 uses 蹟 (footprint/trace), which is a less common character for 'trace' but carries a similar meaning.