Calligraphy forms a harmonious whole with poetry and painting in, for example, "suibokuga" (a monochrome painting in India ink), so these three have been appreciated as an inseparable art, and this is symbolized by the existence of the phrase 'The Three Perfections: Calligraphy, Poetry and Painting.'
「詩書画三絶」という言葉が示すように、水墨画などでは1つの作品に詩、書、絵画が表わされ、これらは不可分のものとして鑑賞された。