tehon

Tehon (手本) is a Japanese noun meaning model, example, or exemplar that serves as a reference for imitation or learning. The term is used across crafts, arts, and education to describe a piece or source that learners study and copy to acquire technique, style, or accuracy. The characters can be read as hand (手) and book or source (本), together conveying the idea of a hand-held reference or standard to be followed.

In practice, tehon appears in calligraphy and painting as a written or visual model showing the correct stroke order, proportions, and rhythm. Students study the tehon and then reproduce it, adapting the copy to their own hand and skill level. Similar uses appear in traditional crafts such as carpentry, textile work, or cooking, where a finished work is kept as a template or standard for comparison and guidance.

In martial arts or performance disciplines, a teacher might present a tehon to illustrate form, stance, or sequence, which students imitate during training. Common phrases include miru tehon (to look at a model) and tehon ni suru (to adopt as a model), which reflect the practical role of tehon in learning processes.

Outside traditional contexts, the word can also describe reference designs or templates in modern settings, including educational materials and tutorials. As a cultural concept, tehon emphasizes learning through careful observation and replication, ultimately helping the learner develop their own skilled expression.