Learn Japanese Calligraphy as Moving Meditation

Learn Japanese Calligraphy as Moving Meditation
Click on the image above to order your copy of The Japanese Way of the Artist. Including extensive illustrations and an all-new introduction by the author, The Japanese Way of the Artist (Stone Bridge Press, September 2007) anthologizes three complete, out-of-print works by the Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts. With penetrating insight into the universe of Japanese spiritual, artistic, and martial traditions, H. E. Davey explores everything from karate to calligraphy, ikebana to tea, demonstrating how all traditional Japanese arts share the same spiritual goals: serenity, mind/body harmony, awareness, and a sense of connection to the universe.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

"Crazy for Kanji"


H. E. Davey Sensei's Japanese calligraphy will be featured in the upcoming Stone Bridge Press book Crazy for Kanji. A sample of his brush writing, which will appear in the new book, can been seen above. It shows the three different script styles commonly used in Japanese calligraphic art.

The kanji, or "Chinese character," depicted in all three illustrations is do (a.k.a. michi), which means "a road" in its more utilitarian usage and "the Way" in more spiritual terms. Many traditional Japanese arts that are practiced for spiritual realization end with the character for do. Examples are shodo ("the Way of brush calligraphy") and budo ("the martial Way," in other words, martial arts). In the illustration above, do is brushed using kaisho, gyosho, and sosho script styles. Moving from left to right, each script becomes more and more abbreviated and abstract.

You can purchase Davey Sensei's latest book The Japanese Way of the Artist, which covers Japanese calligraphy in detail, through Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Way-Artist-Living-Meditation/dp/1933330074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229545807&sr=8-1

Want to find out more about the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts Integrated Shodo & Meditation program? Just drop by www.senninfoundation.com.

You can read more about The Japanese Way of the Artist and the upcoming Crazy for Kanji at www.stonebridge.com. Stone Bridge Press focuses on books about Japanese culture that will appeal to many readers of this blog.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

More Images of Kobara Ranseki Sensei









On December 28, 2005 the world lost one of Japan’s preeminent practitioners of traditional Japanese art when Kobara Ranseki Sensei passed away in San Francisco. Kobara Sensei, acknowledged in Asia and the USA as perhaps the greatest shodo calligraphy artist outside of Japan, was 81 years old.

To learn more about Ranseki Sho Juku brush calligraphy and painting, the system of fine art created by Kobara Sensei, contact Hiseki Davey Sensei at 510-526-7518. Mr. Davey is offering instruction in Integrated Shodo & Meditation based on Kobara Sensei's teachings.

Integrating Shodo & Meditation



Shodo means the “way of calligraphy,” and it is one of the most respected Asian fine arts. Painted with a brush and ink, Japanese calligraphy uses centuries old kanji (“Chinese characters”), which due to their pictographic nature have similarities to abstract expressionism. Balance, grace, dignity, vibrant movement, and the beauty of line combine to create a dynamic ink painting of the mind that people the world over have come to admire.

The Sennin Foundation Center offers you an opportunity to study genuine Japanese shodo—an art rarely taught in English —for artistic expression and moving meditation. Students study kanji as well as hiragana and katakana—phonetic scripts—along with classical ink painting. You’ll also learn to brush age-old haiku and waka poems, sometimes with accompanying ink and water painted illustrations (sumi-e). Sumi-e is a bit similar to Western watercolor painting, and shodo is a fun way to study Japanese language, while you learn about Japanese culture.

H. E. Davey Sensei, the primary instructor at the Sennin Foundation Center, is the author of Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony, Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty, and The Japanese Way of the Artist. He is a top student of the late Kobara Ranseki Sensei of Kyoto, the founder of Ranseki Sho Juku calligraphy. He studied with his teacher for 20 years, and he received the highest rank in Ranseki Sho Juku brush writing. He exhibits his artwork annually at the International Shodo Exhibition in Japan, where he received Jun Taisho, the “Associate Grand Prize,” among numerous other awards. Davey Sensei’s artwork has been featured in many American and Japanese magazines and newspapers.

Integrated Shodo & Meditation is a special program created by Davey Sensei to teach traditional Ranseki Sho Juku shodo to Westerners in an accessible manner that leads to meditation. This class has been liked to “Zen with a brush,” and it combines group instruction in Shin-shin-toitsu-do forms of meditation with private lessons in Japanese calligraphy. Along with the combination of meditation and art, students learn exercises for enhancing ki, human “life energy” (chi in Chinese). Strengthening ki benefits our health, and ki is the enigmatic and dynamic force behind beautifully powerful calligraphy and painting.

Authentic shodo is rarely taught in English in the West. You can read more about Davey Sensei, Kobara Sensei, and Integrated Shodo& Meditation at the Art of Shodo blog. Contact us soon at 510-526-7518 to learn how shodo and meditation can help you discover beauty and serenity in your daily life.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Images of Kobara Sensei





Kobara Ranseki Sensei was one of the world's preeminent masters of Japanese calligraphy and ink painting. He studied classical Japanese art for over 50 years, winning numerous awards in international exhibitions.


Ranseki Sho Juku shodo, his method of instruction, continues to this day at a private club in Oakland, California called Wanto Shodo Kai ("East Bay Japanese Calligraphy Association"). The teachers at the Wanto Shodo Kai are Hiseki Davey Sensei and Miyauchi Somei Sensei, both of whom received the highest possible rank in Ranseki Sho Juku shodo.


Davey Sensei is offering instruction in Integrated Shodo & Meditation to the general public at his Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts. Interested parties should visit www.senninfoundation.com and/or purchase a copy of The Japanese Way of the Artist at www.amazon.com. This new book contains the most detailed biography of Kobara Sensei in print, along with information about his system of brush calligraphy.

Script Styles--Part Three


Sosho
Cursive-style characters are painted with an even greater sense of an unbroken flow of ki. They tend to be rather abstract, and most Japanese cannot read them unless they are studying shodo. Think of sosho as being more abbreviated and quickly written than semicursive-style characters. While cursive style appears to exhibit an effortless quality, you should be careful not to totally lose the sense of structure that was developed in your study of printed-style symbols. For this reason, students learn kaisho before practicing cursive-style kanji. Sosho contains the structure of printed-style and the rhythm of semicursive characters, which are combined to create a script that flows like dynamically rushing water.


Want to learn more about Japanese calligraphic art? Pick up a copy of The Japanese Way of the Artist. The Japanese Way of the Artist is a collection of three of H. E. Davey Sensei's most popular books. It's published by Stone Bridge Press (http://www.stonebridge.com/). Included in a single volume are:


* Living the Japanese Arts and Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty

* Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony

* The Japanese Way of the Flower: Ikebana as Moving Meditation


The three works anthologized here are essential to understanding the spiritual, meditative, and physical basis of all classical Japanese crafts, fine arts, and martial arts. Living the Japanese Arts & Ways covers key concepts—like wabi and “stillness in motion”—while the other two books show the reader how to use brush calligraphy (shodo) and flower arranging (ikebana) to achieve mind-body unification. Illustrated with diagrams, drawings, and photographs.


Script Styles--Part Two


Gyosho
While kaisho makes use of a superlative command of space, gyosho offers a strong sensation of visual rhythm. Rhythm is destroyed by tension, and semicursive-style characters will reveal when you are tightening your body and losing composure. In gyosho, it is acceptable to run some strokes together, and although in the above illustration the word "heart" is painted in one continuous stroke, rhythm is still present. It is a rhythm of upward and downward pressure combined with thickness and thinness of line.


Want to learn more about Japanese calligraphic art? Pick up a copy of The Japanese Way of the Artist. The Japanese Way of the Artist is a collection of three of H. E. Davey Sensei's most popular books. It's published by Stone Bridge Press (http://www.stonebridge.com/). Included in a single volume are:


* Living the Japanese Arts and Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty

* Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony

* The Japanese Way of the Flower: Ikebana as Moving Meditation


The three works anthologized here are essential to understanding the spiritual, meditative, and physical basis of all classical Japanese crafts, fine arts, and martial arts. Living the Japanese Arts & Ways covers key concepts—like wabi and “stillness in motion”—while the other two books show the reader how to use brush calligraphy (shodo) and flower arranging (ikebana) to achieve mind-body unification. Illustrated with diagrams, drawings, and photographs.


Script Styles--Part One


The three most common script styles found in Japanese calligraphy are: kaisho (Figure 25), which is the equivalent of printing in English; gyosho (Figure 26), which is similar to semicursive writing; and sosho (Figure 27), which is equivalent to cursive English handwriting. Each illustration features the character kokoro, meaning "heart" or "soul," painted three different ways.

Each of these different scripts projects a different feeling, and each requires a unique state of mind. Studying kaisho, gyosho, and sosho allows you to understand and master divergent mental states. Try writing these three variants.

Kaisho
When using kaisho script, you will most clearly show the structure of the character. Note that the ends of certain strokes are tapered, and should have an almost organic appearance not unlike bamboo leaves and stems. Printed-style characters need a firm, but not stiff, demeanor. Inside each brush stroke is a central line. This personifies the movement of the center of the bristles and it must be kept steady. It is actually more of a mental line-a line of ki. This ki line must be drawn decisively in your mind. Rigidly trying to hold the hand steady is not the answer because this will only create lifeless characters.

Want to learn more about Japanese calligraphic art? Pick up a copy of The Japanese Way of the Artist. The Japanese Way of the Artist is a collection of three of H. E. Davey Sensei's most popular books. It's published by Stone Bridge Press (http://www.stonebridge.com/). Included in a single volume are:

* Living the Japanese Arts and Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty
* Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony
* The Japanese Way of the Flower: Ikebana as Moving Meditation


The three works anthologized here are essential to understanding the spiritual, meditative, and physical basis of all classical Japanese crafts, fine arts, and martial arts. Living the Japanese Arts & Ways covers key concepts—like wabi and “stillness in motion”—while the other two books show the reader how to use brush calligraphy (shodo) and flower arranging (ikebana) to achieve mind-body unification. Illustrated with diagrams, drawings, and photographs.

You can pick up a copy of this unique book here: http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Way-Artist-Living-Meditation/dp/1933330074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211999045&sr=8-1

Integrated Shodo & Meditation Instruction


Interested in practicing Japanese calligraphy and ink painting? Hiseki Davey Sensei has created an original program of instruction that integrates classical shodo with forms of meditation inspired by the teachings of Nakamura Tempu Sensei. No prior knowledge of Japanese language, art, or meditation is required.

Shodo
The Ranseki Sho Juku form of calligraphy and ink painting was created in the 1960s by Kobara Ranseki Sensei, recipient of the Japanese government’s Order of the Rising Sun. In addition to receiving awards from the Japanese Prime Minister and Foreign Minister for his excellence in art, Kobara Sensei was also the Vice President of the Kokusai Shodo Bunka Koryu Kyokai, an international shodo association headquartered in Urayasu, Japan.


Davey Sensei studied directly under him for over 20 years, and in 1993 he received the highest ranking in this form of calligraphic art. He has exhibited his calligraphy at the annual International Shodo Exhibition in Japan since 1988, where he’s won numerous awards. His articles and artwork have been featured in a variety of Japanese and American magazines and newspapers, including Yoga Journal, the Hokubei Mainichi, the Nichibei Times, Furyu, and Karate-Kung Fu Illustrated.

He offers instruction in orthodox Japanese calligraphy, with some lessons that overlap with traditional ink painting. The lessons are presented in a predetermined series that optimizes learning efficiency. Students of shodo can expect to realize deeper concentration, calmness, and willpower as byproducts of studying this very old art form.

Meditation
Shin-shin-toitsu-do was created by Nakamura Tempu Sensei in the early 1900s. It combines his training in Indian yoga and meditation with Japanese approaches to meditation to arrive at something entirely new and distinctive—an art featuring several methods of seated and moving meditation to help us realize our full potential in a wide variety of subjects. The emphasis is on unification of mind and body, a quality indispensable for producing high caliber art. As “proof” of the effectiveness of mind and body unification, after founding Shin-shin-toitsu-do, Nakamura Sensei began creating singular calligraphy and painting that’s valued by collectors even now.

Davey Sensei began studying meditation via Shin-shin-toitsu-do in childhood, and his practice continues to this day. His training in Japan and the USA has taken place under several top students of Nakamura Sensei, and Davey Sensei’s book on this subject, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation, has been acclaimed in Japanese, European, and American reviews. Students of Shin-shin-toitsu-do report improvements in physical health, mental attitude, and ability to relax under pressure.

Integrated Shodo & Meditation
In 1981, Davey Sensei founded a dojo (training hall) called the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, to offer instruction in the Japanese yoga and meditation comprising Shin-shin-toitsu-do. In 1993, he inaugurated a new program: Integrated Shodo & Meditation. And in 1999, he authored Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony to explain his unique method that combines seated meditation, moving meditation, and classical Japanese calligraphy.

If you’re interested in developing greater calmness, concentration, and willpower, the Sennin Foundation’s Integrated Shodo & Meditation program is an effective way of accomplishing these goals. Combining private and group instruction in Shin-shin-toitsu-do and shodo, it offers participants a path to see deeply into their true nature and that of the universe. Meditation develops and reveals the ultimate nature of the mind, while the invisible character of the mind is seen in the ebony ink of the calligrapher’s brush. This ongoing process of training the mind through meditation, and unveiling the mind through shodo, can result in profound realizations into our own nature and that of life.

Despite the serious nature of this program, students enjoy the aesthetic creation of Japanese calligraphy and ink painting, while they have fun practicing mind and body coordination exercises and meditation. Training is conducted in a traditional Japanese atmosphere and an environment that also encourages laughter, positive attitudes, and enjoyment of Asian art.


For more information about the Sennin Foundation Center's Integrated Shodo & Meditation program:



The Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts


1053 San Pablo Ave.


Albany, CA 94706


USA

Shodo Terminology


Shodo is Japanese brush writing, and thus it’s intimately tied to the Japanese language. Japanese can be thought of as the universal language of all the Japanese Do forms, or "Ways." (For example, in judo competition, throughout the world, the referee gives all commands in Japanese. This approach can also be seen in European fencing, where French is used internationally.)

A single expression in Japanese can communicate several different shades of significance, in a way that an individual term in English cannot. For instance, the Japanese word kokoro can alternately express "mind," "spirit," "soul," "heart," and even hint at "emotion" or "feeling." For this reason alone, it’s often preferable to use Japanese terminology in the various Japanese arts, rather than attempt an English equivalent.

Japan's arts of painting and calligraphy are not merely graphic skills. They’re Japanese cultural arts and spiritual paths. A modest comprehension of Japanese language can open doors, leading to a deeper awareness of Japan's culture, making the practice of this country's cultural activities more profound. This understanding allows the Western shodo aficionado to more easily interact with both Japanese authorities and genuine Western experts, many of whom have spent time studying in Japan.

It is possible to accurately read and pronounce the Japanese words in the Art of Shodo Blog by following the guidelines below:

A is pronounced "ah" as in father
I is pronounced "ee" as in police
U is pronounced "oo" as in tune
E is pronounced "eh" as in Edward
O is pronounced "oh" as in oats



Double consonants are spoken with a brief break between syllables. In Japanese, r is also pronounced between an "r" and an "l."

Furthermore, it’s traditional when speaking or writing in Japanese to place the family (last) name first and the given (first) name second. This convention has been observed on this website. Sensei, a Japanese appellation of respect, which means "teacher," is placed after a professor's family name. It is used in an identical manner to the honorific word san.

The following glossary of terms should prove useful for reading the text at the Art of Shodo Blog as well as for the study of shodo in general:

Bokuju: Liquid ink
Budo: Lit. "the martial Ways"
Bun-chin: Paper weight
Chado: Lit. "the Way of tea," the tea ceremony
Daho: Lit. "pressing method," a technique of manipulating the brush
Do: Lit. "the Way," used to describe a Japanese art, which is practiced as a means of spiritual realization
Enso: The painted ink circle of Zen
Fude: “Brush”
Fudoshin: Lit. "immovable mind," a state of spiritual and physical stability
Gyosho: Semi-cursive-style script
Haiku: Japanese short poem
Hara: Lit. "abdomen," a natural center in the lower abdomen, which is used as a point of concentration in various meditative disciplines and Japanese arts
Hentaigana: A.k.a., man’yo-gana, an antiquated script that makes use of Chinese characters used phonetically
Hiragana: Japanese phonetic alphabet
Inkan: Japanese seal or stamp
Kado: Lit. "the Way of flowers," flower arrangement
Kaisho: Printed-style script
Kami: “Paper”
Kana: Japanese phonetic script, hiragana and/or katakana
Kanji: Lit. "Chinese characters"
Katakana: Japanese phonetic alphabet
Kasure: Dry brush strokes
Ki: “Life energy”
Nenpo: Lit. "twisting method," a technique of manipulating the brush
Nijimi: Wet, "bleeding" brush strokes
No-tan: Writing with alternating light and dark ink
Sabi: Elegant simplicity, an antique appearance
Seiza: Japanese kneeling posture used for meditation and in various Japanese arts
Sensei: “Teacher”
Shibui: “Elegant”
Shibumi: “Elegance”
Shin-shin-toitsu-do: Lit. "The Way of Mind and Body Unification," a form of Japanese yoga and meditation
Shitajiki: Undercloth of felt for absorbing ink
Shodo: Lit. "The Way of Calligraphy"
Sumi: “Ink, ink stick”
Sumi-e: “Ink painting”
Suzuri: “Ink stone”
Wabi: Unpretentious, simple refinement
Zoho: Lit. "overlapping method," a technique of manipulating the brush

Stephen Fabian Review of "Brush Meditation"


Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony is out of print, but the complete book was recently reissued in H. E. Davey's new work The Japanese Way of the Artist. You can get your own copy of The Japanese Way of the Artist here: http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Way-Artist-Living-Meditation/dp/1933330074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212312807&sr=1-1


Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony


"Shodo ideally represents one of the greatest levels of harmony between thought and action: it both serves as a mechanism for depicting this unity and supplies a path for cultivating it."
H. E. Davey


This brief excerpted quote is a great summary of the focus of H. E. Davey's new book. In it, he not only describes how working with black ink, brush, and white paper reflects the level of personal integration and harmony, but how to use this medium to integrate and harmonize the self. His insights into these processes are rich and clearly expressed, and beautifully illustrated: readers can carry away both inspiring examples of quality shodo (Japanese calligraphy), and exercises with which to begin their own progress on this Way.

After a short preface and introductory linguistic orientation, the work unfolds in four chapters. The first, "The Language of Shodo," might be considered the roots: it traces the historical basis of Japanese writing and calligraphy, then explains several fundamental aesthetic principles and spiritual concepts--such as wabi, sabi, shibumi, shibui, ki, and hara--that underlie this and other traditional Japanese arts. Chapter 2, "Mind & Body Connection," is the central stem or trunk that grows from these roots and is the support or core from which the later material grows. In it are included specific "experiments" to help relax, focus, and connect our mental and physical abilities, critical for artistic expression via a brush with black ink on white paper.

Branching from this trunk is "Uniting Mind, Body & Brush" (Chapter 3) in which a further series of "experiments" walk us through preparations for actually putting ink on paper, including correct posture and manipulation of the artistic tools. The final chapter solidifies our understanding of how critical is a unity of mind, body, and medium in brush work, as we learn for ourselves that as a medium, black ink brushed on white paper is a valuable and incomparable insight into our very being. In this medium there is no going back, no alterations, no corrections: your character and artistry are starkly revealed with each stroke. From selecting the items to be used, to grinding your own ink, to instruction in the shape and flow of basic strokes, this chapter helps cultivate the reader's own blossoming in this meditative art. Sources for necessary materials and suggestions on finding a qualified instructor, glossary, index, and brief afterword round out the text.

The illustrations accompanying the text are certainly among its greatest attractions, and at the same time substantiate the advice Mr. Davey has to share with us: as an award-winning calligrapher, he can clearly "walk his talk." His illustrations are beautiful and inspirational, full of vibrant life and clarity. Their quality, as much as his compelling language, encourages us into a deeper unity of self as accomplished through regular study and practice of this traditional Japanese art. While I have some reservations about the direct correlation between an artist's character and the painted strokes on a page, it seems clear that challenging oneself along the "Way of Calligraphy" has many and deep benefits for artistic expression and the cultivation of self. Anyone interested in such pursuits should do him/herself a favor and read this book.

About the Reviewer: Dr. Stephen Fabian is the author of Clearing Away Clouds: Nine Lessons for Life from the Martial Arts (Weatherhill). Dr. Fabian's background is in anthropology. Having lived in Japan, he has had considerable exposure to Japanese culture, along with over two decades of training in Japanese and Korean martial arts and ways.

An Excerpt from "Brush Meditation"

The website Michi Online (http://www.michionline.org/) offers an excerpt of Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony. This book is out of print, but the complete book was recently reissued in H. E. Davey's new work The Japanese Way of the Artist. You can get your own copy of The Japanese Way of the Artist here: http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Way-Artist-Living-Meditation/dp/1933330074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212312807&sr=1-1
To read the Michi Online excerpt of Brush Meditation go here: http://www.michionline.org/summer99/page11.html

Buying Japanese Art & Finding a Shodo Teacher


Tips for Buying Japanese Art and Finding Legitimate Shodo Teachers
Japanese calligraphy and sumi-e (“ink painting”) has an extremely long history in Japan. Over the centuries scores of artists have risen to exalted and well-known status in this country; and in recent years, a handful of artists living outside of Japan have achieved similar standing in shodo and/or sumi-e. Unfortunately, not everyone outside of Japan is well informed as to the nature of buying and collecting Japanese calligraphic art. And as you might expect in the 21st century, the slogan, “Buyer beware,” is not inappropriate.


Here are a few tips for people interested in buying and/or commissioning Japanese calligraphy and sumi-e. A number of these suggestions can also be modified for use if you’re looking for a legitimate teacher of Japanese art.

· While this may be obvious, don’t assume everyone that’s fluent in Japanese has skill in shodo, simply because they can write Japanese characters. For example, while most Japanese people can write with a pen, the majority of the people in Japan are not trained to use a shodo brush.


· Unfortunately, it isn’t uncommon for some untrained people, who are fluent in Japanese, to pick up a brush and paper, write something down, frame it, and sell it as a “work of shodo art.” The same phenomenon can be seen among individuals that stick a shrub in a bonsai pot, trim it a bit, and sell it as a “bonsai masterpiece.” Not everybody selling Asian art is skilled in Asian art, and collectors should get information about an artist’s credentials.


· Qualifications in one Japanese art do not inevitably correlate with another Japanese art. While a person may have excellent credentials in Zen, martial arts, or some other discipline, this doesn’t inevitably mean that they’re capable of producing good calligraphy. While it’s true that if we go deeply into any Japanese art form, we’ll discover principles that relate to other Japanese arts as well, this doesn’t equal training in a different skill. With some notable exceptions, most capable shodo artists have years of shodo specific training. The same is true for other Japanese artistic disciplines.


· Be leery of Japanese calligraphy, or any Japanese fine art, which is for sale too cheaply. Bona fide artists spend large chunks of their lives studying their craft, and if they have good credentials, they’ll rarely sell original artwork for $19.95.


· While it’s exciting to collect the calligraphy of famed artists like Yamaoka Tesshu, realize that fakes exist. While Yamaoka Tesshu’s work seems to have perhaps more fakes than others, he isn’t the only artist to have his signature forged onto inferior copies and “inspired by” pieces. And this isn’t a recent phenomenon in Japan. It’s been going on for hundreds of years.


· A seal, or “chop,” should be present on any valid piece of artwork. Known as an inkan, this seal is essential, and it is always placed on a work that the artist is satisfied with. Works without a signature are fine as long as the inkan is present. Works with a signature, and no inkan, indicate that the artist didn’t deem the piece worthy to “sign off on.” And no signature and no inkan is a really bad sign. In short, all legitimate traditional Japanese calligraphy or paintings should have the artist’s name seal.


· The fact that a piece of art has been in an exhibition in Japan is no guarantee of profound skill. Smaller exhibitions exist, and acceptance is sometimes easily accomplished. If the artwork you’re contemplating buying received an award, this is a better indicator of quality. But the artist should possess an award certificate and/or a trophy of some kind. The award will also often have a name such as Kokusai Shodo Tokubetsu Sho. Try to obtain proof of the award, obtain the characters for the name of the award, and find out what they mean. If this isn’t possible, don’t pay extra for a piece of “award winning calligraphy.”


· Endeavor to discover the training background of the artist and/or teacher. All Japanese art places high value on lineage. If the artist is unable or unwilling to provide this lineage, something may be wrong.


· How long did the artist study, how did the study take place, and who was the teacher? These are questions that a legitimate instructor or shodo artist should be able to answer. There’s frequently a difference between art produced by someone that studied for decades, every week, directly under a well-known teacher vs. the art of a person that studied for a couple years via a correspondence course.


· Japanese art often has ranks and degrees, somewhat like the martial arts. Top-notch artists will often have high ranks and/or teaching credentials. Find out what they are.


· Try to enlist the help of a person knowledgeable about Japanese art, or at least a friend that can read Japanese, before you buy a work of art or began to study with a teacher. They may be able to help you read the characters on awards and teaching certificates, and help you look for the correct artist’s signature and seal on a piece of art.


· Buy books suggested on the Art of Shodo Blog to learn about Japanese culture. It will help in ways that are often difficult to predict.

Commissioned Works of Art


Hiseki Davey Sensei can be commissioned to create special works of calligraphic art for personal and commercial use. Shodo aficionados, collectors of fine art, or individuals interested in authentic Japanese calligraphy for commercial applications, can contact Davey Sensei at 510-526-7518 (evenings) or at hedavey@aol.com for information about purchasing world class Japanese brush writing and ink painting.

Obtaining Hiseki Davey’s Artwork
Take a look at Davey Sensei's book The Japanese Way of the Artist and at this blog to get an idea of the wide variety of Japanese calligraphy and ink painting that can be produced for your home or office.

Davey Sensei’s award winning artwork is in a number of private collections in the USA and Japan. His credentials, awards, and shodo lineage can be found in the sections HISEKI DAVEY and KOBARA RANSEKI on this blog. Further information about his professional credentials in shodo can be obtained by writing to
hedavey@aol.com

If you see something in the Art of Shodo Blog that appeals to you, contact Davey Sensei about creating a similar original work of art for your home. And if you’ve got an idea for something you’d like to see turned into Japanese calligraphy—a significant word, an interesting phrase, or a Japanese poem—call or write to Davey Sensei. Working together, it may be possible to give birth to a one of a kind work of art.

If you need expert quality Japanese calligraphic art for your business, Davey Sensei would be happy to collaborate with you. His commercial art has been used in magazines and newspapers, on book covers and postcards, and on posters, flyers, and websites. Commercial applications of Japanese calligraphy are endless, and Hiseki Davey Sensei’s innovative art can bring a new beauty and distinctiveness to your business, advertising, or website.

Books


The Works of H. E. Davey
Hiseki Davey Sensei has authored a number of critically acclaimed books on different Japanese art forms under the name H. E. Davey. You can read more about each volume below, and Davey Sensei’s books can be purchased via the Amazon.com.

Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony (http://www.brushmeditation.blogspot.com/)

Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation (
http://www.japaneseyoga.blogspot.com/)

Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty (
http://www.japaneseartsandways.blogspot.com/)

The Japanese Way of the Flower: Ikebana as Moving Meditation (
http://www.japanesewayoftheflower.blogspot.com/)

Unlocking the Secrets of Aiki-jujutsu

The Japanese Way of the Artist (
http://www.japanesewayoftheartist.blogspot.com/)

Kobara Ranseki--Part Two


Saying Goodbye
At the beginning of 2005, the members of the Wanto Shodo Kai presented a calligraphy exhibition in San Francisco in honor of Kobara Sensei’s many years of teaching in Oakland. He and I demonstrated shodo together for the public, much as we had on many different occasions over the years. The event was a resounding success, and Sensei was frail but joyful.

Later in 2005, he gave what would be his last speech at the International Shodo Exhibition in Urayasu, where he was acknowledged by some of Japan’s top shodo artists for his contributions to shodo and this annual exhibition. He happily told me how he visited many of his favorite places, and after a long search, he found a restaurant serving a particular kind of abalone, his favorite food. And he saw a number of relatives that he hadn’t had direct contact with in numerous years. I think he knew this was his last trip back to his former home.

Shortly after Sensei received the Order of the Rising Sun, we held an end of the year party for Kobara Sensei and Wanto Shodo Kai members. I sat with him and his wife. Sensei softly said he was very happy, but that it was hard for him to breathe. He radiated contentment at the close of the event, when he bid goodbye to many of his students.

Not long after the party, I spent the holidays in Hawaii with my wife’s family. Just after Christmas, I got a phone call from Kobara Kazuko telling me that her husband was hospitalized in intensive care. I immediately phoned some of his other senior students. I returned to California, but before our plane landed, Kobara Sensei passed away.

On January 6, 2006, I carried his casket, along with his family members, into the Buddhist Church of San Francisco. Sensei was famous throughout the Japanese community in Northern California for his preservation of traditional Japanese culture, and the outpouring of grief was massive. Nearly 500 people crammed into the church.

After the tolling of the temple bell, I offered incense with his family before his open coffin. The funeral was attended by the Consul General of Japan, the Urasenke Tea Ceremony Tanko-kai of San Francisco, the Japan Club of the Bay Area, the San Francisco Shimane Prefecture Residents Association, the San Francisco Buddhist Women’s Association, and the Buddhist Church of San Francisco. Telegrams and faxes flooded the Kobara home, several of which were read at the funeral service, including condolences from the current and past Headmasters of Urasenke tea ceremony and the Chief Director of the Kokusai Shodo Bunk Koryu Kyokai. A large number of people, who’d never studied tea ceremony or shodo with Kobara Sensei, spoke him as being their teacher . . . their sensei for life.

They spoke of his deep compassion and patience. One mourner told me that whenever he saw Kobara Sensei walking toward him, he saw his beaming smile and felt a palpable wave of benevolent warmth rush over him. I told him that I’d felt it too . . . many times and in many different ways. In a sense, Sensei’s kindness was not only the hallmark of his teaching style; it was the very foundation of his life.

After the closing address, it took a long time for hundreds of mourners to file past the casket and pay their final respects. When they were done, his relatives and I bore Kobara Sensei’s casket to a waiting hearse.

On January 9, Sensei’s family and I again acted as pallbearers as we carried his coffin into a crematorium in Colma. Far fewer people were present—just myself, his wife, his children as well as their spouses, and Kobara Sensei’s grandchildren. Around 10 of us were there, along with two Buddhist priests. Before the cremation, I bowed before my teacher’s body for the last time. Kobara Sensei had been my friend, supporter, and teacher for 20 years.

After the cremation service, his wife took us to the graveyard where her husband’s ashes would reside—the same tiny cemetery in Colma where his artistic skill was first recognized over 50 years ago. His daughter Rumi rode in my car, and as we pulled into the parking lot, she asked, “Can you see Daddy’s calligraphy?”

We walked to the Kobara plot, with tall tombstones surrounding us, and it seemed like the majority of them were filled with Kobara Sensei’s singular calligraphy. As my teacher’s body was leaving this world, I felt that I was walking through a vast forest of his art.

The Legacy of Kobara Ranseki Sensei
Once Sensei’s funeral was over, I took a long motorcycle ride down the Pacific Coast Highway to Southern California. Being alone and silent on my bike, I reflected on Kobara Sensei and his artistry.

I’ve described Sensei’s unique style of calligraphy to others as being “elegant,” “graceful,” or “refined.” It’s all of these things, but alone in the wind I realized it was something more. The most distinctive quality of Kobara Sensei’s artwork—the tree from which all other branches of its beauty arises—is compassion. In short, Kobara Sensei’s calligraphy looks the way it does because of the deep well of kindness that he developed over the course of his life, and his artwork was an expression of this. Kobara Sensei and his art had become one.
After Kobara Sensei’s passing, he was given the posthumous Buddhist name Chiko. It means “Light of Wisdom,” and I like to think the appellation was inspired by the name Chiei, “Eternal Wisdom.” It was, after all, Chiei’s calligraphy that Kobara Sensei studied for over 50 years.

And while Sensei expressed his wisdom verbally and directly in his teaching of shodo, his deepest teachings were nonverbal. Whenever I studied with him, I felt uplifted, not by what he said, but by his very presence. He developed a way of teaching that embraced and encouraged those around him . . . without the need for words. It is an uncommon and unteachable gift, and its expression in ink is Kobara Ranseki Sensei’s true legacy. What’s more, it is a legacy I’ve pledged to preserve.

Not long after I received the name Hiseki from Sensei, we were sitting alone in his home in San Francisco. He told me that he thought I had the ability and motivation to perpetuate his form of shodo after he was gone, and he asked me if I’d do him this favor. I assured him that I would, and this article is just a first step in that direction.

In the autumn of 2006, Stone Bridge Press and I will release The Japanese Way of the Artist detailing the aesthetic and meditative principles that underline all Japanese art, with an emphasis on Japanese calligraphy and flower arrangement (http://www.japanesewayoftheartist.blogspot.com/). Of course, I also plan on continuing my program that integrates meditation and shodo at the Sennin Foundation Center (http://www.senninfoundation.blogspot.com/). Finally, I hope to further discover within myself the deep tenderness and kindness that Kobara Ranseki Sensei showered upon me for over 20 years.

Kobara Ranseki--Part One


Remembering Kobara Ranseki Sensei
By
Hiseki Davey

(This article first appeared in the 2006 New Year’s edition of the Sennin Foundation Newsletter.)



On December 28, 2005 the world lost one of Japan’s preeminent practitioners of traditional Japanese art when Kobara Ranseki Sensei passed away in San Francisco. Kobara Sensei, acknowledged in Asia and the USA as perhaps the greatest shodo artist outside of Japan, was 81 years old.

The Birth of an Artist
He was born Kobara Seiji on December 24, 1924 in Shimane Prefecture, Mino County, Japan. Coming from a long line of Buddhist priests, his father was the priest of Myorenji Temple. Like his forefathers, Kobara Seiji also trained to become a reverend. While he was devoted to Buddhism, as a young man he found a second passion—shodo, the art of Japanese brush calligraphy. Shodo is one of the most ancient Japanese art forms. More than writing with a brush, it overlaps into ink painting and has elements in common with Western abstract art. Today scores of people practice shodo as meditation and artistic expression, rather than merely studying it as a system of writing.


Kobara Seiji became a student of the famed calligraphic artist Fukuzawa Seiran Sensei, who taught an old and venerable style of calligraphy at Kyoto University. Fukuzawa Sensei emphasized the study of the Shin So Sen-Ji-Mon, a very old 1000-character classic brushed by the Chinese monk/calligrapher Chiei.

After World War II times were hard all over Japan, with people having little time or money for artistic pursuits. As the result, Kobara Seiji was Fukuzawa Sensei’s only private student, and he visited his home for exclusive one-on-one training each day. Eventually, Fukuzawa Sensei gave his sole student the name Ranseki, which means an “Indigo Blue Stone,” and which included the “ran” character from his own pen name. (The bestowing of gago, special names used in art, is common in a number of Japanese disciplines, and it indicates that a student has come into his or her own as an artist.) In time, Kobara Ranseki would receive a Shihan-Dai teaching certificate from Fukuzawa Sensei, the highest ranking in his school of calligraphy.

Leaving Japan
In 1947, Kobara Sensei wasn’t just studying Buddhism and shodo. He was working in the prosecutor’s office in Kyoto. Always interested in new horizons, however, Kobara Sensei decided to leave his prosperous ancestral temple and take a daring and uncertain path by moving to the USA in 1950. He enrolled at the University of Washington in Seattle and studied at the Seattle Buddhist Church. After graduating, he transferred to the Buddhist Church of San Francisco in 1954.

In 1960, Reverend Kobara once again set out on a new path in life when he retired from his church position and began a profession with Japan Airlines. As usual, he was successful at his new job, a career lasting 31 years until his retirement in 1991.

Founding Ranseki Sho Juku Style Calligraphy
During his professional life with the Buddhist Church of San Francisco, Reverend Kobara was informed that there was nobody skilled enough to paint the calligraphy of Japanese names for tombstones in a Japanese cemetery in Colma, California. Owing to his advanced experience in shodo, he was the natural choice, and he brushed characters that were engraved on over 150 stone markers. His skill was so obvious that he was soon asked to teach calligraphy in San Francisco, where he founded the Ranseki Sho Juku (“Ranseki Calligraphy School”) in 1966. (This same year he also became the Director of the San Francisco branch of the Urasenke school of tea ceremony.)

Over time, he evolved his unique version of orthodox Japanese calligraphic art, which is characterized as Ranseki Ryu shodo or Ranseki Sho Juku shodo. In 1975, he started teaching in Oakland, California at the Wanto Shodo-Kai (“East Bay Shodo Association”), and several years later, he began teaching in Palo Alto. In 1977, he became the co-founder (with Ueno Chikushu Sensei) of the Kokusai Shodo Bunka Koryu Kyokai—the “International Japanese Calligraphy and Cultural Exchange Association”—that is headquartered in Urayasu, with members throughout Japan, China, and the USA. Acting as Vice President, Kobara Sensei helped to oversee the esteemed Kokusai Shodo-ten, or “International Shodo Exhibition,” that takes place annually in Japan.

Widespread Accolades
As he began to exhibit his artwork more widely, many people noticed his exceptional skill in shodo and ink painting. During his long artistic career he received prestigious awards for excellence in Japanese art from the Japanese Foreign Ministry and even the Prime Minister of Japan. His art can been seen in many places in San Francisco’s Japan Town, as well as in the homes of art aficionados in various locales, and on a special copper plate exhibited at the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco. A hanging scroll of his calligraphy is displayed at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center (also in San Francisco). It reads Yume, Ai, Kibou, which means “Dreaming of Love and Hope,” an apt description of what he wished to inspire via his artistic expressions.

For years Kobara Sensei gave the primary address at the International Shodo Exhibition. At these times, so accomplished and distinctive was his style of traditional brush writing that even expert calligraphy teachers in Japan asked to become his disciples. They were disappointed to discover that not only did he live in the United States, but that he also rarely accepted students.

Meeting my Teacher
After looking for a calligraphy teacher for several years, I met Kobara Ranseki Sensei in the 1980s. Deeply impressed, not only with his artwork but also with his peaceful and dignified demeanor, I began practicing with him. With his help, I eventually exhibited my artwork annually at the International Shodo Exhibition in Urayasu, where I’ve received a number of awards, including Jun Taisho—the “Associate Grand Prize.” In 1990, Kobara Sensei honored me with the art name Hiseki, meaning a “Flying Stone,” by combining the “seki” character from his name with the sound “hi” that’s used to write my first name phonetically in Japanese. In 1993, I received Shihan-Dai teaching certification from Kobara Sensei, the highest rank in Ranseki Sho Juku calligraphy.

Upon receiving teaching certification, I began offering my students of Shin-shin-toitsu-do instruction in shodo at the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts. Like Shin-shin-toitsu-do (Japanese yoga and meditation), budo (“martial ways”), kado (“the Way of flower arrangement”), and other classical arts, shodo is a Do, or “Way” to spiritual realization. In short, it’s more than brush writing.

Shodo has functioned in Japan as both fine art and moving meditation. As such, it’s ideal for students of Shin-shin-toitsu-do or most any type of meditation. Yet many Americans are intimated by the “foreignness” of shodo, and few grasp how it functions as dynamic meditation that can lead to deeper concentration, willpower, and calmness. To counteract this, I authored Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony in 1999.

Studying with Kobara Sensei
Kobara Sensei thought of himself as an artist, and his approach to shodo emphasized practicing it more as an art form than as simple lettering. He spoke of the beauty of line, the mysterious luster of sumi ink, and the asymmetrical balance of shodo as transcendent creative elements common to numerous arts, and which people of different cultures could relate to, much as varied nationalities can appreciate abstract art. And he insisted that, “I’m not teaching shuji (handwriting), but rather shodo—the Way of calligraphy.”

Owing to his profoundly spiritual nature, Kobara Sensei viewed brush writing and ink painting as a path for refining character, and he commented on how we could see the depths of our personality by observing our calligraphy. For anyone to produce skillful calligraphy they must demonstrate calmness and concentration, at least during the time the hand holds the brush. Kobara Sensei, nevertheless, preferred to teach the essential qualities of shodo—calmness, relaxation, concentration, willpower, and a positive spirit—through his actions more than through his words.

His distinctive style of calligraphy emphasizes Chinese characters and Japanese phonetic symbols that feature naturalistic, rounded, and flowing forms. Ranseki Sho Juku calligraphy is filled with uniquely graceful elements that rest in a sea of serenity. Simultaneously powerful as well as calm, Kobara Sensei’s shodo reflected his quietly resolute and dignified personality; and in all the years I spent around him—in class and in his home, at public demonstrations and in private, in Japan and in the USA—I never saw him lose his composure. Not once.

He created a well thought out series of lessons that began with the study of kana, or “Japanese phonetic symbols,” and progressed to simple Chinese characters. From there, new students learned hentaigana, an antique version of Chinese characters used for their voiced sound rather than for their meaning. Hentaigana are studied in kaisho and sosho form—script styles similar to printing and cursive writing in English.

Next, pupils copy the 1000 different Chinese characters—in both kaisho and sosho form—found in the Shin So Sen-Ji-Mon . . . the same course of study that Kobara Sensei undertook many years ago. Simultaneously, Kobara Sensei taught us to write time-honored haiku and waka poems, and all of us learned to use large and small brushes with equal skill. We also copied Kobara Sensei’s occasional simple ink paintings that he used to illustrate the calligraphed poems that are part of the lesson plan for Ranseki Sho Juku shodo. He drew from the haiku of Basho, the 100 waka found in the Ogura Hyaku-Nin-Isshu, and other poetry collections.

Over his numerous years of teaching, not many students completed the 1000 characters of the Shin So Sen-Ji-Mon, but when I and a few others finished this book, Kobara Sensei helped us to study, copy, and learn the semi-cursive gyosho script of Ogishi, arguably the most celebrated calligraphic artist in China and Japan. However, instead of having us copy books of famous calligraphy, or from a manual of his own brush writing, Kobara Sensei personally painted a lesson for each student, one lesson at a time, one person at a time. We than left for home, where we’d repeatedly copy his artwork and absorb its essence into our subconscious. In a couple weeks, he would gently correct our best copy and give us the next lesson in his predetermined series.

Such a personal and labor intensive approach is rare in shodo, and as our teacher entered old age, we urged him to hand out photocopies of his artwork. He refused and continued to spend countless hours patiently teaching each student privately, one after another. Even in his 70s and 80s, he would sit for several hours at a time, painting continuously, until he slowly worked his way through the students that had gathered on a particular day. Kobara Sensei insisted such a fatiguing process was needed for him to continue to train his mind, body, and calligraphy. He rightly contended that it was better for his students.

Amazingly, his calligraphy improved throughout his life, and he showed no decline in old age. Several years ago, Kobara Sensei developed a condition similar to congestive heart failure, and no operation could be attempted due to his age. He lost weight and his body weakened, but his gentle and indomitable spirit did not. At times he told me that he’d been almost too weak to lift a glass of water, but that he nevertheless practiced shodo that day. “My brush doesn’t weigh as much as a water glass, so I still needed to practice,” he whispered.

A Final Tribute
On November 17, 2005, Kobara Sensei received Kyokujitsu Tanko Sho—the “Order of the Rising Sun (with Silver Rays)”—from the Japanese government for his numerous years of promoting and preserving traditional Japanese art and culture via his contributions to shodo and tea ceremony. This rarely bestowed award comes in the form of the Kunsho, a Medal of Honor, which was presented to Kobara Sensei by Yamanaka Makoto, Consul General of Japan. Surrounded by his wife, children, and grandchildren, he quietly thanked his spouse and his family for their support that allowed him to receive such a distinguished honor. He took no credit for his achievements, insisting that his accomplishments were due to his longevity, the love of his family, and his late teacher Fukuzawa Seiran Sensei.

Still, he was deeply touched by this decoration that few people ever receive, and he shyly showed us his award at one of the last shodo classes he would ever teach. He was clearly at peace and delighted by how his life had turned out
.

Hiseki Davey


Hiseki Davey Sensei is an internationally acclaimed author, artist, and teacher of Japanese cultural arts. His books are sold in many different countries under the name H. E. Davey, and his training began as a child in the United States, and it continued in Japan.

The Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts in Northern California (http://www.senninfoundation.blogspot.com/), Davey Sensei has worked fulltime as a professional teacher of Japanese yoga and meditation, healing arts, martial arts, and fine arts since 1981. (The title sensei is an honorific term meaning “teacher.” It’s traditionally placed after the family name of instructors of Japanese calligraphy and other art forms.)

An Introduction to the Arts of Japan
Davey Sensei’s introduction to a traditional Japanese art form came through the martial arts. His late father Victor was one of the first Americans to study judo and jujutsu, practices that he began in 1926. While living in Japan after WWII, his training intensified, and Davey Sensei began learning authentic Japanese jujutsu with him when he was around five years old. Based on his jujutsu training, which took place in the USA and Japan, he would write Unlocking the Secrets of Aiki-jujutsu (McGraw-Hill) in 1997.

Davey Sensei grew up on a street where few children resided, and being an only child, his parents wanted him to spend more time with other children. As the result, he enrolled in a judo school. At the time he joined, people outside of the Japanese community rarely practiced martial arts, and Davey Sensei was pretty much the only non-Japanese student. Consequently, many of his childhood friends were from Japan or Japanese-Americans, which exposed him to this language and culture from an early age.

Discovering Shin-shin-toitsu-do
When Davey Sensei was in middle school, a friend in judo introduced him to a Japanese teacher of Shin-shin-toitsu-do, a unique system of meditation and physical development created by Nakamura Tempu Sensei in the 1920s. Nakamura Sensei lived in India, where he practiced Raja yoga—the yoga of meditation. When he returned to Japan, he combined what he had learned with his past training in Japanese martial arts, healing arts, and meditation systems. He also drew on his previous studies of Western medicine and psychology to create Shin-shin-toitsu-do, the “Way of Mind and Body Unification.”

This art is based on the idea that human beings only arrive at self-harmony and realize their ultimate potential when the mind and body are coordinated. It includes mind and body unification principles that enhance performance in most activities, and these principles completely transformed and improved Davey Sensei’s martial arts practice, which by then included judo, jujutsu, and aikido. The breathing exercises and methods of physical development in Shin-shin-toitsu-do cured a severe and longstanding case of asthma as well. Owing to this, Davey Sensei started studying healing arts that are an adjunct to Shin-shin-toitsu-do. And all of these experiences led to his writing Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation (Stone Bridge Press) in 2001, which received a number of positive reviews in magazines like Yoga Journal in the USA and Tempu magazine in Japan (
http://www.japaneseyoga.blogspot.com/).

More than this, however, Shin-shin-toitsu-do opened his eyes to the fact that universal principles actually do exist. In other words, there really are certain things working “beneath the surface” that connect people all over the world and which likewise link different endeavors in life. In discovering the universal principles of mind and body coordination, Davey Sensei also began to unearth ubiquitous traditional and little understood concepts that give life to most Japanese art forms and which could be related to daily living. And this understanding led to his book Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty (Stone Bridge Press) in 2003. It details a variety of Japanese arts, including calligraphy, flower arrangement, and martial arts, as well as universal principles that underlie these disciplines, which can help us in life (
http://www.japaneseartsandways.blogspot.com/).

Learning Shodo

In 1981, Davey Sensei established the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he offered instruction in Shin-shin-toitsu-do and related healing arts as well as martial arts training in Saigo Ryu aiki-jujutsu (http://www.senninfoundation.com/). He was happy teaching these arts that he’d studied since he was young.

Still, when he was training at his childhood judo dojo (judo school), Davey Sensei admired pieces of Japanese brush writing hanging on the walls. He later saw similarities between the watercolor painting he was studying as an art major in college and Japanese ink painting, leading to a desire to practice shodo and/or sumi-e. But he couldn’t find a suitable teacher.

In the 1980s, a friend from Nagoya introduced him to Kobara Ranseki Sensei, one of the top shodo artists living in the United States. Kobara Sensei was the Shihan, or Headmaster, of the Ranseki Sho Juku system of shodo. Davey Sensei asked to learn shodo from him, but he was turned down, as Kobara Sensei rarely accepted new students. Undeterred, Davey Sensei returned more than once to his class, until Kobara Sensei allowed him to join the Wanto Shodo-Kai (“East Bay Shodo Association”), One of the locations where in taught in the San Francisco area.

With Kobara Sensei’s help, he started exhibiting his artwork annually at the International Shodo Exhibition in Urayasu, where he’s received a number of awards, including Jun Taisho—the “Associate Grand Prize.” In 1990, Kobara Sensei honored Davey Sensei with the art name Hiseki, meaning a “Flying Stone,” by combining the “seki” character from his name with the sound “hi” that’s used to write Davey Sensei’s first name phonetically in Japanese. In 1993, he received Shihan-Dai teaching certification from Kobara Sensei, the highest rank in Ranseki Sho Juku calligraphy.


Upon receiving teaching certification, Davey Sensei began offering his students instruction in shodo at the Sennin Foundation Center. Like Shin-shin-toitsu-do and other Japanese arts, shodo is a Way to spiritual realization. In short, it’s more than just brush writing.

Yet many Americans are intimated by the “foreignness” of shodo, and few grasp how it functions as dynamic meditation that leads to concentration, willpower, and calmness. To counteract this, Davey Sensei authored Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony in 1999 through Stone Bridge Press (
http://www.brushmeditation.blogspot.com/).

Shodo Awards
Davey Sensei's artwork has been accepted for exhibition at the Kokusai Shodo-ten (“International Shodo Exhibition”) every year since 1988. The Kokusai Shodo Bunka Koryu Kyokai (“International Shodo and Cultural Exchange Association”) and the Japanese Ministry of Education sponsor this prestigious event. It’s one of few shodo exhibitions to receive a stamp of approval from the Japanese government, and in recent years it’s been held in conjunction with a sister exhibition in China, hosted by the association’s Chinese members. In addition to his numerous Kokusai Shodo-ten awards, Davey Sensei’s calligraphy has also been selected out of several thousand entries for inclusion in the Sankei newspaper’s famed annual shodo exhibition. He's received many awards in these international exhibitions, including Jun Taisho, or the "Associate Grand Prize."

Preserving the Arts of Japan
Since the early 1980s, Davey Sensei has preserved and promoted traditional Japanese art forms as meditation. His calligraphic art, ink paintings, and writings have appeared in Japanese and American books, magazines, and newspapers. Some of these publications are:

·
The Nichibei Times
· The Hokubei Mainichi
· Gendo
· Furyu
· Yoga Journal
· The Journal of Asian Martial Arts
· Karate-Kung Fu Illustrated
· Designing with Kanji (Stone Bridge Press)
· Shinto Meditations for Revering the Earth (Stone Bridge Press)


In 2000, Davey Sensei wrote The Japanese Way of the Flower: Ikebana as Moving Meditation (Stone Bridge Press) with Ann Kameoka Sensei, a flower arrangement expert (
http://www.japanesewayoftheflower.blogspot.com/). He’s also the President of the Sennin Foundation, Inc., a federally tax-exempt nonprofit corporation devoted to the preservation of Japanese cultural arts. The Sennin Foundation, Inc. sponsors Michi Online (http://www.michionline.org)/, an Internet journal of Japanese art, culture, and philosophy.

Davey Sensei has taught Shin-shin-toitsu-do at many different locations in the USA. His demonstrations of martial arts have also taken place throughout the United States and on several occasions at Otakumin Plaza in Tokyo. And he’s demonstrated shodo numerous times around Northern California, in San Francisco’s Japan Town, and during San Francisco’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

His commitment to the Japanese cultural arts has been recognized in the form of awards from John B. Callahan, Mayor of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Lisa M. Boscola, Senator for Pennsylvania; the Shudokan Martial Arts Association; the Kokusai Budoin (“International Martial Arts Federation”) of Tokyo; and others.


His latest book is The Japanese Way of the Artist (Stone Bridge Press). You can read more about it here: http://www.japanesewayoftheartist.blogspot.com/.