Kobara Ranseki Sensei

About Kobara Ranseki and Ranseki Sho Juku Calligraphy

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. 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.

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 book contains the most detailed biography of Kobara Sensei in print, along with information about his system of brush calligraphy

The Teachings of Tempu

The Teachings of Tempu: Practical Meditation for Daily Life details the life and meditation techniques of Nakamura Tempu (1876-1968). Mr. Nakamura taught Shin-shin-toitsu-do (“The Way of Mind and Body Unification”) for over 50 years and authored bestselling books. He trained over 100,000 people, including members of the Japanese Imperial Family, government officials, business leaders, top athletes, celebrated actors, martial arts experts, and notable novelists.

The book begins with Mr. Nakamura’s early years and a global quest to cure his tuberculosis. This search took him to the USA, where he studied medicine at Columbia University. Next, he traveled to Europe, where he lived with actress Sarah Bernhardt and researched psychology. In Egypt he encountered Kaliapa, an Indian mystic and yoga master, who brought him to India for a final attempt to save his life. After austere meditation in the Himalayas, Nakamura Tempu attained enlightenment, shook off the bonds of illness, and returned to Japan a changed man.

The Teachings of Tempu uses episodes from Mr. Nakamura’s life to introduce his philosophy of mind and body unification, his forms of meditation, and how these skills can help you attain better health as well as deeper calmness, concentration, and willpower. It contains rare photos from Japan, which chronicle his long life. Also featured are extensive quotes from his books, the first time his writing has been offered in English.

The Teachings of Tempu presents experiments and exercises you can try
at home to understand mind and body unification—the essence of Mr.
Nakamura’s realization and the secret to unlocking human potential. Illustrations of these exercises and forms of meditation are provided, along with an Introduction by Sawai Atsuhiro, a leading teacher of Shin-shin-toitsu-do and a direct student of Mr. Nakamura. Dr. Robert Carter, author and Professor Emeritus of Philosophy for Canada’s Trent University, wrote the Foreword.

Amazing New Book!

“A simple guide to effective meditation that moves the reader from concentration to genuine meditative experience. The author maintains that such experiences are actually natural to us and that ‘harsh ascetic practice’ is unnecessary. Sawai Atsuhiro shows that meditation teaches how to deal with the stresses of modern life, improves one's general health, and can lead to the realization that we are one with the universe. Several methods of effective meditation are described. This is a book that will cause even the casual reader to want to meditate.”

Robert E. Carter, author of Encounter with Enlightenment and Becoming Bamboo: Western and Eastern Explorations of the Meaning of Life

Sawai Atsuhiro’s The True Paths to Meditation masterfully explains simple and profound forms of meditation, which the author learned from the celebrated founder of yoga in Japan, Nakamura Tempu. Mr. Nakamura taught Shin-shin-toitsu-do (“The Way of Mind and Body Unification”) for five decades, authored popular books and trained many of Japan’s most notable people in government, business, sports, martial arts, and entertainment.

As one of Mr. Nakamura’s closest students, Mr. Sawai received the highest level of teaching certification in Shin-shin-toitsu-do from him. He is a retired college professor and a bestselling author of meditation books in Japan. He is also the President of the International Japanese Yoga Association in Kyoto, which has members in over 20 nations.

In The True Paths to Meditation, his first English language book specifically written for Westerners, Mr. Sawai provides comprehensive insights into his unique life philosophy, evolved from over 50 years of Zen and yogic meditation. He also introduces methods to release the power of ki—the life energy of the universe. Using the forms of meditation in this book, you can realize deeper calmness, concentration, willpower, and a more positive way of living.

Complete with useful photos, a handy glossary, and suggestions for ongoing practice, The True Paths to Meditation will appeal to folks new to meditation as well as experienced meditators.

Look inside the book: https://www.amazon.com/True-Paths-Meditation-Sawai-Atsuhiro-ebook/dp/B00LH4QGJM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1487715342&sr=8-1

An Important New Book

The Teachings of Tempu: Practical Meditation for Daily Life details the life and meditation techniques of Nakamura Tempu (1876-1968). Mr. Nakamura taught Shin-shin-toitsu-do (“The Way of Mind and Body Unification”) for over 50 years and authored bestselling books. He trained over 100,000 people, including members of the Japanese Imperial Family, government officials, business leaders, top athletes, celebrated actors, martial arts experts, and notable novelists. 

The book begins with Mr. Nakamura’s early years and a global quest to cure his tuberculosis. This search took him to the USA, where he studied medicine at Columbia University. Next, he traveled to Europe, where he lived with actress Sarah Bernhardt and researched psychology. In Egypt he encountered Kaliapa, an Indian mystic and yoga master, who brought him to India for a final attempt to save his life. After austere meditation in the Himalayas, Nakamura Tempu attained enlightenment, shook off the bonds of illness, and returned to Japan a changed man. 

The Teachings of Tempu uses episodes from Mr. Nakamura’s life to introduce his philosophy of mind and body unification, his forms of meditation, and how these skills can help you attain better health as well as deeper calmness, concentration, and willpower. It contains rare photos from Japan, which chronicle his long life. Also featured are extensive quotes from his books, the first time his writing has been offered in English. The Teachings of Tempu presents experiments and exercises you can try at home to understand mind and body unification—the essence of Mr. Nakamura’s realization and the secret to unlocking human potential. Illustrations of these exercises and forms of meditation are provided, along with an Introduction by Sawai Atsuhiro, a leading teacher of Shin-shin-toitsu-do and a direct student of Mr. Nakamura. Dr. Robert Carter, author and Professor Emeritus of Philosophy for Canada’s Trent University, wrote the Foreword.

Pick up a copy of this important book at your local bookstore or buy a discounted copy at http://www.amazon.com/Teachings-Tempu-Practical-Meditation-Daily/dp/0615856330/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385749889&sr=1-1&keywords=the+teachings+of+tempu

Review of Brush Meditation, Part of The Japanese Way of the Artist Anthology

"As a highly ranked, well-respected instructor of various arts, including classical martial arts, Japanese yoga, and shodo (calligraphy), H. E. Davey is able to discuss shodo in terms of wider spiritual and philosophical implications for the non-practitioner and, indeed, for anyone seeking insights and ideas from Asian culture and traditions. This is an unusual talent and a rare gift, and Davey speaks from an unusual perspective of awareness, position, and repute."
--Wayne Muromoto, publisher, The Classic Budoka blog

From The Japanese Way of the Artist

"Certain philosophical and aesthetic standards are shared by all Japanese arts. From the martial arts, to Japanese dance, to flower arrangement, distinctive artistic codes are held in common. These aesthetic codes have had a profound effect on the unfolding of the Ways."--H. E. Davey, The Japanese Way of the Artist

Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation

Great news! Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation is back in print with a new publisher. Michi Publishing is starting to release new copies of this landmark book to the public, and you should be able to order a special signed edition from www.senninfoundation.com very soon. 

The Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts is scheduled to receive Japanese Yoga on June 11, 2012. Check the website after this date to order your own personal copy of this meditation classic. Paypal and major credit cards will be accepted, and international orders are encouraged.  

Based on the eclectic Western-Eastern teachings of Nakamura Tempu Sensei, this step-by-step introduction to Japanese yoga (Shin-shin-toitsu-do) presents stretching, healing, and meditation exercises designed for mind/body integration. It is the only book in English to detail the life and teachings of Mr. Nakamura. In Japanese yoga, which is based on mind and body unification principles, the ultimate goal is enhanced concentration, calmness, and willpower for a longer, healthier, and fuller life. Author H. E. Davey Sensei also shows how Japanese yoga relates to various classical Japanese arts as part of a tradition of spiritual practice with spiritual and aesthetic roots in India, Japan, and the West.

Developed by Nakamura Tempu Sensei in the early 1900s from Indian Raja yoga, Japanese martial arts and meditation practices, as well as Western medicine and psychotherapy, Japanese yoga offers a new approach to experienced yoga students and a natural methodology that newcomers will find easy to learn. After a brief history of Shin-shin-toitsu-do, H. E. Davey Sensei presents Mr. Nakamura's Four Basic Principles to Unify Mind and Body. These principles relate the meditative experience to the movement of everyday living and thus make it a "dynamic meditation." Each of the Four Basic Principles is illustrated with step-by-step explanations of practical experiments.

Readers are then introduced to different forms of seated and moving meditation, health exercises, and self-healing arts. All these are linked back to the Four Basic Principles and can enhance performance in art, music, business, sports, and other activities. Readers learn to use Japanese yoga techniques throughout the day, without having to sit on the floor or seek out a quiet space.

Included at the end of the book are simple but effective stretching exercises, information about ongoing practice, and a glossary and reference section. Amply illustrated and cogently presented, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation belongs on every mind/body/spirit reading list. 

Japanese Yoga was initially published in 2001, and it was the first and only English language book on the mind and body unification teachings of Nakamura Sensei. It still is, and Mr. Davey will personally sign your copy of this milestone work. Drop by www.senninfoundation.com after June 11 and order Japanese Yoga for yourself or your friends. 

"Will make many yogis feel right at home...

Davey's readable, friendly guide is definitely worth a look." - Yoga Journal

H. E. Davey Biography

H. E. Davey is the Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts (www.senninfoundation.com), which offers instruction in Japanese systems of yoga, martial arts, healing arts, and fine arts. His introduction to the arts of Japan came via traditional martial arts. Since the age of five, he's studied jujutsu extensively in the USA and Japan. He has received the title of Kyoshi from the Kokusai Budoin, a Tokyo-based international federation. Kokusai Budoin defines Kyoshi as comparable to a "Master's Certificate" and equivalent to modern ranks of sixth- to eighth-degree black belt. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Shudokan Martial Arts Association (www.smaa-hq.com).

In middle school, Mr. Davey began Shin-shin-toitsu-do, a system of Japanese yoga and meditation founded by Nakamura Tempu Sensei. He's the only member of Tempu-Kai, an organization established by Mr. Nakamura, who is a full-time professional instructor of Shin-shin-toitsu-do. He's practiced in Japan and the USA under Nakamura Sensei's senior disciples, including Sawai Atsuhiro Sensei and Hashimoto Tetsuichi Sensei.

Mr. Davey's also received extensive instruction in Nakamura Sensei's methods of bodywork and healing with ki ("life energy"), which he teaches. He's furthermore received training in Hatha yoga and Pranayama breathing exercises in the tradition of Indra Devi.

Mr. Davey also studied shodo, or Japanese brush writing and ink painting, for 20 years under the late Kobara Ranseki Sensei of Kyoto. Mr. Davey holds the top rank in Ranseki Sho Juku shodo and exhibits each year in Japan. He's received numerous honors in these exhibitions, including Jun Taisho ("Associate Grand Prize").

H. E. Davey's articles on Japanese arts and his artwork have appeared in numerous American and Japanese magazines and newspapers. He's the author of Unlocking the Secrets of Aiki-jujutsu (McGraw-Hill), Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony (Stone Bridge Press), Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation (Stone Bridge Press), Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty (Stone Bridge Press), The Japanese Way of the Artist (Stone Bridge Press), and The Japanese Way of the Flower: Ikebana as Moving Meditation (Stone Bridge Press).

The Japanese Way of the Artist has its own Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/TheJapaneseWayOfTheArtist

Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation also has a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/JapaneseYoga

H. E. Davey's Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts is on Facebook, too: http://www.facebook.com/SenninFoundation

Be sure to also check out H. E. Davey's Art of Shodo Facebook page for world class Japanese calligraphic art: http://www.facebook.com/ArtOfShodo

If you're a fan of Mr. Davey's books on Japanese arts and meditation, you may also enjoying becoming a fan of these Facebook pages.

Art & the Mysterious

“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious - the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”
― Albert Einstein

No art takes places without inspiration. Every artist also needs effective knowledge of his or her tools (e.g., does a certain brush function well with a particular kind of paint?). What’s more, artists need effective techniques for using those tools.

Likewise, to express ourselves skillfully with maximum efficiency and minimum effort, we need to investigate the most effective ways of using the mind and body since, in the end, they are the only “tools” we truly possess in life.

H. E. Davey, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation

Kobara Sensei 7th Year Memorial Service



On December 17th, 2011 the Seventh Year Memorial Service for Kobara Ranseki Sensei took place at the Buddhist Church of San Francisco at 1:00 PM. Kobara Sensei was the founder  and Shihan ("Headmaster") of the Ranseki Sho Juku system of Japanese calligraphy and painting as well as the Vice President of the Kokusai Shodo Bunka Koryu Kyokai, which is based in Urayasu, Japan.

The private service was attended by around 20 people, mostly members of the Kobara family and H. E. Davey Sensei and Miyauchi Somei Sensei, two of his closest students of shodo. Although Kobara Sensei taught many people the ancient art of brush calligraphy over several decades, only four people ever received Shihan-Dai, the highest level of teaching certification. Davey Sensei and Miyauchi Sensei are the last two living Shihan-Dai of Ranseki Sho Juku shodo. They lead the Wanto Shodo Kai, "East Bay Shodo Association," in Oakland, California. Davey Sensei is also the Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts, where classes in Integrated Shodo & Meditation are offered.

A Jodo Shinshu Buddhist service started the event, followed by a traditional offering of incense to Kobara Sensei by members of his family, Miyauchi Sensei, and Davey Sensei. The memorial service closed with comments from Kobara Kazuko, Kobara Sensei's wife. She recalled his deeply spiritual nature, how he viewed most everyone as members of his family, and how his last words were expressions of gratitude.

Following the service, refreshments were offered at the church social hall, which contained pictures of Kobara Sensei as a child, teaching shodo, receiving awards at international shodo exhibitions, and being presented with the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government. 

Concepts in Japanese Art

FURYU
Furyu is composed of two characters meaning, “wind” and “flowing.” Like the moving wind, it can be sensed but not seen. It is both tangible and intangible in its suggested elegance. And like the wind, furyu points to a wordless ephemeral beauty that can only be experienced in the moment, for in the next instant it will dissolve like the morning mist.

FURABO
Relating to furyu, furabo indicates a person that roams about, unattached, fluttering like a slender piece of cloth swept by the wind.

FUZEI
Japanese aesthetic terms describing artistic feelings, sensibilities, and outlooks.

You can learn more about these ideas in The Japanese Way of the Artist by calligrapher H. E. Davey.

About Shodo

Expanded attention, deeper relaxation, increased focus and resolve . . . shodo students have a chance to achieve lasting spiritual transformation through the classical art of Japanese calligraphy (shodo). Simple step-by-step exercises let beginners and non-artists alike work with brush and ink to reveal their mental and physical state through moving brush meditation.

Kanji, or "characters," used in both Japan and China, have transcended their utilitarian function and collectively can serve as a visually stirring piece of fine art. Shodo allows the dynamic movement of the artist's spirit to become observable in the form of rich black ink. In shodo, you can sense both the rhythm of music as well as the smooth, elegant, and balanced construction of architecture. Many practitioners feel that the "visible rhythm" of Japanese calligraphy embodies a "picture of the mind"--and calligraphers recognize that it discloses our spiritual state. This recognition is summed up by the traditional Japanese saying: Kokoro tadashikereba sunawachi fude tadashi--"If your mind is correct, the brush will be correct."

Some Japanese calligraphers and psychologists have written books on the examination of our personality through calligraphy. Just as Western companies have employed handwriting analysts to help them select the best individuals for executive posts, the Japanese have traditionally expected their leaders in any field to display fine, composed script. This stems from the belief that brush strokes reveal the state of the body and subconscious mind--its strengths and weaknesses--at the moment the brush is put to paper. It has also been held that the subconscious can be influenced in a positive manner by studying and copying consummate examples of calligraphy by extraordinary individuals. Japanese tradition teaches that by using this method, we can cultivate strength of character akin to that of the artist being copied. Since shodo is an art form, it's not strictly necessary to be able to read Chinese characters, or the Japanese phonetic scripts of hiragana and katakana, to admire the dynamic beauty of shodo. Within Japanese calligraphy, we find essential elements that constitute all art: creativity, balance, rhythm, grace, and the beauty of line. These aspects of shodo can be recognized and appreciated by every culture.

About Art of Shodo

Art of Shodo offers reliable information about Japanese brush calligraphy, or shodo. Art of Shodo features the award winning art of Hiseki Davey Sensei, author of The Japanese Way of the Artist, Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony, and other works. Davey Sensei's calligraphic art can be purchased through Art of Shodo, and Mr. Davey can be commissioned to create shodo art for your personal collection, home, business, or commercial use. He can be contacted at hedavey@aol.com.

Excerpt

Harmony is a central aspect of shodo. Harmony is frequently expressed through a state of dynamic balance. Balance in shodo is asymmetrical, which produces an active feeling of movement within the characters. One could liken it to a picture of a sprinter whose inclined running posture has been frozen by the camera. Seeing such a picture, you instantly have a sensation of movement, but this sensation is different from what you experience when viewing a photo taken of a runner at the moment he trips and is falling forward. Both photos show bodies inclined in the direction in which they are moving; the difference between the two is balance. Balance in shodo can also be witnessed through a natural alternation of heavy and light brush pressure, which in turn produces an oscillation of thick and thin lines of ink. If all the brush strokes are of equal thickness the work looks stilted, unnatural, and dead. --The Japanese Way of the Artist

Japanese Art

In Japanese art, space assumed a dominant role and its position was strengthened by Zen concepts.
Stephen Gardiner

Mu

This artwork was commissioned by a Facebook friend in Canada, Ms. Angie Kehler, and it now resides in her collection of Japanese art. It is the character mu, "nothingness," painted by H. E. Davey Sensei in the abstract and cursive sosho script. The calligraphy was done on a traditional shikishi, a piece of stiff paper, roughly 9 x 10 inches, and used in classic Japanese painting and calligraphic art. (Click on the images to enlarge them.)

The artwork is hand painted and one of a kind. It arrived in Canada in a shikishi specific frame from Japan. Many examples of Japanese calligraphy in the West are not traditionally and correctly framed. Since they are not traditionally framed, they don't really look right; since they are often not behind glass, they don't last very long before they start to deteriorate. This is not the case with the artwork produced by Davey Sensei, author of The Japanese Way of the Artist, for his customers.

"The artwork is beautiful. The movement is both exquisite and powerful."

Angie Kehler

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Our thoughts go out to our friends and teachers in Japan, which was recently hit by a large earthquake and tsunami. We hope all our friends are OK, and we hope you will donate to help people in Japan. If you’re not sure how to do this, you can go to http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/japan-earthquake-tsunami-relief/.

General Information

Art of Shodo offers the public reliable information about Japanese brush calligraphy, or shodo. Art of Shodo features the award winning art of Hiseki Davey Sensei, author of The Japanese Way of the Artist, Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony, and other works. Davey Sensei's calligraphic art can be purchased through Art of Shodo, and Mr. Davey can be commissioned to create shodo art for your personal collection, home, business, or commercial use.

Hiseki Davey Sensei's art has won numerous awards at top international exhibitions of calligraphy in Japan. He is able to produce Japanese calligraphy for your special needs or commercial purposes. He can be reached at hedavey@aol.com.

A Tanzaku by Hiseki Davey Sensei

This is an example of Hiseki Davey’s kana style calligraphy, a script indigenous to Japan. Kana are phonetic Japanese symbols, which are often written in a flowing connected script. Davey Sensei has brushed a waka poem that reads:

Taki no oto wa

Taete hisashiku

Narinuredo

Na koso nagarete

Nao kikoe kere.

Fujiwara no Kinto

Ogura Hyaku Nin Isshu

“Though the waterfall

Ceased its flowing long ago,

And its sound is stilled,

Yet, in name it ever flows,

And in fame may yet be heard.”

The first character in the poem is taki, “waterfall,” and it is enlarged and elongated to resemble downward cascading water. Kana calligraphy should alternate between light and dark tones, and display an unbroken flow of ki, or “energy,” as the characters stream down the paper. These fluid and graceful elements can be seen in this example of Davey Sensei’s award-winning artwork.

The poem is painted on a plain white tanzaku, a small vertical poem card, about 36cm long x 6cm wide that can be adorned with colored designs, speckled with cut gold, silver or mica or covered with silk. The origins of the tanzaku may be associated with little slips of paper used for divining in ancient Japan. An additional potential starting point of tanzaku comes from the Heian era, when tiny rectangular pieces of paper, on which one poem was written, were used for poetry anthologies.

Davey Sensei’s calligraphy is displayed in a traditional Japanese tanzaku holder. You can commission him to create this same calligraphy for your home, office, or meditation room. He can be contacted at hedavey@aol.com.