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Japanese Cultural Workshops

Shodo brushing the curves of 有無 Umu

Shodo brushing the curves of 有無 Umu

Our May Zen Brush was very relaxed and an enjoyable time brushing together. We worked with two characters u mu 有無, which together can be translated as something like – ‘nature of being is free and untethered’. We brushed them in the kaisho style, tried… Read More »Shodo brushing the curves of 有無 Umu

Diamonds and ovals - Tenkoku stamp making

Diamonds and ovals – Tenkoku stamp making

At our May Japanese and Chinese stamp making group online on zoom we had a relaxed session with participants working on very different and unique stamps with a range of characters. We looked at example stamp designs, such as from Blair’s teacher Wakabayashi Shujo, and… Read More »Diamonds and ovals – Tenkoku stamp making

Heaven and Earth in Shodo calligraphy

Heaven and Earth in Shodo calligraphy

At our recent Zen Brush calligraphy group we brushed a lot of strokes and had fun laying out the kanji. The text we copied was the first line of Chapter seven of Lao Tzu’s mystical Tao Te Ching (道德經 The Way of Virtue Classic, expressing… Read More »Heaven and Earth in Shodo calligraphy

Meditative Shakyō tracing of the universal gateway

Meditative Shakyo tracing of the universal gateway

We had a lovely couple of hours of Shakyō Sutra copying, working on the second half of the Lotus Sutra Chapter 25 Bodhisattva of Compassion Universal Gateway (Fumonbonge). It is a fascinating, poetic and visually spectacular chapter, with many interesting characters to discover meanings from, and engage… Read More »Meditative Shakyo tracing of the universal gateway

Brushing Zazen Meditation and Enso Zen Circle

Brushing Zazen Meditation and Enso Zen Circle

We had a peaceful shodo calligraphy session together meditatively brushing. The theme we brushed was Zazen zen sitting meditation, and we preceded this with enso  円相  brushing, which is a great practice in itself and helps you express and feel interconnection with all things and… Read More »Brushing Zazen Meditation and Enso Zen Circle

Exploring the inspiring styles of seal stampmaking

Exploring the inspiring styles of seal stampmaking

We investigated the main styles used in Tenkoku seal engraving, such as tensho or inten, and ancient Chinese mysterious styles such as carved into animal bones or worked into metal, discovering how these were modified and cut into stone, or also brushed onto paper. We… Read More »Exploring the inspiring styles of seal stampmaking

Breathtaking peaks and seas pull us into meditative Shakyo

Breathtaking peaks and seas pull us into meditative Shakyo

‘If you are cast adrift in the huge sea, bothered by troublesome dragons, fish and demons, bring awareness to the power of Kannon (Avalokitesvara Perceiver of the Sounds of the World), and the billows and waves can’t drown you ..’  We had our meditative Shakyō… Read More »Breathtaking peaks and seas pull us into meditative Shakyo

Embracing the Spring breeze at shodo calligraphy

Embracing the Spring breeze at shodo calligraphy 書道

At our monthly zoom shodo calligraphy group Zen Brush we embraced the spring breeze – with 春風 harukaze. There have been signs of spring here now, especially in the mild wind and sunnier days! We brushed harukaze – spring wind – in the kaisho style, the… Read More »Embracing the Spring breeze at shodo calligraphy 書道

Joan

Finding balance and space in seal designs – Tenkoku stampmaking

At our recent seal engraving group we welcomed some new faces, helped them get started with their designs, and we also spent some extra time looking at 基本形 Kihonkei – the basic form. We found many options in the possible forms for 2, 3 and… Read More »Finding balance and space in seal designs – Tenkoku stampmaking

Shodo calligraphy - brushing Shoshin beginner's mind

Shodo calligraphy – brushing Shoshin beginner’s mind

Shodo returned again in the new year of the cow! This month we brushed the characters from the spacious 初心 shoshin meaning first time, heart mind, or commonly as ‘beginner’s mind’. Writing this and discovering more about the deeper meanings of the kanji characters in this… Read More »Shodo calligraphy – brushing Shoshin beginner’s mind