Joy Is at Your Feet.
収穫不問 Shukaku wo towazu Do not concern yourself with how much you will yield. 常楽耕耘 Tsuneni koun wo tanoshimuFind joy in the...
One Movement, One Focus
一動作、一注意 Our bodies are much less static, and more fluid. This is my relatively recent, surprising and delightful discovery. The...
Your North Star
“Where is your North Star?” he asks me. “Keep your eye on it when you write.” “I am trying to find one through my interviews!” I...
Joy Is at Your Feet.
収穫不問 Shukaku wo towazu Do not concern yourself with how much you will yield. 常楽耕耘 Tsuneni koun wo tanoshimuFind joy in the process of cultivation. It's hard to tell in text like this, whether he was telling his apprentices or speaking to himself. I suppose both. He...
One Movement, One Focus
一動作、一注意 Our bodies are much less static, and more fluid. This is my relatively recent, surprising and delightful discovery. The discovery was made during my morning stretch. I discovered that my body could bend further forward with something as subtle as a breath. At...
Your North Star
“Where is your North Star?” he asks me. “Keep your eye on it when you write.” “I am trying to find one through my interviews!” I say. I was sensing where he was going, and wanted to wriggle out of the gravity of it. “Well, you can always find it in the sky if you...
What We Leave in the Locker Room
I was soaking in a lukewarm natural hot spring at Tenzan. It was late afternoon on a weekday. Although the place was almost packed for that time of day, the atmosphere felt relaxed. I saw a group of tourists gazing at the misty mountains surrounding us, in admiration....
A Word from a Late Starter
"Weaving comes down to the weaver,And the weaver is determined by his/her heart." Why? Because... "As long as the firm foundation is there, any skills or techniques, no matter how extreme or other-worldly, can be built upon it." He also said, "One's technique or skill...
The Weight of Fourteen Stencils
≪日本語が続きます≫ ”I never really know until I see it, and even then, I don't think I fully understand...” That was the feeling I had when I finally visited Shiro Nakano in his workshop this past April. To give a sense of the vastness and depth of the craft that makes me...
Grandpa Lost His Horse.
“Why can’t you be happy when you’re meant to be?” The idea of suppressing emotions repelled me: it felt as though taking away all the juice of life, leaving boring and dry pulps.
What You Make Makes Who You Are
because he is the craftsman of urushiware, who knows what’s important is usually hidden beneath, and that only time will show.
Unsui – Superman
Mastering Life Unsui（雲水） is a monk in training; he goes around one temple to the other, in search of his master, or he stays in Sodo, a temple space dedicated to their training. After a certain period, they become supermen. This is a little sneaky peek into how...