
“ICHIGO ICHIE”(一期一会) Have you ever heard phrase “ICHIGO ICHIE”(一期一会) in Japanese? This is ZEN spirit. It means, “once in a life time meeting”. This spirit comes from the Japanese tea ceremony. The Tea ceremony has a deep connection with ZEN…
“ICHIGO ICHIE”(一期一会) Have you ever heard phrase “ICHIGO ICHIE”(一期一会) in Japanese? This is ZEN spirit. It means, “once in a life time meeting”. This spirit comes from the Japanese tea ceremony. The Tea ceremony has a deep connection with ZEN…
Cherry blossom season has come! It’s a little early for popular kind Sakura “Somei Yoshino”(It’s March 4th today), but different kind of Sakura called “Kawazu Zakura” is already blooming in Tokyo. There are lots of famous spots for Sakura viewing…
Fukuro Obi belts are precious obi belts for Japanese Kimono. They are usually made with silk, having Japanese patterns. Shiny silk threads create beautiful and gorgeous looks. These obi belts can become gorgeous decorations by themselves. Kakejiku style wall decorations…
“Japanese Kakejiku (Kakemono)“ -good luck item “Japanese Kakejiku (Kakemono)” is a hanging scroll used to display and exhibit paintings and calligraphy art. Traditional Japanese rooms usually have a “Tokonoma”- a special space (alcove) to display “Kakejiku”. Most…
Kimono is Japanese traditional fashion and culture. All Japanese people used to wear Kimono every day long time ago, and Kimono was our clothes. But we wear Kimono only occasionally now, especially on special occasions such as weddings, new years,…
I am obsessed with Sakura cherry blossoms. Sakura is Japanese symbol. We admire Sakura cherry blossoms in many ways. Sakura is connected to our Japanese culture deeply. Since ancient time, Japanese people enjoyed watching Sakura, called “Ohanami” (meaning “watch flowers”)…
I was making calligraphy artworks for a while, and soon after, I started using color in my paintings. I love the simplicity of Ink art, just black and white and its gradation color. However, Sakura cherry blossoms should also look…
When I started doing calligraphy again, I did not think about painting. Ink painting (墨絵 Sumie) is well known in Japan, and my grandmother used to do Ink painting art, so it was familiar to me too. Plus I liked…
After receiving calligraphy tools from our grandparents, I started doing calligraphy again. Soon after, I realized doing calligraphy is a good meditation. Calligraphy is one of the main Japanese culture, and related to our history. In our Japanese history, calligraphy…