About The Japanese Way of the Artist

H. E. Davey combines a remarkable technical facility in the Japanese art of the brush with a deep understanding of its spiritual profundities. His book offers a marvelous practical introduction to Japanese calligraphy as well as insights into the essence of this art. It is a unique and fascinating presentation of a little-known art of self-cultivation.--Dave Lowry, author of Sword and Brush

Japanese aesthetics

When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something's suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful. ~Barbara Bloom

Read The Japanese Way of the Artist and discover the beauty of Japanese aesthetics and arts.

The Inexpressible

The mediator of the inexpressible is the work of art.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Pick up a copy of The Japanese Way of the Artist to learn how ancient Japanese arts express the inexpressible.

Art is a Way

Art is not a thing; it is a way.

Elbert Hubbard

The idea of art as a Do, or "Way," is an important part of Japanese culture. The Japanese Way of the Artist was written to explain how arts like judo, chado, kado, or shodo function as Ways that can help us realize the right and natural path for human beings.

This book can be ordered at http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Way-Artist-Living-Meditation/dp/1933330074/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294197726&sr=1-1

Happy New Year!

We hope all of the fans of The Japanese Way of the Artist Facebook page and The Japanese Way of the Artist Blog have a very Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

Thanks to all the readers of The Japanese Way of the Artist for their interest and support in 2010. Thanks as well to all our friends for supporting this blog. We hope everyone has very Happy Holidays and a great New Year.

Fudoshin Calligraphy

 

This is H. E. Davey’s calligraphy of fudoshin, or “immovable mind.” You can click on the images to enlarge them.

Fudoshin is the goal of many Japanese arts and forms of meditation. It doesn’t describe a rigid, hardheaded state of mind, but rather a condition of complete mental stability, one that isn’t easily disturbed by whatever comes up in life.

It is painted using sosho and gyosho scripts, in the style of master calligrapher Kobara Ranseki Sensei. This piece of artwork was featured in Furyu magazine, along with the books Brush Meditation and The Japanese Way of the Artist.

All skillful Japanese calligraphy should display a unity of calm and action. In this case, Davey Sensei’s brushwork is so dynamic that it appears to be moving, but each character is still balanced and composed. This is the result of over 25 years of shodo training in the USA and Japan.

You can commission Davey Sensei, The Japanese Way of the Artist author, to create this fudoshin calligraphy for your home, office, or meditation room. He can be contacted at hedavey@aol.com.

H. E. Davey's Calligraphic Art

These two scrolls by Hiseki Davey Sensei were shown at a major exhibition of Japanese calligraphy held in San Francisco in 2000. They also were shown at the Kokusai Shodo Ten in Urayasu, Japan, where they received top awards.

The calligraphy on the left is an example of Davey Sensei's kanji art, and the Chinese characters read, "Rocky mountains are embraced by white clouds." The art on the right is an example of his kana calligraphy, with a large Chinese character meaning "waterfall," which was painted to resemble a waterfall. It reads, "The waterfall no longer flows, but its sound remains in my mind and heart."

Davey Sensei can create similar hanging scrolls for your home or office. Contact him at hedavey@aol.com.

Kobara Ranseki Sensei



The late Kobara Ranseki Sensei was the founder of Ranseki Sho Juku brush calligraphy (shodo). He 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. You can learn about his style of calligraphic art and his remarkable life in The Japanese Way of the Artist. Order your copy here: http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Way-Artist-Living-Meditation/dp/1933330074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288634364&sr=8-1

Illustrations from The Japanese Way of the Artist

Japanese Calligraphy

Hiseki Davey Sensei, is known to readers throughout the world as the acclaimed author H. E. Davey, the creator of Brush Meditation, Living the Japanese Arts & Ways, The Japanese Way of the Artist, and other works. Davey Sensei can be commissioned to create distinctive calligraphic art for your home, office, or commercial use.

He can be contacted at hedavey@aol.com or reached by telephone at

510-526-7518.

Flower Arrangement

The Japanese Way of the Flower: Ikebana as Moving Meditation is one of three out of print books by H. E. Davey that is included in The Japanese Way of the Artist. You can purchase The Japanese Way of the Artist at your local bookstore or from Amazon.com.

Learn how to create your own classic Japanese flower arrangments.... Discover meditation in the midst of art and action.