Shiseido

Shiseido

SHISEIDO NY

— Over 1,000 years ago at Mount Koya, Japan, a monk named Kobo Daishi discovered the healing powers of the legendary Enmei herbs that have the effect of rejuvenating the skin.  I performed a large floor piece of calligraphy inspired by Mount Koya and created 6 canvas arts:  “Harmony”, “Zen”,  “Flow”, “Cherry Blossom”, “Harmony, Respect, Purity, Tranquility”, and “Moon” to be put on display and another 150 pieces to serve as giveaways for the guests.

RAINBOW BRIDGE at Park Hotel Tokyo

RAINBOW BRIDGE at Park Hotel Tokyo

TOKYO, JAPAN

— Live Performance with Pianist Greg Mckenzie at the Park Hotel Tokyo, his sound is very soulful with influences from many styles and cultures, ranging from western classical music to Japanese nursery rhymes.

Middlebury College

Middlebury College

MIDDLEBURY, VT, March 6 and 7, 2014

— Performed The Tale of Genji, a novel by Murasaki Shikibu, a classic work of Japanese literature in the early years of the 11th century.  The work is written in Manyogana, an early Japanese syllabary composed of Chinese characters used phonetically.

Wayou / 和洋

Wayou / 和洋

wayou

NEW YORK, NY
— Into Project: The history of Japanese calligraphy developed under the influence of Chinese calligraphy techniques.  As Japanese culture and social systems evolved in the mid-Heian period (around the 10th century), the renowned calligraphers Ono no Tofu, Fujiwara no Sari, and Fujiwara no Kozei established the style of calligraphy named Wayou (Lit. Japanese-style).  From then on, the tradition of Wayou became central to the history of calligraphy in Japan.

 

Genji monogatari

 

A prominent feature of Wayou is the ancient writing system named Manyogana, which employs Chinese characters to phonetically represent the Japanese language.  The characters used in Manyogana look exactly like their Chinese counterparts, but no longer carry their original meaning.  Rather, they represent the sounds of the syllables used in the Japanese language, analogous to how Hiragana and Katakana are used today.

In this exhibition shodo artist Masako Inkyo will introduce the Manyogana writing system in the form of a classic work of Japanese literature named Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji).  This work was written entirely in Manyogana by the Japanese noble woman and lady-in-making Murasaki Shikibu in the early years of the 11th century, around the peak of the Heian period.  It is sometimes called the world’s first novel, the first modern novel and the first psychological novel and presents a unique depiction of the livelihoods of high courtiers during the Heian period.

 

 

Shooting Star at the Park Hotel Tokyo

Shooting Star at the Park Hotel Tokyo

Jazzセッションパークホテル東京 2013
SHOOTING STAR AT THE PARK HOTEL TOKYO – Live Performance with pianist Greg Mckenzie

— In the performance in Shooting Star, the black background symbolizes the galaxy while the golden specks are hiragana characters that are the countless stars in the sky. The lone golden streak is a shooting star amongst regular stars and is followed underneath by kanji script that says “dreams”.