Tora-o-Maru. Day Three.

Henrik sailed through our first engagement with flying colors. Three hours a day for three days in a row, not complaining , not flinching, merely accepting. The path to walk to acomplishment! It's hard to believe we only spent nine hours so far on this piece. This includes making the stencil of Tora-o-Maru himself, drawing the rest on with a marker, setting up and breaking down the workspace three times, legstretches, toiletbreaks, coffee sipping, bandaging three times and of course the actual work of inserting the ink into the skin. I am proud! Henrik's proud! My wife is proud! Hell, even the crows in the old three out the back of the studio are proud!

Every day is a good day, indeed!

Tora-o-Maru. Day Two.

Henrik Stood up well to the enclosing walls of possible defeat, and we managed to get a lot of the upper background design in there, as well even start the Bokashi (shading). Tomorrow we'll concentrate on just bokashi. I really enjoy when an Irezumi piece is created at this speed! Total concentration and full inspiration.

Tora-o-Maru. Day One.

Henrik flew up from Falkenberg (southwest of Sweden) in order to start his Irezumi backpiece.
He's young but determined and have chosen to image of Tora-o-Maru and his tiger. An odd design indeed but very powerful. I've based Tora-o-Maru on a woodblock print designed by Utagawa Kunisada. The Tora (tiger) is entirely my own design.
This is what we did in two hours yesterday afternoon. How much can we push in there today? Henrik's got fantastic skin and terrific stamina, so I'll guess we'll be able to get ahead well.

I'll show you more tomorrow.

Kyoto in Shades of Gray; Kenninji Revisited.

I have lost track of how many times I've been to Kenninji. It's the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto and Dogen Zenji stayed here for a while. I often wander around here experiencing the worn floorboards through my worn socks.
I am usually by myself, which is the way to welcome Kenninji. I have a strong longing for these enviroments.
In my house, my dusty meditation cushion mocks me like a drunk little fat man.
One day.

Kyoto in Shades of Gray; September Moon over Myoshinji Temple

The first evening Horikitsune-san and I spent at Shunkoin Temple (Myoshinji Rinzai Zen Temple Complex) in Kyoto we went for a walk around the grounds before dinner. We were struck with the beauty of the moonlight pouring down over the serene buddhist temple landscape. We made desperate attempts to capture it with our cameras and sometimes we came pretty close.
I distinctly remember the feeling of being in some woodblock print by Kawase Hasui.