Takuan Soho was the prototypical early Edo monk scholar with a sharp, witty, and untamed spirit. Dressed in a monk’s robe he pursued erudition in the broadest sense. He not only studied Buddhist texts but also the Chinese classics. Takuan also excelled in various arts. He was a painter, poet, writer, calligrapher, gardener, and a tea master. And he was the advisor, confidant, and the teacher of noblemen, among them the famous swordsman Yagyu Munenori and, some say the legenda

If one day you would want to get away from your fancy, feverish, frantic urban life, where would you go? Where would you hope to find a remote, quiet, and contemplative place? - Maybe in the mountains. For centuries, the mountains offered all the blessings a civilized human being was longing for. But Deiryu experienced something completely different. On this tea bowl he draws a different picture. He has written a so called “One Word Barrier” (Jap.: ichiji kan), a form of a Ze

When tea is poured into a teacup flowers bloom inside the cup. Move the teacup or pick it up and all of the flower petals scatter and...

"Matsuo Basho was one of the most famous Zen poets of Japan, who alerts us to the neglected beauty and interest of everyday life, and thereby reconciles us with our own circumstances." SCHOOL OF LIFE on youtube - This video has been posted two years ago but back then this blog didn't exist. - Also check this: Matsuo Basho | Poem