{"product_id":"9781568365787","title":"Zen Brushwork: Focusing the Mind with Calligraphy and Painting","description":"With its bold strokes and mystic aura, Zen calligraphy has   fascinated Westerners for decades, yet it remains an abstract, rarely practiced   form of expression outside of Asia. Now, master calligrapher Tanchu Terayama   explains the techniques behind this subtle art and offers step-by-step   instructions for practicing it on a professional level.   \u003cp\u003e  After introducing the basics, Terayama presents a unique meditative warm-up   to establish the proper mental attitude needed to release one's creative   energies. Next, the power of the brushed line is explained and demonstrated. What   makes a good line or a bad one, an expressive effort or an unfocused one?   Lessons on brushing symbolic Japanese characters follow, including those for   \"emptiness,\" \"nothingness,\" and \"flower.\" The painting section shows readers how to   draw the spare yet elegant pictorial themes of this classic art: bamboo, plum   blossoms, Mount Fuji, and the inspirational Zen priest Daruma.   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e  If the exercises are the heart of the book, the Appreciation section is the   soul. This chapter introduces classic works from renowned priests and other   historical figures, including Miyamoto Musashi (the celebrated swordsman and   author of \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Five Rings\u003c\/i\u003e), Morihei Ueshiba (the founder of aikido), Jigoro Kano (the father of judo), and Zen priest Hakuin. Each masterpiece is   accompanied by penetrating commentary on the strengths and salient features of the   work.   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e  Rarely has Zen calligraphy been demonstrated and discussed with such candor   and insight. Illuminating yet another side of Zen, Zen Brushwork will be an   invaluable source to those interested in meditation, Zen, Buddhism, the martial   arts, and Oriental traditions in general. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e    \u003cb\u003eAbout the Authors:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  Tanchu Terayama is a professor at Nishogakusha University   and the co-author of \u003ci\u003eZen and the Art of Calligraphy\u003c\/i\u003e. His collection of   historic calligraphy was the subject of an exhibition at the Victoria \u0026amp; Albert   Museum in London.   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e  Thomas F. Judge is a Japanese-English translator now based in the San   Francisco area. He has lived in Kanazawa, Osaka, and Tokyo, where he pursued his   interest in Japanese crafts. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eEdo Craftsmen: Master Artisans of   Old Tokyo\u003c\/i\u003e, a look at living craftspeople working in traditional crafts.   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e  John Stevens is Professor of Buddhist Studies, as well as Aikido Instructor,   at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai, Japan. He has been associated with   Tanchu Terayama for nearly thirty years and has written a biography of Yamaoka   Tesshu, The Sword of No-Sword, as well as many other books on various aspects of   Asian culture.   \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kodansha USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47055971516656,"sku":"9781568365787","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781568365787_p0.jpg?v=1763792319","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781568365787","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}