Exhibition location: Nagoya Kanko Hotel SYORYU (2nd floor)
The Heart of Zen, the Soul of Martial Arts
As its title suggests, this work brings together two seemingly opposing states of mind—stillness and motion—within a single screen. The luminous gold leaf ground symbolizes light and permanence, while the sweeping brushstrokes evoke the flash of a sword and the Zen state of mushin (no-mind). In this way, the work suggests that the spirit of Zen, cultivated through quiet self-reflection, and the spirit of the martial arts, revealed in a single decisive moment, ultimately spring from the same source.
Hiroto Rakusho
Born in Nishijin, Kyoto, in 1962. A gold leaf artist and traditional craftsman, Rakusho inherited the traditional techniques of gold leaf artistry from his father, a master hikihaku artisan in Nishijin. With a desire to share the beauty of Japanese gold leaf craftsmanship with the world, he has exhibited his works internationally as a distinctive gold leaf artist. He has also participated in the restoration of important cultural properties, including folding screens and sliding door paintings at historic temples and shrines such as Kenninji Temple.
