My mom told me that when I was around 7 years old, is the first time I said that I wanted to go to Japan. She said there were some foreign exchange students that visited my school from various countries and she thinks that is what inspired me at the time.

I don't remember this at all.

I also can't remember when interest in Japanese culture really began. I just gradually started noticing that I was interested in more and more things that originated from Japan. However, I do remember when the idea and dream to experience living in Japan became more of a determination. It was while I was a student still at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington.

Discovering Japanese Woodblock Printmaking (Moku-hanga)

I majored in printmaking in college and I am a printmaker on the other side of the Pacific Ocean now, but back in my early stage of college, it is strange to look back at how I almost didn't choose printmaking at all and how different my life might be if I didn't.

In the arts college I attended, everyone is required to take 3 different art courses in the sophomore year of various mediums offered before narrowing down to 1 or 2 for a major.

We were introduced to a little bit of every medium in the first year, but only linocut was our exposure to printmaking. Some do enjoy it and get nice results, but I didn't enjoy the textures of the materials and wasn't really satisfied with the printed results. At some point though, I was having a conversation with a sophomore in the Printmaking department about my dislike of linocut, and she told me about moku-hanga. Wood carving and the way in which the wood interacts with the ink seemed like it would be a better experience, and it was. I loved working with wood and I love beautiful handmade papers, so I found my art medium to focus on. I also did some copper etching throughout my degree.

Influences Leading to becoming a Japanese Woodblock Printmaker in Japan

There were two main influences that brought me to Japan--my studying philosophy and a talk given by a Japanese hanga artist at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). I was taking as many philosophy classes as I could throughout my art degree, which still continue to influence me everyday. It was that along with a winter night in 2007 that I remember well. The SAM was hosting the, "Japan Envisions the West" program events. I was in my second year of art school, when I went to one of the talks in the program by a hanga artist from Japan, Hirokazu Kosaka. I think I also remember him mentioning he was a Buddhist priest.

I arrived a bit early and was able to have conversation with him before the talk. I think I remember telling him I was studying Moku-hanga as a printmaking major at Cornish.

During the talk, he shared many stories about Japan. I remember some stories created beautiful images in my mind of the temples and shrines, and the arts of Japan.

He also had many stories about a collection of calligraphy brushes he had brought and showed. Many of the brushes had been passed down from multiple generations. The calligraphy brushes held stories of how they were made, what they were made from, and memories of those he was with when the brush was made from found materials. There was one I think I remember of when he was walking along a beach with his father or grandfather and they came across something on the beach that could be made into a calligraphy brush.

A new way of seeing through the Japanese language and writing system

After stories shared about the calligraphy brushes, I remembered he explained how the Japanese language and writing system worked in comparison to English.

I witnessed a completely different way of seeing and thinking as he wrote and explained kanji on the whiteboard. I was completely mesmerized. I immediately wished I could switch my language to Japanese from English. I wanted to learn and see more.

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world”

Ludwig Wittgenstein

At the end of the talk, I was able to have the opportunity to talk to him again and thank him.

Completely unexpectedly, he looked at his collection of brushes on the table, picked one up and gave it to me. I was so moved by his kindness.

The brush he gave me, was one of hardly any possessions I carried along with me when I finally made it to Japan.

I had only brought a couple carry-on bags and checked on a really small box with my moku-hanga carving knives.

I remember when I walked out of the museum, I looked up at the clear night sky for a while before catching a bus home. I remember the feeling of this being an influencial turning point in my life for the choices that were later to come.

The exposure to another way of seeing through language and opening new perspectives through studying philosophy, sparked a need to learn more by being immersed in another country and culture.

I also wanted to learn more about traditional Japanese art and Moku-hanga methods. I was using Japanese tools, but aside from my own self-study, the program I was in dominatly focused on Western art and methods.

Some time after that, I decided I wanted to study abroad during my time at Cornish, but the abroad programs offered, were all Western countries. They said they could work with a university in Tokyo, but it would have been far too expensive.

I decided to carry the dream instead, that someday I would work and live in Japan, learn the language on my own, and hopefully find a way to continue learning moku-hanga.

Almost 10 years later

I was in the Japanese consulate in San Francisco looking at Hokusai prints in complete awe, while waiting for my turn to get my visa for Japan. After I got my visa I went back for one more look, but they were closing soon for lunch. A kind employee let me stay longer though, since he could see I was so awe-stricken.

It was difficult to believe that soon after getting my visa, I would be living overseas in Japan for the first time. I was also my first time to visit really visit anywhere outside of America aside from just over the boarder in Canada as a kid.

The plane trip was long and I couldn’t sleep at all, I was so excited and a little nervous to even find my way from the airport to where I was staying the first night.

Coming to Japan a long and difficult journey. However, I am now studying moku-hanga from a master carver in Tokyo. I hope to share many stories of my journy learning traditional carving and printing in Japan.