buDō: Part 1

Practical wisdom from bushido and samurai culture for

the modern world 

Tuesday, March 29, 2022 - 7PM EDT

In this lecture William will share how elements of the Bushido Code have shaped Japanese Culture. The Samurai Code of Bushido has even influenced the West as a model of self-mastery and behavioral bearing. Samurai are a perennial source of admiration and inspiration for martial arts, Samurai films, and popular culture. Few people realize that Samurai Culture was also deeply rooted in spiritual and philosophical traditions. The Bushido Code is also connected to the practice of Zen Arts, such as Calligraphy and Tea Ceremony. While it has left many traces on modern Japanese Society, it also offers practical wisdom for living today. Join us for an engaging talk on Bushido and Self-Mastery in the Modern World.

William Reed is known in Japan as a Renaissance Samurai, for his pursuit over 50 years in Mastery of Sword and Letters (Bunbu Ryodo 文武両道). First coming to Japan as an exchange student at Waseda University in 1972, in over five decades he has achieved the rank of 8th-Dan in Aikido, 10th-Dan in Shodo, and 2-Dan in Iaido. He is currently a Professor at the international College of Liberal Arts (iCLA) near Mt Fuji, where he teaches Samurai Code and Culture, Calligraphy and Kanji Culture, Aikido, and applications of Samurai Culture in a contemporary context. He has appeared as a navigator on numerous documentaries and television programs in Japan about Samurai and Ninja history, including Sekai Fushigi Hakken, Aizu150.com, and NHK Journeys in Japan. He has a series in Japanese and English for Gekkan Hiden and Budo Japan called Brush as Sword of the Mind, in which he examines and paints the calligraphy of many famous Samurai in Japanese history. He was awarded the highest rank of Taisho by the Order of the Scottish Samurai, serves on the Japan Sports Agency’s Committee for Budo Tourism, and is the Yamanashi representative promoting the study and appreciation of Samurai Signatures. He is the Headquarters Vice Chairman of the Japan Calligraphy Education Association, has won numerous awards for calligraphy, and done Calligraphy Commissions for World Heritage Shrines and Temples in Japan, and the Headquarters of an Iaido Dojo. His most recent book is Song of the Brush Dance of the Ink (Morgan James Publishing, May 2022).

William Reed

http://www.samurai-walk.com/

https://www.pickmybrain.world/profiles/william-reed

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