Getting Started

We typically start new students at the beginning of each month. To preserve the quality of our classes, all instruction is semi-private in nature, and only a small number of students are accepted each month. Actual private lessons are available as well at mutually convenient times.

You are welcome to visit our dojo to ask questions, buy books, pick up a class and fee schedule, or watch a class. However, visits are by appointment. To set up an appointment to visit or register for upcoming classes, please call 510-526-7518 (evenings). If a class is in progress, you may get the answering machine. If so, leave a message, and we’ll call you as soon as the class ends.

We’re located at 1053 San Pablo Ave. in Albany, which is between Berkeley and El Cerrito. We are also conveniently located next to a major bus stop. A map can be found at http://www.senninfoundation.com/.

We hope you’ll join us in studying Japanese yoga and various time-honored Japanese arts. Such a study helps you to realize a different way of living that embodies harmony, peaceful coexistence, and the realization of your full potential.

Brush Calligraphy at the Sennin Foundation Center

Shodo means the “way of calligraphy,” and it is one of the most respected ancient Japanese fine arts. Painted with a brush, Japanese calligraphy uses centuries old kanji (“Chinese characters”), which due to their pictographic nature have similarities to abstract expressionism. Balance, grace, dignity, dynamic movement, and the beauty of line combine to create an ink painting of the mind that people all over the world have come to admire.

The Sennin Foundation Center presents you with an opportunity to study genuine Japanese shodo—an art rarely taught outside of Japan—for artistic expression and moving meditation. Students study kanji and kana—a phonetic script—along with classical ink painting. You’ll also learn to brush age-old haiku and waka poems, sometimes with accompanying ink and water painted illustrations. And shodo is a fun way to study Japanese language and learn about Japanese culture.

H. E. Davey Sensei is the author of Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony and Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty (both Stone Bridge Press). He is a top student of the late Kobara Ranseki Sensei of Kyoto, the founder of Ranseki Sho Juku calligraphy. He received the highest rank in Ranseki Sho Juku brush writing, and he exhibits his artwork annually at the International Shodo Exhibition in Japan, where he received Jun Taisho, the “Associate Grand Prize,” among many other awards. Davey Sensei’s artwork has been featured in numerous American and Japanese magazines and newspapers.

Martial Arts at the Sennin Foundation Center

The Sennin Foundation Center presents instruction in Saigo Ryu aiki-jujutsu, a traditional and non-competitive martial art. While many people in the West use “jujutsu” to describe their art of self-defense, most of these methods bear little resemblance to the original Japanese systems of jujutsu, Japan’s oldest martial art. Both aikido and judo stem from jujutsu, and our dojo is one of few in the USA to present classes in authentic Japanese jujutsu.

Our classes feature a wide variety of effective throwing, pinning, and grappling techniques stemming from older methods originating in the Aizu-Wakamatsu area of present day Japan. However, Saigo Ryu is a sogo bujutsu, an “integrated martial system,” and it also features advanced training in the martial arts of the sword, spear, staff, short stick, iron fan, and others. While training is vigorous, and while the practiced techniques are effective, the emphasis is on subduing an opponent without unneeded injury. Students improve their health while learning martial arts as moving meditation, which helps them to stay calm in action and under pressure.


H. E. Davey Sensei is the author of Unlocking the Secrets of Aiki-jujutsu (McGraw-Hill), and he began studying this art at just five years old. He received the rank/title of Nihon Jujutsu Kyoshi from the Kokusai Budoin, which defines Kyoshi as a “Master’s certificate and equal to modern ranks of 6th to 8th degree black belt.” Kokusai Budoin was founded over 50 years ago in Japan, where it is affiliated with the Japanese Imperial Family, and where it functions as an international federation for most martial arts. In 1995, he and his students became the first Westerners permitted to give their own demonstration of aiki-jujutsu at the Kokusai Budoin’s annual All-Japan Martial Arts Exhibition. Davey Sensei is also on the Board of Directors of the Shudokan Martial Arts Association (http://www.smaa-hq.com/), which has given him a 7th degree black belt and a Shihan teaching license.

Healing Arts at the Sennin Foundation Center

In Asia all living things are thought to be manifestations of one universal life force called ki. The existence of plants, animals, and people is maintained by, and composed of, this all-embracing ki. When ki is strong and flowing freely, health is maintained. But when it weakens, illness and depression often result. Special healing methods are then needed to restore ki, a concept we can liken to one’s “spirit” or “life energy.”

Sennin Ryoji, the “Sennin Foundation Healing Methods,” strengthen ki to overcome tension, illness, and injury. Various massage-like techniques are coupled with procedures for dynamically transferring ki from the therapist to the patient using gentle pressure from the thumbs, fingertips, and palms. This is Yuki, the “Transfusion of Ki,” and it can be compared to jumpstarting a car’s depleted battery.

H. E. Davey Sensei began studying this healing art under experienced Japanese teachers while still in middle school. He has since taught innumerable people how to regain their health and how to help others to do the same. The methods he teaches stem from the hitori massage (self-massage and healing) of the original Shin-shin-toitsu-do of Nakamura Tempu Sensei, the modified versions of Shin-shin-toitsu-do created by some of Nakamura Sensei’s students, and the Yuki of Noguchi Haruchika Sensei. He has studied under direct students of these remarkable healers, both in the Japan and the USA.

Japanese Yoga at the Sennin Foundation Center

Shin-shin-toitsu-do is the form of Japanese yoga and meditation offered at the Sennin Foundation Center. Shin-shin-toitsu-do means “The Way of Mind and Body Unification,” and it was founded in the early 1900s by Nakamura Tempu Sensei. Nakamura Sensei lived in India, where he studied Raja yoga, the yoga of meditation. After an extensive study of medicine at Columbia University, he blended Indian forms of meditation and health improvement with his background in medicine, psychology, Japanese healing arts and meditation, and Japanese martial arts. He taught for many years in Japan, authored several best-selling books, and counted among his students a large number of Japan’s top executives, politicians, fine artists, athletes, martial artists, and people from every walk of life. But few Westerners have as yet been exposed to these extraordinary teachings.

H. E. Davey Sensei, Director of the Sennin Foundation Center, has studied with several of Nakamura Sensei’s top students, including Hashimoto Tetsuichi Sensei and Sawai Atsuhiro Sensei. Both teachers are Senior Advisors to the Sennin Foundation Center, and Davey Sensei began studying Shin-shin-toitsu-do as a child. He is the acclaimed author of Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation (Stone Bridge Press), which has been featured in Yoga Journal in the U.S. and Tempu magazine in Japan, and he’s a member of Tempu-Kai, the Japanese association that preserves the legacy of Nakamura Sensei.

Shin-shin-toitsu-do offers you practical forms of seated and moving meditation, breathing methods for health, stretching exercises, autosuggestion for altering negative habits, and self-healing techniques that are little-known in the West. You, like many of our students, may experience profoundly enhanced levels of concentration, willpower, calmness, relaxation, and physical fitness.

Make a positive and life-altering decision. Consider adding Shin-shin-toitsu-do to your life, and discover a way of living rooted in health, happiness, and harmony. Contact www.senninfoundation.com to register for classes.

The Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts

H. E. Davey Sensei established the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts in 1981. Since then, we’ve offered instruction in Japanese systems of yoga, healing arts and bodywork, martial arts, and brush calligraphy/ink painting. Our primary focus is Shin-shin-toitsu-do, a unique form of Japanese yoga and meditation, which features distinctive principles of mind and body unification that can strengthen performance in most any activity. Our supplemental and optional classes in Japanese healing arts, martial arts, and fine arts also use these powerful principles that lead to mind and body harmony.

Our dojo, or classical Japanese training hall, is affiliated with various associations in Japan and has ties to the Japanese community in the Bay Area. Our affordable classes are easily understood by the average American, but at the same time, they are not commercialized, Americanized, or watered down. Well-trained and certified teachers offer you expert and authentic instruction in traditional Japanese arts.

You can read about the Sennin Foundation Center at http://www.senninfoundation.com/. And you can learn about Japanese cultural arts in general at Michi Online: http://www.michionline.org/. Both Michi Online and the Sennin Foundation Center are associated with the Sennin Foundation, Inc., a federally tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation devoted to preserving and promoting Japanese arts.

Healing Arts Instruction Offered

The Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts in Albany, California is offering a combined healing arts program featuring Japanese yoga (Shin-shin-toitsu-do) and a method of bodywork called yuki. Class times are Monday from 7:00 to 8:30 PM, Tuesday and Thursday from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, and Saturday from 8:45 to 9:45 AM.

This program has been ongoing since 1981, and it is affiliated with the Sennin Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization (#94-3239602). Classes take place in small groups, with personalized instruction offered by H. E. Davey and his staff of certified teachers. Students learn Shin-shin-toitsu-do, a form of yoga and health improvement founded by Nakamura Tempu Sensei in the early 1900s. Since then over one million people, largely in Japan, have studied this art’s unique versions of seated meditation, moving meditation, breathing exercises, healing arts, and autosuggestion methods for positively changing the subconscious mind.

Students also study yuki, a method of transferring ki (“life energy”) from the therapist to the patient by applying pressure using the thumbs, fingertips, and palms. This healing art is an extension of the mind and body unification principles taught in the Japanese yoga program, and it has proven useful for treating a variety of injuries and ailments.

H. E. Davey’s classes emphasize Japanese yoga and healing arts as a way of realizing better health, concentration, willpower, confidence, and calmness. He is the author of numerous books about Japanese cultural arts, including Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation, Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty, and others.

The Sennin Foundation Center is located at 1053 San Pablo Ave. in Albany. Visits are by appointment. For more information call 510-526-7518 (evenings). The Sennin Foundation Center can be reached on the Internet at http://www.senninfoundation.com/.

Japanese Yoga & Martial Arts for Kids

JAPANESE YOGA & MARTIAL ARTS FOR KIDS
By
H. E. Davey

In 1981, I founded the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts, and located this new enterprise in a small commercial space on Solano Avenue. We are presently located at 1053 San Pablo Avenue in Albany, California.

The Sennin Foundation Center offers instruction in Japanese systems of yoga, martial arts, healing arts, and fine arts. All classes are semi-private in nature, with private lessons being available as well, and we have a distinctly noncommercial approach to the teaching of classical Asian arts of self-mastery. One of our most successful endeavors has been our special Japanese yoga and martial arts program from children.

Celebrating its 27th anniversary, our program has helped hundreds of kids age five and above to realize greater confidence, calmness, concentration, and willpower. This is accomplished through two unique disciplines, art forms rarely taught outside of Japan. Children at the Sennin Foundation Center study the Shin-shin-toitsu-do method of Japanese yoga and meditation as well as the time-honored martial art of Saigo Ryu aiki-jujutsu.

Shin-shin-toitsu-do was founded in the early 1920s by Nakamura Tempu Sensei, who had returned to Japan after studying yoga in India. He formed an organization known as the Tempu-Kai, and the Sennin Foundation Center is the only group in the United States to have an affiliation with this organization. This distinctive form of Japanese yoga features many forms of seated meditation, moving meditation, breathing exercises, healing arts, and stretching methods. It’s an ideal way for students of any age to unify the mind and body as a way of realizing their full potential in daily life.

Aiki-jujutsu, a traditional martial art, also emphasizes mind and body harmony. It features throwing, pinning, and grappling techniques that focus on dynamic, but ultimately non-injurious, control of an attacker. Many martial arts instead feature offensive techniques that would cause great bodily harm if applied in a schoolyard shoving match. Such martial arts may not be the best choose for a parent concerned about the legal, social, and ethical ramifications of the self-defense system his child is learning.

However, some so-called “nonviolent martial arts” instruction is nonviolent largely because it would be ineffective in real combat. Aiki-jujutsu, as taught at the Sennin Foundation Center, is noncompetitive and defensive in nature. Nonetheless, it also features powerful and efficient self-protection skills—methods that still allow for effectively controlling an opponent without causing serious and permanent injury.

In 1992, a group of young people from our dojo, or “training hall,” performed the first aiki-jujutsu demonstration ever given by Western children at the esteemed Kokusai Budoin Sogo Budo Taikai. This annual all-Japan martial arts demonstration is held in Tokyo and sponsored by the Kokusai Budoin, a worldwide martial arts federation, which is over 50 years old, and which is endorsed by the Japanese Imperial Family.

Authentic Japanese jujutsu—of any form, including aiki-jujutsu—is infrequently found outside of Asia. The Kokusai Budoin HQ in Japan internationally certifies many of the black belt instructors at our dojo.

A number of kids have continued in our program for years, some even becoming adult teachers of Japanese yoga and/or martial arts themselves. We’re rather proud of this, and we also have separate classes in Japanese forms of yoga, healing arts, brush calligraphy, and martial arts for Mom and Dad. Rates for the whole family and individuals are reasonable.

Since forming the Sennin Foundation Center in 1981, I’ve had a number of books released by mainstream publishers about what we teach. Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation, Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty, Unlocking the Secrets of Aiki-jujutsu, and my other books offer readers a glimpse of what we practice. Our dojo is affiliated with the Sennin Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization, which also educates the public about Japanese arts of self-perfection via its website http://www.michionline.org/.

In honor of our 27 years in the Bay Area, we’re offering kids a chance to try Japanese yoga and martial arts for free for one month (with the purchase of a $22 uniform). We hope both parents and young people will join us in practicing at our dojo.

About the Author: H. E. Davey is the Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts. A recognized authority, he is the author of six books on Japanese classical art forms, and readers can find out more about him and the Sennin Foundation Center by visiting http://www.senninfoundation.com/. To visit, call 510-526-7518 (evenings) to make an appointment.

More About "The Japanese Way of the Artist"

The Japanese Way of the Artist: Living the Japanese Arts & Ways, Brush Meditation, The Japanese Way of the Flower

By H. E. Davey
512 pp
6 x 7.75"
Paperback
135 B&W illustrations and photographs
ISBN 978-1-933330-07-5
$19.95

Now in a single volume, three essential works on Japanese aesthetics, spirituality, and meditation.

Living the Japanese Arts & Ways:

45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty
“Davey uses words with clarity and simplicity to describe the non-word realm of practicing these arts-calligraphy, martial arts, tea ceremony, painting-and the spiritual meaning of such practice. . . . A wonderful complement for practitioners of meditation, especially Zen.”
Publishers Weekly

The Michi Mission: From chado—“the Way of tea”—to budo—“the martial Way”—Japan has succeeded in spiritualizing a number of classical arts. The names of these skills often end in Do, also pronounced Michi, meaning the “Way.” By studying a Way in detail, we discover vital principles that transcend the art and relate more broadly to the art of living itself. . . . Books in the Stone Bridge Press series Michi: Japanese Arts and Ways focus on these Do forms. They are about discipline and spirituality, about moving from the particular to the universal.

The three works anthologized here are essential to understanding the spiritual, meditative, and physical basis of all classical Japanese creative and martial arts. Living the Japanese Arts & Ways covers key concepts—like wabi and “stillness in motion”—while the other two books show the reader how to use brush calligraphy (shodo) and flower arranging (ikebana) to achieve mind-body unification.

In the Michi series, H. E. Davey explores the mind/body connection that lies at the heart of traditional Japanese arts and culture. Mr. Davey is Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts in the San Francisco Bay Area.

You can order The Japanese Way of the Artist here: http://www.amazon.com/.

About "The Japanese Way of the Artist"

The Japanese Way of the Artist is a collection of three of H. E. Davey Sensei's most popular books. It's published by Stone Bridge Press (www.stonebridge.com). Included in a single volume are:

* Living the Japanese Arts and Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty
* Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony
* The Japanese Way of the Flower: Ikebana as Moving Meditation

The three works anthologized here are essential to understanding the spiritual, meditative, and physical basis of all classical Japanese crafts, fine arts, and martial arts. Living the Japanese Arts & Ways covers key concepts—like wabi and “stillness in motion”—while the other two books show the reader how to use brush calligraphy (shodo) and flower arranging (ikebana) to achieve mind-body unification. Illustrated with diagrams, drawings, and photographs.

You can pick up a copy of this unique book here: http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Way-Artist-Living-Meditation/dp/1933330074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211999045&sr=8-

More About "Japanese Yoga"

Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation

By H. E. Davey

Stone Bridge Press

ISBN 1-880656-60-4

224 pages $18.95

Emphasizing gentle stretching and meditation exercises, the ultimate goal of Japanese yoga (Shin-shin-toitsu-do) is enhanced mind/body integration, calmness, and willpower for a healthier and fuller life. Developed by Nakamura Tempu Sensei in the early 1900s from Indian Raja yoga, Japanese martial arts and meditation practices, as well as Western medicine and psychotherapy, Japanese yoga offers a new approach to experienced yoga students and a natural methodology that newcomers will find easy to learn.

In Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation, after a brief history of Shin-shin-toitsu-do, H. E. Davey Sensei presents Mr. Nakamura's Four Basic Principles to Unify Mind and Body. These principles relate the meditative experience to the movement of everyday living and thus make it a "dynamic meditation." Each of the Four Basic Principles is illustrated with step-by-step explanations of practical experiments.Readers are then introduced to different forms of seated and moving meditation, health exercises, and self-healing arts. All these are linked back to the Four Basic Principles and can enhance performance in art, music, business, sports, and other activities. Readers learn to use Japanese yoga techniques throughout the day, without having to sit on the floor or seek out a quiet space.

Included at the end of the book are simple but effective stretching exercises, information about ongoing practice, and a glossary and reference section. Amply illustrated and cogently presented, Japanese Yoga belongs on every mind/body/spirit reading list.

For a limited time only, the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts is offering autographed copies of H. E. Davey Sensei's landmark book Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation for just $18.95. These are BRAND NEW copies of an out of print book, which is becoming increasingly hard to find and going up in price.

About the book "Japanese Yoga"

Based on the eclectic Western-Eastern teachings of Nakamura Tempu Sensei, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation is a step-by-step introduction to Japanese yoga (Shin-shin-toitsu-do). It presents stretching, healing, and meditation exercises designed for mind/body integration. It is the first book in English to detail the life and teachings of Nakamura Sensei. In Japanese yoga, which is based on mind and body unification principles, the ultimate goal is enhanced concentration, calmness, and willpower for a longer, healthier, and fuller life. H. E. Davey Sensei also shows how Japanese yoga relates to various classical Japanese arts as part of a tradition of spiritual practice with spiritual and aesthetic roots in India, Japan, and the West. Illustrated, with a glossary and reference section.

The book is now out of print, but a limited number of new, signed copies can be obtained here: http://www.senninfoundation.com/davey_yoga.html

Sennin Foundation Offers Kids a Free Trial Month

For a limited time only, the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts is offering a free month of instruction for children age five and above. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and you'd like to get more details about this offer, visit http://www.senninfoundation.com/ or call 510-526-7518 (evenings).

The Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts has a special program for children. Since 1981, we've specialized in teaching young people traditional Japanese yoga and martial arts via fun, carefully structured classes. These classes present effective methods of controlling an opponent without excessive violence, and our overall emphasis focuses on the realization of each child's full potential. We stress learning to unite the mind and body in daily activities through practicing Japanese yoga and martial arts (jujutsu), which can in turn result in the discovery of our greatest human power.

Japanese Yoga & Martial Arts for Children

The Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts offers a special program for children ages five and above. Since 1981, we've specialized in teaching young people traditional Japanese yoga and martial arts via fun, carefully structured classes. These classes present effective methods of controlling an opponent without excessive violence, and our overall emphasis focuses on the realization of each child's full potential. We stress learning to unite the mind and body in daily activities through practicing Japanese yoga and martial arts, which can in turn result in the discovery of our greatest human power.

H. E. Davey Sensei and our instructional staff are black belt instructors, certified in Japan, who have extensive experience working with children. In fact, a number of the kids in our classes have visited Japan and demonstrated martial arts at the Kokusai Budoin Sogo Budo Taikai, an annual all-Japan exhibition held in Tokyo. What's more, several members of our adult program started practicing with us as children and now help teach our classes for kids. We offer instruction that can provide tangible benefits throughout the course of your life.

Our classes for kids have a number of important points to recommend them:

* Instruction in genuine jujutsu--one of the world's oldest and most effective martial arts

* Including Japanese yoga: stretching, meditation, breathing exercises, and more

*Small non-competitive classes, individualized instruction, private lessons, and multiple month discounts

* Separate classes available in Japanese systems of yoga, healing arts, martial arts, and fine arts (painting and calligraphy) for Mom and Dad

We think you'll find our patient staff of instructors can help your child cultivate confidence, concentration, and physical fitness. These are benefits that will clearly aid any young person in school, sports, or family life. If you're interested in giving your son or daughter an added advantage in life, contact the Sennin Foundation Center for information about an affordable martial arts program that teaches self-protection and much, much more. Parents can reach us at http://senninfoundation.com/.

Japanese Fine Arts

The Sennin Foundation Center has a distinctive fine arts division, which includes instruction in Japanese calligraphy and ink painting. Both arts emphasize unification of mind and body via the practice of traditional Japanese arts.

The Sennin Foundation Center's brush writing class emphasizes Japanese calligraphy, but branches out to include Japanese ink painting and the study of haiku and waka poetry. Expanded attention, deeper relaxation, increased focus and resolve . . . Sennin Foundation students have a chance to achieve lasting spiritual transformation through the classical art of Japanese calligraphy (shodo). Simple step-by-step exercises let beginners and non-artists alike work with brush and ink to reveal their mental and physical state through moving brush meditation.

Kanji, or "characters," used in both Japan and China, have transcended their utilitarian function and collectively can serve as a visually stirring piece of fine art. Shodo allows the dynamic movement of the artist's spirit to become observable in the form of rich black ink. In shodo, you can sense both the rhythm of music as well as the smooth, elegant, and balanced construction of architecture. Many practitioners feel that the "visible rhythm" of Japanese calligraphy embodies a "picture of the mind"--and calligraphers recognize that it discloses our spiritual state. This recognition is summed up by the traditional Japanese saying: Kokoro tadashikereba sunawachi fude tadashi--"If your mind is correct, the brush will be correct."

Some Japanese calligraphers and psychologists have written books on the examination of our personality through calligraphy. Just as Western companies have employed handwriting analysts to help them select the best individuals for executive posts, the Japanese have traditionally expected their leaders in any field to display fine, composed script. This stems from the belief that brush strokes reveal the state of the body and subconscious mind--its strengths and weaknesses--at the moment the brush is put to paper. It has also been held that the subconscious can be influenced in a positive manner by studying and copying consummate examples of calligraphy by extraordinary individuals. Japanese tradition teaches that by using this method, we can cultivate strength of character akin to that of the artist being copied. Since shodo is an art form, it's not strictly necessary to be able to read Chinese characters, or the Japanese phonetic scripts of hiragana and katakana, to admire the dynamic beauty of shodo. Within Japanese calligraphy, we find essential elements that constitute all art: creativity, balance, rhythm, grace, and the beauty of line. These aspects of shodo can be recognized and appreciated by every culture.

In 1993, H. E. Davey Sensei, Director of the Sennin Foundation Center, received the Shihan-Dai title from the Ranseki Sho Juku, which is the highest rank issued by this group. He is the only non-Japanese Shihan-Dai in the over 30-year history of this organization, which is affiliated with the Kokusai Shodo Bunka Koryu Kyokai, a worldwide Japanese calligraphy association. In 1988, Davey Sensei sent his work to the annual International Japanese Calligraphy Exhibition in Urayasu, Japan. His calligraphy was selected, out of several thousand works of art, for exhibition at this event (which is sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Education and the Kokusai Shodo Bunka Koryu Kyokai.) He was also presented with the Tokusen award at that year's exhibition--the first non-Japanese to receive this honor. In each of the following years, his calligraphy and painting has been shown at this exhibit, and received various awards, including Jun Taisho, or the "Associate Grand Prize," which was also a first for someone not of Japanese ancestry. Davey Sensei is also the author of Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony (Stone Bridge Press), which details how Japanese calligraphy can function as moving meditation. It can be ordered by visiting Amazon.com.

H. E. Davey combines a remarkable technical facility in the Japanese art of the brush with a deep understanding of its spiritual profundities. His book offers a marvelous practical introduction to Japanese calligraphy as well as insights into the essence of this art. It is a unique and fascinating presentation of a little-known art of self-cultivation.

Dave Lowry, author of Sword and Brush

Japanese Martial Arts

The Sennin Foundation Center has an aiki-jujutsu division. Jujutsu is Japan's oldest martial art. The warriors of old Japan used it for predominantly empty-handed combat. Aiki-jujutsu is a jujutsu form that is traced to the Aizu clan's Nisshinkan training hall (located in present-day Fukushima). It was taught in modern times by Saigo Tanomo Sensei (1829-1905), an Aizu clan elder advisor. Saigo Sensei taught aiki-jujutsu, formerly known as Aizu oshikiuchi, to Takeda Sokaku Sensei (1860-1943), the disseminator of Daito Ryu aiki-jujutsu, who in turn taught Ueshiba Morihei Sensei (1883-1969), the founder of aikido.

H. E. Davey Sensei's late father started studying jujutsu and Kodokan judo in 1926. After twenty years of training, Davey Sensei's father was stationed in the Kansai area of Japan immediately following World War II. While there he studied Saigo Ryu systems of aiki-jujutsu, jojutsu (art of the four-foot stick), bojutsu (art of the six-foot staff), hanbojutsu (art of the three-foot stick), tanbojutsu (art of the fourteen-inch stick), tessenjutsu (art of the iron fan), juttejutsu (art of the forked metal truncheon), sojutsu (art of the spear), and kenjutsu (art of the sword). He later became the first American to receive the advanced rank/title of Nihon Jujutsu Kyoshi from Japan's prestigious Kokusai Budoin. He was also a black belt in judo and aikido.

Davey Sensei, Director of the Sennin Foundation Center, began to learn aiki-jujutsu from his father when he was five years old, and later studied judo and aikido as well. He has trained extensively in Japan and the United States, and he held the positions of U.S. Branch Director for the Kokusai Budoin and Councilor to the Kokusai Budoin World HQ for many years. These are the highest positions in each branch country. He is presently a U.S. Regional Director for the group. He is, in addition, the highest-ranking American instructor in the Kokusai Budoin's Nihon Jujutsu and Kobudo (Ancient Martial Ways) Divisions. Davey Sensei, following his late father, became the second American to receive Nihon Jujutsu Kyoshi from the federation. Kokusai Budoin defines Kyoshi as being equivalent to a "Master's Certificate" and correlates this rank to sixth- to eighth-degree black belt. H. E. Davey Sensei is also a special consultant and writer for the esteemed martial arts magazine Furyu the Budo Journal, and he serves on this publication's elite Advisory Board.

He emphasizes aiki-jujutsu as a noncompetitive art with roots in Japan's traditional past. Like aikido, aiki-jujutsu is based on the principle of aiki, or "union with Ki"--the animating energy of Nature itself. Aiki-jujutsu, however, contains a much wider variety of unarmed and armed techniques than are found in most forms of aikido. These skills encompass throwing and pinning methods using all parts of the body, including the feet, plus close-distance and ground grappling, and a broad range of weapons systems. Davey Sensei provides professional instruction in pinning holds, grappling methods, throwing techniques, strangle holds, arresting skills, and weapons training.

Since aiki-jujutsu involves harmonizing with Ki, it has the potential to vitally transform the lives of its participants. Surprisingly, this transformation does not only take place in the realm of dynamic self-protection. Due to the unique characteristics of aiki-jujutsu, it is correspondingly possible to experience deeper levels of calmness, relaxation, concentration, willpower, and physical fitness in daily living. Davey Sensei is also the author of Unlocking the Secrets of Aiki-jujutsu (McGraw-Hill).

Additionally, Mr. Davey serves on the Board of Directors of the Shudokan Budo-Kai. Walter Todd Sensei (1927-1999), who studied martial arts in Japan starting in the late 1940s, was one of the highest ranking members of this distinguished organization. An early pioneer in the US, Todd Sensei held an eighth-degree black belt in judo, an eighth-degree in karate-do, and a sixth-degree in aikido. Todd Sensei has written:

Mr. Davey is one of only a relatively small number of Americans and Europeans that can truthfully be called a kodansha. In Japan, this title is usually reserved for martial arts teachers ranked sixth-degree black belt and above . . . I have watched Mr. Davey interact with high-ranking martial arts masters from Japan on many occasions. He is treated as a respected peer by these instructors, many of whom are notably difficult to impress.

And Sato Shizuya Sensei of Tokyo, Chief Director of Japan's Kokusai Budoin HQ and tenth-degree jujutsu black belt, has indicated:

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce Mr. H. E. Davey. Mr. Davey has achieved a deep understanding of traditional Japanese culture and martial arts . . . Mr. H. E. Davey, a friend for whom I have the greatest fondness and respect, has been studying and teaching Japanese budo ("martial ways") for many years. For an equally long period, he has also engaged in serious research into the history and lineage of aiki-jujutsu, which is a form of kobudo.

Kawabata Terutaka Sensei, ninth-degree black belt and shihan in the Tenshin Sho Jigen Ryu system of classical martial arts, writes from Yokohama:

One of the most important qualities in any Japanese martial art is an elusive, but clearly discernible, "sharpness." Without this sharp, decisive, and resolute quality, our techniques degenerate into nothing more than an exhibition of stylized movement. Although Davey Shihan's aiki-jujutsu techniques are unusually flowing and exceedingly beautiful to observe, he never loses the vital and dynamic "sharpness" which lies at the heart of all budo. (Shihan is an honorific title that is similar to Professor and is used to refer to a "master instructor.")

It is also essential that followers of budo apply the spiritual and philosophical lessons they learn from their martial art in their everyday lives . . . Davey Shihan has realized this and he is a true gentleman in the martial arts as well as in his daily life.

Davey Shihan's aiki-jujutsu skills are powerful, intense, and effective.

Japanese Healing Arts

Nakamura Tempu Sensei, founder of the Shin-shin-toitsu-do system of Japanese yoga, also taught a method of self-healing and bodywork (hitori ryoho or hitori massage). His emphasis was on yuki, which is the transference of life energy through a massage-like technique.

In most aspects of life, it is vital to be able to throw 100 percent of ourselves into the moment at hand, and this positive mental state is called Ki o dasu, or "the projection of life energy." When our life energy freely exchanges with the life energy that pervades Nature, we're in our happiest and healthiest state.

We've all met exceptionally positive and animated individuals, people who project a "large presence." The intangible, but unmistakable, "big presence" an energetic individual is projecting can be thought of as universal life energy, and it is an indispensable aspect of yuki.

And in Japan, the universal essence that pervades all of the Nature has a name. It is called Ki.

An understanding of Ki is not something that can be fully detailed on a web site. For the moment, the principal points to remember are that Ki amounts to the animating force that vitalizes all creations, and that a relaxed body, along with a positive mental state, sets it free. On the other hand, physical tension and/or the negative use of the mind cause Ki ga nukeru--"the withdrawal and the loss of Ki."

Ki has been described in a variety of ways, by an equally wide variety of people. In the Sennin Foundation, we are thinking of Ki as the essential building block of nature. That universal substance from which all things emanate, exist as, and revert to . . . the connective membrane of the absolute Universe. (Of course, just as all the cells in the body are inseparable from the body, we can only draw an artificial separation between the Ki that links all creations in Nature and Nature itself.)

Unfortunately, discussions of Ki are frequently covered in mystical tones, and some writers have suggested that Ki is invisible. This depends on one's point of view. Certainly it is hard to observe the motion of Ki as something which is apart and different from the various and boundless different aspects of Nature.

A nondualistic worldview does not inevitably reject the relative world, but instead, sees the absolute oneness of Nature that underlies all relative differences. In this case, a willow tree is Ki, and when the wind causes the tree to lean, it is Ki blustering. And we are Ki watching the motion of Ki in the Universe, which is Ki itself. The wind blowing the willow, the swaying tree, the mind that sees and moves with the wind and willow--all are external reflections of diversified elements of Ki, or of the sum total of the Universe. Ki is then not some much preternatural, invisible, or elusive, but it is instead, all encompassing. Ki's genuine far-reaching and down to earth character is reflected in the Japanese language itself, which uses this ordinary term in a seemingly immeasurable number of popular compound words and expressions.

Yuki means "transfusion of Ki," and it functions in a way that is not dissimilar to a blood transfusion (yuketsu). In essence, it is possible, by studying methods of mind-body coordination and Shin-shin-toitsu-do meditation, to learn to transfer Ki from the thumbs, fingertips, and palms to weakened parts of the body, as a way of boosting the natural healing process. Students at the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts can receive instruction in this unique art of healing.

"I've found the healing arts instruction at the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts to be logical, simple, and comprehensive. Of equal importance, I've been able to use these techniques to help heal my own injuries and illnesses as well as those of some of my friends."--A Sennin Foundation student.

You can learn more about the healing arts created by Nakamura Tempu Sensei in the book Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation. Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation is the first and only book in English on the original Shin-shin-toitsu-do system of Japanese yoga. It received outstanding reviews in various magazines around the world, including Yoga Journal in the USA and Tempu magazine in Japan. On Amazon.com, Borders.com, and Barnes & Noble.com, it received an overall five star top rating, but you can't get BRAND NEW autographed copies of this out of print book from anyone except the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts.

Want your own copy? Drop by http://www.senninfoundation.com/davey_yoga.html. Then simply click on the "Buy Now" button to order your BRAND NEW autographed copy of Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation for just $18.95. (PayPal and all major credit cards accepted.)

Japanese Yoga

The primary and most vital area of study at the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts is the practice of Japanese yoga (Shin-shin-toitsu-do). This art, inspired by the teachings of Nakamura Tempu Sensei, includes stretching exercises, seated meditation, moving meditation, breathing exercises, healing arts, and health improvement methods. The goal of these techniques is the realization of one's full potential in everyday life through the unification of mind and body.

In Japan, a number of time-honored everyday activities (such as making tea, arranging flowers, painting, and writing) have traditionally been examined deeply by their proponents. Students study how to make tea, perform martial arts, or write with a brush in the most skillful way possible--namely, to express themselves with maximum efficiency and minimum strain.

Through this efficient, adroit, and creative performance, they arrive at art. But if they continue to delve even more deeply into their art, they discover principles that are truly universal, principles relating to life itself. Then, the art of brush writing becomes shodo--the "way of the brush"--while the art of arranging flowers is elevated to the status of kado--the "way of flowers." Through these "ways" or "do" forms ("tao" in Chinese), the Japanese have sought to realize the way of living itself. They have approached the universal through the particular.

Yet grasping the ultimate nature of life--the principles and way of the Universe--is seemingly a large-scale undertaking. (The Universe is infinite after all.) For this reason, it isn't difficult to understand the traditional emphasis on approaching the universal via a profound, ongoing examination of a particular way. Still, we must wonder if it isn't possible to discover the essence of living, and universal principles relating to all aspects of life, directly?

In 1919, Nakamura Tempu Sensei, upon returning from studying yoga in India, began to share with others principles and exercises that he felt were universal and not dependent on a particular art; that is, concepts relating to all activities and all people regardless of age, sex, or race. Methods that have observable and repeatable results, along with principles and exercises that can withstand objective scrutiny, were of primary importance to him.

These concepts and techniques were created to encourage humanity to see into its true nature . . . to realize that life is art. And just as a sculptor or painter can shape clay or brushed images into their own vision of beauty, we can shape our lives. But, just as an artist needs certain qualities to create a painting or a piece of music, we also have the same needs.

No art takes place without inspiration. Every artist needs an effective knowledge of his or her tools. (Does a certain brush function well with a particular kind of paint, etc.?) What's more, an effective technique for using your tools is indispensable. Likewise, to express ourselves skillfully, with maximum efficiency and minimum effort, we also need to investigate the most effective ways of using our minds and bodies . . . since our minds and bodies are, in the end, the only tools we truly possess in life.

Nakamura Sensei wrote that upon examining what we see taking place in daily life, it becomes clear that people need certain qualities to adeptly express themselves in living:

Tai-ryoku: "the power of the body," physical strength, health, and endurance

Tan-ryoku: "the power of courage"Handan-ryoku: "the power of decision," good judgment

Danko-ryoku: "the power of determination," willpower for resolute and decisive action

Sei-ryoku: "the power of vitality," energy or life power for endurance and perseverance

No-ryoku: "the power of ability," the capacity for wide-ranging ability and dexterous action

Yet most importantly, he came to realize that as the mind and body represent our most fundamental tools, if we are to artistically express ourselves in life, we must be able to use these tools naturally, effectively, and in coordination with each other. It is this ability to effectively use and unite our minds and bodies--the most basic parts of us--that allows for freedom of action and skilled self-expression.

It is common knowledge that the mind moves and controls each part of the body. Of course, in the instance of the lungs and various internal organs, this regulation is being exerted unconsciously through the autonomic nervous system. In essence, the mind directs the body, with the body ultimately reflecting one's mental state. Through the medium of the autonomic nervous system, the mind and body remain unified, and it is essential to realize this if one is to learn any activity, including Japanese yoga, effectively. However, because of the relationship between the mind and the body, the mind can positively or negatively influence the built-in mind-body connection. (When this tie is weak, one may observe a Japanese yoga exercise demonstrated by a teacher, or in a book, fully comprehend it mentally or intellectually, and still fail to physically respond in the proper manner.)

Realizing the relationship between the mind and body, Nakamura Sensei envisioned his basic principles as being a means by which people could discover for themselves how to coordinate their two most basic tools in life, and additionally, learn how to "regulate and strengthen their autonomic nervous systems." Using his background in Western medicine (he obtained a medical degree while studying in the USA), Nakamura Tempu Sensei conducted biological research dealing with the human nervous system, and the unification of mind and body, to accomplish this goal. The result was his Four Basic Principles to Unify Mind and Body:

Four Basic Principles to Unify Mind and Body
1. Use the mind positively.

2. Use the mind with full concentration.

3. Use the body obeying the laws of Nature.

4. Train the body progressively, systematically, and regularly.

The Four Basic Principles to Unify Mind and Body are the broad means by which Nakamura Sensei aimed to aid people in uncovering for themselves their true potential and freedom of expression in life. They are a way of discovering that life can be lived as art. At the same time, he realized that by training in exercises based on these concepts, men, women, and children had an opportunity to cultivate the previously mentioned six qualities and other important character traits.

H. E. Davey Sensei, Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts, is believed to be the sole American member of the Tempu Society. He has studied under several of Nakamura Sensei's top students, including Sawai Atsuhiro Sensei and Hashimoto Tetsuichi Sensei, who act as special advisors to the Sennin Foundation Center and the Sennin Foundation, Inc.

Hashimoto Sensei has practiced Japanese yoga for over 40 years, and in 1994, he wrote:

"H. E. Davey has shown great diligence in his study of the Shin-shin-toitsu-do method of Japanese yoga. As an expert in the arts of Japan, particularly classical brush writing and the martial arts, he has thoroughly researched the relationship of Shin-shin-toitsu-do to these skills."

He also commended Davey Sensei for his attainments and indicated his wish to "fully endorse him as an educator." In 2001, Stone Bridge Press published Davey Sensei's book Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation. It is now out of print, but new and signed copies can still be purchased from the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts. To get your own autographed copy, go here:

http://www.senninfoundation.com/davey_yoga.html

Teaching Staff

Although H. E. Davey Sensei founded the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts in 1981, its ongoing growth is due to the heartfelt efforts of a number of people. Without dedicated students, no dojo ("training hall") can function, and without the equally dedicated teaching staff at the Sennin Foundation Center, our students would not be able to practice. In this sense, our dojo is the result of the ongoing labor of a number of sincere and hardworking individuals. Moreover, since several arts we teach have a lengthy history in Japan, we focus not only on our Director, but also on the men and women in the past whose contributions to these ways have made our own study possible. In short, we try to place what we teach in an appropriate historical context, rather than exclusively emphasizing our present teaching staff.

Below you'll find information, in order of seniority, about the currently active teachers at the Sennin Foundation Center. A number of other Sennin Foundation instructors have contributed greatly to the development of our dojo, but due to space constraints, we're only able to mention those individuals who are presently active teachers. While we don't have space to list all Sennin Foundation-certified instructors, the efforts of these women and men are not forgotten.

Hashimoto Tetsuichi

Hashimoto Tetsuichi Sensei is a resident of Tokyo, and he is one of the most senior disciples of Nakamura Tempu Sensei, founder of the Shin-shin-toitsu-do system of Japanese yoga. He started his study of Shin-shin-toitsu-do directly under Nakamura Sensei in 1950. Nakamura Tempu Sensei continued to be Hashimoto Sensei's primary teacher until he passed away in 1968 at the age of 92. Hashimoto Sensei holds the highest lectureship position in the Tempu-Kai (Tempu Society), and he has taught Shin-shin-toitsu-do in Japan and the Philippines, where he was the Director of the Japanese Studies Program at Ateneo de Manila University.
Hashimoto Sensei is a retired professor of political science for International Christian University in Japan. He attended Duke University from 1954 to 1958 for graduate studies, and he was a visiting professor for the Japanese Studies Program at De La Salle University in 1985.

In addition to his position on the Sennin Foundation, Inc. Board of Advisors, he is a Senior Advisor to the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts and the teacher of H. E. Davey Sensei. While Hashimoto Sensei does occasionally instruct classes at Tempu-Kai in Tokyo, aside from his personal instruction of Mr. Davey, he is largely retired from active teaching.

Sawai Atsuhiro

Sawai Atsuhiro Sensei was born in 1939 in Japan. At the age of 18, he entered one of Kyoto's top universities.

Like many college students, Sawai Sensei was filled with dreams, aspirations, and ambitions, only to fall seriously ill. Despite the efforts of many doctors, he could not find a cure for his sickness. Filled with despair, he stopped going to university classes.

Thinking that his illness might eventually result in his death, Sawai Sensei read books on Buddhism and Christianity to attempt to discover what will become of a human being after he or she dies. He thought constantly about the purpose of life, and he reached a conclusion that amounted to nihilism. In short, Sawai Sensei felt that there was no such purpose of life, in that we are born without the knowledge of where we came from, where we are going, and why we are here. He felt completely lost. Sawai Sensei's aunt advised him to attend the lectures of Nakamura Tempu Sensei, the founder of Shin-shin-toitsu-do. Sawai Sensei listened to one of his lectures, and he was fortunate enough to meet him. He began to study with Tempu Sensei at that time, and he felt awakened by the universal truths that he taught. More than this, he felt revived. It was in the spring of 1958.

In a short time, after beginning to practice Japanese yoga, Sawai Sensei's health completely recovered. Sawai Sensei continued learning the philosophy of mind and body unification from Tempu Sensei for 11 years until he passed away in 1968.

In addition to regular training sessions in Japanese yoga, every summer for 11 years Sawai Sensei participated in a special multiple-day intensive summer training session, where he received Tempu Sensei's teachings. Three years after joining Tempu-kai ("The Tempu Society"), he was chosen as an Assistant Teacher, or Hodo, to Nakamura Tempu Sensei. He still considered himself to be just a student of Japanese yoga, but he was also asked to contribute to the Tempu-kai magazine, Shirube.

Eventually, Sawai Sensei began to write poems inspired by Tempu Sensei's teachings, teachings that acted as a catalyst for a wide variety of artistic expressions by his students. His first collection of poetry, Seishun no Ma (Devils of Adolescence), was published in 1967. In it, he reflected on the insights he experienced when he overcame the "devilish" sufferings of his adolescence.

The collection was highly praised in various newspapers in Japan by Kuroda Saburo, the chairman of Japanese Modern Poets Association (Nihon Gendai Shijin Kai), and Sawai Sensei received a letter from Tempu Sensei, who praised his poems and tried to encourage him: "...Something beautiful from the poet's mind seems to stream into my mind. I will read your poems again and again."

The next year his teacher Nakamura Tempu Sensei passed away. Even after his death, Sawai Sensei continued to practice Japanese yoga, or Shin-shin-toitsu-do. He presently practices every day as Tempu Sensei personally taught him.

Sawai Sensei eventually became a full Lecturer for the Tempu-kai, which is the highest teaching credential issued by this group. He became a Councilor for Tempu-kai and Tempu-kai Branch Manager of Kyoto in 1998. In 1999, he became Director of Publishing for Tempu-kai and Editor of their magazine, Tempu. He also wrote regular articles for this publication.

Professionally, Sawai Sensei was a full professor of English at Kyoto Sangyo University for 23 years, and he taught at the university for 33 years. He entered semi-retirement and became Professor Emeritus of English in March 2004. He has also had the following books published:

Devils of Adolescence (poetry collection), 1967
The Mirror (poetry collection), 1973
The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke (translation), 1984
British Colonization of New Zealand (collected research essays), 2003

In the summer of 2004, Sawai Sensei accepted a position as a special Senior Advisor to the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts, which is a dojo lead by H. E. Davey Sensei, a fellow Tempu-kai member as well as Sawai Sensei's friend and colleague in Shin-shin-toitsu-do. Since the beginning of 2004, Sawai Atsuhiro Sensei has been contributing short articles to the Sennin Foundation Newsletter, visiting the Sennin Foundation Center, and helping Davey Sensei with his work on a new book tentatively titled The Teachings of Tempu.

H. E. Davey

H. E. Davey Sensei has received extensive instruction in Shin-shin-toitsu-do, a form of Japanese yoga founded by Nakamura Tempu Sensei in 1919. He has practiced under four of Nakamura Sensei's senior disciples and is the sole American member of the Tempu Society, an organization founded by Mr. Nakamura. His training in Shin-shin-toitsu-do, or "The Way of Mind and Body Unification," has taken place in both Japan and the United States.

Mr. Davey has also received comprehensive instruction in Nakamura Sensei's methods of healing with Ki ("Life Energy") and bodywork, which he teaches as well. Davey Sensei's emphasis is on yuki, or the "transference of Ki," as a way of aiding recovery from illness or injury.

In addition, Davey Sensei studied shodo, or Japanese brush writing/ink painting, under the late Kobara Ranseki Sensei of Kyoto. Kobara Sensei, the Shihan ("Headmaster") of Ranseki Ryu shodo, was also the Vice President of the Kokusai Shodo Bunka Koryu Kyokai, an international shodo association headquartered in Urayasu. Mr. Davey holds the highest rank in Ranseki Ryu and exhibits his artwork annually in Japan. He has received numerous awards in these international exhibitions, including Jun Taisho, or the "Associate Grand Prize."

H. E. Davey Sensei's involvement in Japanese cultural arts started during his childhood. He began studying the martial art of aiki-jujutsu at the age of five under his late father, who had trained in Japan, and who held instructor certification from more than one Japanese martial arts association. Mr. Davey has also studied the martial arts extensively in both the U.S. and Japan. Davey Sensei presently is the highest-ranking American in the Kokusai Budoin's Nihon Jujutsu and Kobudo Divisions. He has received a seventh-degree black belt from the Kokusai Budoin, a worldwide martial arts federation sponsored by Japan's Imperial Family.

Davey Sensei's articles on Japanese arts and his calligraphy, have appeared in such magazines as Karate Kung-Fu Illustrated, Furyu-The Budo Journal of Classical Japanese Martial Arts and Culture, The Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Body Mind Spirit, and Yoga Journal. His artwork and writings have been printed in Japanese publications such as Hokubei Mainichi, Nichibei Times, and Gendo. He is also the author of Unlocking the Secrets of Aiki-jujutsu (McGraw-Hill), Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony (Stone Bridge Press), The Japanese Way of the Flower: Ikebana as Moving Meditation (Stone Bridge Press), Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation (Stone Bridge Press), The Japanese Way of the Artist (Stone Bridge Press), and Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty (Stone Bridge Press). Brush Meditation was one of the top ten best-selling Stone Bridge Press books in 1999.

In 2003, Spirituality & Health magazine presented Davey Sensei with its Book of the Year award for Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty. Also in 2003, the same book was one of ForeWord magazine's top five books and a finalist for their Book of the Year award.

H. E. Davey Sensei is the President of the Sennin Foundation, Inc. and the editor of Michi Online: Journal of Japanese Cultural Arts (

www.michionline.org). He is also the Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts.

Ann Kameoka

Ann Kameoka Sensei was born in Hawaii and currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in anthropology, and she is a corporate benefits manager. As a Sansei (third-generation Japanese-American), Kameoka Sensei was exposed to various Japanese arts throughout her childhood and adult life.

However, her actual involvement in the Japanese cultural arts started in 1982 with an in-depth study of Japanese yoga, which she began at the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts. She holds a Shihan-Dai, or "Associate Instructor," certificate in the Shin-shin-toitsu-do system of Japanese yoga, and she teaches regular classes in this art at our dojo.

Shortly after Kameoka Sensei began practicing Japanese yoga, she also started to seriously study Japanese healing arts at the Sennin Foundation Center as well. She now holds Shihan-Dai teaching certification in these skills as well, and offers ongoing instruction in our healing arts program.

In 1988, Ann Kameoka began an intensive study of Ikenobo kado (flower arrangement) under Fukuyama Suiho Sensei. She currently practices with Ikeda Shuji Sensei. Ms. Kameoka is in charge of our Japanese flower arrangement classes.

She is, additionally, a member of the Board of Advisors for the Sennin Foundation, Inc. and Michi Online: Journal of Japanese Cultural Arts. With Mr. Davey, she is the co-author of The Japanese Way of the Flower: Ikebana as Moving Meditation (Stone Bridge Press).

Kevin Heard

A San Francisco Bay Area native, Kevin Heard Sensei has been studying Japanese cultural arts since he joined the Sennin Foundation Center in 1984. He is the webmaster of http://www.senninfoundation.com/ as well as Michi Online: Journal of Japanese Cultural Arts. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Sennin Foundation, Inc. as well, and he's an assistant editor of Michi Online.

Mr. Heard has obtained Shihan ("Professor" or "Instructor") teaching licenses in Shin-shin-toitsu-do, a form of Japanese yoga, as well as healing arts based on yuki, or "transference of Ki." He teaches classes in these disciplines at our dojo each week.

Heard Sensei also holds the rank of menkyo chudan (a traditional teaching license roughly equivalent to fourth through sixth-degree black belt in modern ranking systems) in Saigo Ryu aiki-jujutsu. Heard Sensei has received teaching licenses from the Nihon Jujutsu and Kobudo divisions of the Kokusai Budoin, an elite international martial arts federation headquartered in Tokyo. He has demonstrated aiki-jujutsu several times at the Kokusai Budoin Sogo Budo Taikai, held annually in Tokyo. Heard Sensei is also on the Board of Advisors of the

Shudokan Martial Arts Association.

In addition to teaching beginning and advanced martial arts classes at our dojo, Mr. Heard helps teach in our program for children, where he offers instruction in both Japanese yoga and martial arts. He has extensive experience working with young people, and he began assisting with our classes for kids in the mid-80s.

Mr. Heard earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. After working in the software development industry, he returned to the University to become Director of Computing and Information Services for UCB's School of Information. His professional interests include UNIX/Linux system administration, building information systems based on open standards, and open source software. He is also interested in issues of security, privacy, and personal freedom in the digital age. He is co-author of Mastering Netscape SuiteSpot 3 Servers (Sybex).

Mr. Heard currently lives in Richmond, California with his wife, Patricia, who also holds Sennin Foundation instructor certification in Japanese yoga, healing arts, and martial arts.

Ohsaki Jun

Ohsaki Jun Sensei was born in the Shibuya section of Tokyo, Japan. He was educated in Japan, and he graduated from Nippon University with a BA in political science and law. As a young man, Ohsaki Sensei moved to the United States, where he married and raised his children.

In 1990, he began to study Japanese yoga and the martial art of aiki-jujutsu at the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts. He has currently received Shihan-Dai ("Associate Instructor") teaching certification in Shin-shin-toitsu-do (Japanese yoga). Mr. Ohsaki presently serves as an assistant instructor of Japanese yoga at our dojo as well.

He has also received a menkyo shodan teaching license in aiki-jujutsu, which is roughly equal to first to third-degree black belt, and he is a certified black belt in the Kobudo Division of Tokyo's Kokusai Budoin. Ohsaki Sensei teaches regular martial arts classes at our dojo. He also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Shudokan Martial Arts Association.

Shortly after he commenced training in Japanese yoga and aiki-jujutsu, he also began to study shodo (classical brush writing) and sumi-e ("ink painting") at the Sennin Foundation Center. Ohsaki Sensei continues to be an ardent exponent of shodo and sumi-e. His calligraphic art has appeared in Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony (Stone Bridge Press), and he also served as a model for many of the photos in this book.

Mr. Ohsaki has, furthermore, demonstrated aiki-jujutsu in Japan at the Kokusai Budoin Sogo Budo Taikai. He has written about Shin-shin-toitsu-do (Japanese yoga) for the Nichibei Times as well. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Sennin Foundation, Inc., and he's an assistant editor of Michi Online: Journal of Japanese Cultural Arts.

Ohsaki Jun Sensei lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, and he is the owner of Japan Auto, a service center for Japanese cars.

Kyle Kurpinski

Kyle Kurpinski Sensei is a native of Huntington Woods, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a BSE in Chemical Engineering and a MSE in Biomedical Engineering.

He came to the San Francisco Bay Area to attend the University of California at Berkeley. He is currently teaching at this institution, and he's nearing the completion of his PhD in Bioengineering. He's published numerous papers in national scientific journals and presented his research at a number of prestigious scientific meetings. He is presently working on tissue engineering solutions for skin and cardiovascular applications in medicine. He's also worked at the National Human Genome Research Institute in Maryland.

Kurpinski Sensei joined the Sennin Foundation Center in September of 2003, where he has studied the Shin-shin-toitsu-do system of Japanese yoga and meditation, along with the Saigo Ryu system of Japanese martial arts. He has obtained a Shihan-dai Associate Instructor certificate in Shin-shin-toitsu-do and a Menkyo Shodan teaching license in Saigo Ryu. He currently resides in Berkeley, and he regularly teaches Japanese yoga and martial arts to children and adults at the Sennin Foundation Center.