木彫りを初めて、１年半になりました。紅松を初め、さくらやヒバ、檜の木を彫って様々な木と付き合ってきました。
It's been a year and a half since I started carving little Buddhist figures. Below are the most recent additions, carved out of pine, sakura, and hiba (a kind of cypress).

Two months of biweekly classes in Kyudo have finally come to an end. Armed with the very basics of using the Japanese bow and arrows, we are now deemed safe enough to practice with the rest of the group. The road is just beginning, and although it's a very long one, I look forward to what I perceive as a life-long practice.

This past week was spent at the Karuna Institute with 14 other people who have been on a life journey with me for almost two years. Many unforgettable moments together, many more precious learnings. Synchronicity and serendipity, or perhaps karma, brought us together and in that space we had the opportunity, support and holding to visit places of vulnerability and divinity within ourselves that wouldn't have been possible without an unbudging commitment to authenticity and connection.

My deepest appreciation to all of you -- Denise, Di, Dirk, Franklyn, Heather, Ian Rees, Ian Strang, Jen, Lama Lobsang, Maggie, Mari, Marianne, Maura, Ng Yin, Robyn Michele.

Class photo: [Back row, from left] Dirk, Ian Rees (tutor); [Middle row, from left] Mari, Di, Marianne, me, Robyn Michele, Denise, Ian Strang; [Front row, from left] Heather, Ng Yin, Franklyn Sills (tutor), Maggie, Maura Sills (tutor)

Wooden boddhisattvas that I carved to represent and give to each person, including Lama Lobsang, a Tibetan monk who is a friend, and who although is not part of the class, feels like an essential companion on this journey for me: [Back row, from left] Dirk, Ian Strang, Di, Heather, Ng Yin, Mari, Maggie; [Front row, from left] me (carved by Ogasawara Sensei), Ian Rees, Lama Lobsang, Marianne, Maura, Franklyn, Robyn Michele, Denise

久しぶりに京都へ旅行に行ったときに新京極で民芸品などを見ていたら、職人ぽい刃物屋さん（源久秀）が目について、中に入ったら小笠原先生の使っている木彫りの刀に似ているものが幾つもありました。話し出したら店主の久世芳弘さんがすごく優しくて、いろいろ教えてくれました。私にとっては刀の世界は全く未知の世界なので、何を質問していいのかも分かりませんでした。すぐに小笠原先生にメールを書いて、アドバイスを求めました。先生は幾つのポイントを教えてくれましたが、決め方としてはやはり手で持っていいと思うものが良いと言われました。その通りにしてみたら、写真のものが一番自分の手に合うと思いました。選んだものは重房作の切出小刀の６分のもので、鋼が炭素鋼のものでした。

店主の久世さんによると重房作のものは高額の包丁がほとんどで小刀は珍しいみたいです。有名の刃物の工房なのでしょうが、私にとっては自分の刀を持って自宅でも木彫りができるのをすごく楽しみにしています〜！


正面 | Front side of knife

彫る前｜Before (高さ：8.5cm | Height: 8.5cm)３回目の仏さまの木彫りに行ってきました。小笠原先生が気長く朝の１０時から夕方の６時まで付き合ってくれて、指導してくれました。今までは先生が途中まで彫ってくれた木片を私たちが最後まで彫ったのですが、今回は四角の木片からスタートしました。どきどきしました。

今日は池田君、しょうことイオ、一家三人そろって来てくれたから凄く嬉しかったですが、しょうこは左目が結膜炎で木彫りは出来ませんでした。池田君とイオと里華と私、４人生徒で始まった木彫りクラスはなんと２ヶ月の間に８人ぐらいの集まりになりました。

今日の集まりは朝からだったので、途中昼ご飯の休みがあって、皆でばおばぶのオーナーの信代さんが作ってくれた雑穀おにぎりと豆スープ、そしてはばおばぶケーキとコーヒーやチャイをお話ししながら楽しく頂きました。

イオはまだ８歳で手が小さくて、四角の木片から彫れなかったので、仏さまの木彫りを早く仕上げて店の手伝いを一生懸命していた姿が可愛かったです。

今日は有意義な一日を過ごせて、幸せいっぱいで夢と睡眠の時間を迎えます。皆と緊張のないリラックスとした空間の中で、こころの中にいる仏さまを木で形にすることを共有できるというのは本当に幸せです。


完成 | After (高さ：8.5cm | Height: 8.5cm)This is my third wood carving class with Ogasawara Sensei at Baobab Cafe. Ogasawara Sensei lives in Zushi, but comes to Kanazawa Bunko to teach us woodcarving every last Sunday of the month. He brings us all the knives and wood pieces that we need and patiently explains and demonstrates every step.

Ogasawara Sensei considers this coming together of people for the purpose of carving Buddhist figures a meeting of "縁" (en), which is usually translated as "fate." Although he spends the whole day with us and brings us all the materials that we need, all he takes is a token 500 yen from every person. The only off-day he has is Sunday and on top of having dedicated his last Sunday to our group, he also teaches another group in Zushi on the third Sunday of every month. As I sit here to write about him, I realize that I haven't taken the time to really feel the immensity of his dedication and the immensity of the gift that I am receiving. I realize how unfamiliar it is to receive such a precious gift -- the gift of time, attention and dedication. As I give time to really feel it, my body learns to slowly let the realization trickle through.

Our group started two months ago, with four members: myself, Rika, Ikeda-kun and his 8-year old daughter, Io. Today, there are eight of us, seated around a large table, carving away. When we started two months ago, we would carve for about 5-6 hours using wooden pieces that Ogasawara Sensei has already worked through half-way. Today, we have taken on the challenge to start carving from a rectangular piece of wood, as shown in the first photo, and sat together for 8 hours. Io, being only eight years old and has small hands, could not physically handle the larger piece of wood and so worked on one that sensei had already started on and completed her figure before lunch time. She spent the afternoon helping Nobuyo run the cafe instead. It's an understatement to say that she really enjoyed herself.  :-)