Author: Stephen

I have known for most of adulthood that my cognitive default mode is a modest degree of attention deficit. Although in my case this tendency likely does not meet the formal diagnostic criteria of attention deficit disorder (ADD), it influences nearly all aspects of my life. ADD is indeed well-accepted as being a “spectrum” of…

The aesthetic principles that guide my carefully curated collection of beautiful objects from ancient Japan reflect my longstanding practice of the zen arts especially kyudo (Zen Archery) and iaido (Japanese Swordsmanship). I am a more recent novice student of chanoyu (Tea Ceremony) and ikebana (“Making flowers come alive”). Each practice requires specialized objects that are…

Hyotan (gourds): long used in Japan as containers for sake, water, and flowers; regarded as lucky charms; gourd shapes appear as architectural motifs, cartouches for woodblock prints, and signatures of print artists; multiple gourds on a battle standard (sennari hyotan) is attributed to the samurai warrior Toyotomi Hideyoshi who unified Japan in the late 16th…