遠山の目付

The title of this post means 'gazing at distant mountains'. An Iaido term which means 'looking everywhere but nowhere in particular'. It is the state of mind that is desirable, meaning one is not distracted by, or attached to, one particular thing. The mind is not gripped by fear, the eyes are not blocking out what they do not want to see and as a result, the Iaido practitioner is free to move in whichever way is appropriate to defeat the 'attacker'. It means that the mind is calm and relaxed but simultaneously poised for movement should the need arise. Personally, I would describe this state as one of 'openess'.

This blog has arisen by the need to document an upcoming journey to Japan in two weeks. As an artist, I have been very lucky to be invited to Awaji island, off the coast of Osaka, to learn traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking techniques. The environment I am going to is very remote, far away from the perils of modernism that befall London where I presently live. So, these pages will be used to try and communicate, from both a personal and professional point of view, the process of going to, and returning from, Japan. It will also be used to discuss some of the ideas that have arisen from within my own practice of Iaido - without which, it would have never crossed my mind to go on the residency. Iaido opened up a new way of seeing the world which influenced my decision to go to Japan to explore more of the origins of the mindset that Iaido emerged from.