Projects

Samurai Armor

At iCLA we have launched a project to build Samurai Armor by hand, and to wear it in the 2016 Shingenko Matsuri. To organize our project, we founded the Handmade Samurai Armor Association. We will post news of our progress, and the Association's activities here.

Samurai Gourmet

Samurai who worked part time cultivating the land, and part time as Samurai were known as Jizamurai. In that spirit we have begun cultivating our own organic vegetables, and of course enjoying the harvest. We will explore Samurai food culture and recipes as part of the fun. We will post news of our activities here, including how we cultivate, prepare, and even brand our vegetables as an entrepreneurial project.

Japanese Calligraphy

The Art of Brush Calligraphy (Shodo) can be as challenging and varied as a career musician. However, it is possible to enjoy Shodo at many levels, and we have already begun by experiencing workshops in the art of handmade Japanese paper (Washi), and seal carving (Hanko), as well as how to develop your skills at using the brush.

Recent News

In December 2015 we launched our Handmade Samurai Armor Project, under the instruction of Master Craftsman Watanabe-san. We are also planning to march in the Shingenko Matsuri on April 8~10, 2016. This is the largest Samurai Festival in the world, as noted in the Guinness Book of World Records. We have had amazing support for our project from close friends, local temples and shrines, and local government. We will be very busy in the first few months of the year cutting out body plates, punching holes, and sewing them together. We expect to be able to customize the helmets to some degree. Here we will keep you posted on our progress, as well as the many interesting aspects of Samurai culture reflected in the armor they wore.
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iCLA has our own patch for growing vegetables, currently located at Akagiyama in Gunma Prefecture, which a group of us visited in November 2015 to plant and harvest late autumn vegetables. We will be creating vegetables closer to home in Yamanashi as part of our project to bring food from seed to harvest to table, as well as enjoy Samurai Gourmet recipes.
In December 2015 we took iCLA students to experience making Japanese paper (Washi) by hand, as well as to carve our own seals (Hanko), which was just in time for painting calligraphy on the New Years Greeting cards on the paper we made, and with the seals we carved. Japanese paper making workshop at Ichikawa Tesuki Washi with Mr Toyokawa, 6th generation Washi Craftsman. This tradition goes back 1200 years, and this craft studio makes some of the best Washi in all Japan, especially for Shoji screens.
We made our own handmade Washi postcards and paper, from mulberry bark, papyrifera birch bark, and grape vines, and the paper has the fragrance of wine, well suiting Japan's leading wine producing region.

After a wonderful meal and shopping for locally grown vegetables, in the afternoon we had a workshop at what is likely the most complete and high level seal carving company in Japan. The Rokugo Insho Seal Carving Association of Ichikawa City in YAMANASHI sponsored the workshop. They produce seals for the Emperor of Japan, as well as for Mitsukoshi and other famous Japanese department stores.