The Soul of the Dragon Resides in the Brush.
The first dragon painting
I ever drew Work
from January 2015
Everything started from here.
In 2015, as if driven by the energy of the dragon, I slammed my soul onto the brush.
At that moment, something awakened within me, and the primal pulse still lives on in my work.
One day, when I showed this work to someone, the evaluation was unexpected.
The phoenix is beautiful but ordinary, while the dragon is full of dynamism, as if life dwells within it.
Those words gave me conviction and determination.
From that moment, my ink paintings were narrowed down not to just any dragon, but to the dragon as a cry of the soul.
After that, I became increasingly drawn to the dragon’s power and mystery, shaping the dragon’s form while feeling the life dwelling in the brush.
This work was born from a calligraphy live performance (2015)
in collaboration with a Japanese drum player.
Along with the resonating sound of the pulsating Japanese drums,
the spirit dwelling in the brush was released all at once,
and the divine “White Dragon”
manifested.
This is a work of a silver dragon where the expression method began to gradually become richer.
A piece freely drawn not only with a brush, but also with paint on my fingers.
It has become a powerful and dynamic finish.
Artwork exhibited in the Japanese Pavilion at Expo Milano 205, Japan Pavilion Certified Art Exhibition
Dragon calligraphy inscribed on
a custom-made tatami frame
and my largest dragon painting mounted as a hanging scroll.
The largest-scale dragon ink painting I have ever worked on. (This work was created in 2017).
A wholehearted piece where I threw my own soul directly into it, without imitating traditional styles.
Though it may sound immodest, this work, while rough, exudes overwhelming power.
By mounting it as a hanging scroll, its presence and artistic power were further enhanced.
I would like you to see the figure of the dragon, full of vitality and power, that seems to transform the space.
Dragon God Hinomaru (Enso) Art – Energy Art Fusing Zen and Miracles
In the enso (a circle line symbolizing Zen) drawn all at once with red ink, a miraculous Hinomaru with a dragon soaring upwards appeared.
This is a one-of-a-kind original calligraphy by Ryujin with absolutely no processing.
To deliver this energy as it is, I created a silk screen version that faithfully reproduces the original work’s aura.
I feel that this is not just art, but a prayer and a talisman art.
A modern-day talisman art with the brushstrokes and three-dimensional lines imbued with the spirit of the Dragon God.
The energy of power, courage, purification, and regeneration works on the space and the mind.
Ryujin engages in chanting the Heart Sutra and the Dragon God Prayer, and meditation daily, creating his works with the aim of imbuing them with the vibrations of prayer.
Dragon God of Mixed Media (2024)
The moment of ascending dragon with accelerating speed from now on
The latest work of the dragon is born.
A dragon is drawn using traditional techniques of brush, Japanese paper, and ink, incorporated into an iPad, and colored with three-dimensional gold.
Furthermore, animation was applied to the golden dragon as if to breathe life into it.
A new expression of the dragon, where stillness and motion intersect, is born here.
The title of the work is,
“The Golden Dragon Enjoying the Spring of the Great Buddha of Kamakura.”
Against the backdrop of the serenity of the ancient city and the soft sunlight of spring, the figure of the golden dragon standing majestically expresses a beauty that transcends time.