A Dragon-Spirited Calligrapher Ryujin

Born in Saitama Prefecture, July 31, 1976.
Resides in Kamakura.

Born in the Year of the Dragon, Leo. Blood type AB.
Graduated from Toyo University, Faculty of Economics, Department of Economics (2000)

Hobbies: Surfing, Music Appreciation
Special Skill: Snowboarding (experienced instructor)
Daily Routine: Chanting the Hannya Shingyo (Heart Sutra) and Ryujin Norito (Dragon God Shinto prayer), Meditation

Acquired Iaido 3rd Dan, a martial art that polishes the mind by drawing a sword.
Pursues a state of mushin (no-mind), which also applies to calligraphy.

From Street Culture to Calligraphy: The Path to Becoming a Dragon-Spirited Calligrapher

In my teenage years, after school at a high school in Ikebukuro, I would head to vintage shops in Harajuku and Shibuya.
PUNK ROCK, vintage denim, the original Air Jordan 1s…
I lived my youth by a ROCK aesthetic, always in pursuit of the “real deal.”

During my university years, I devoted myself entirely to snowboarding—riding 100 days a year.
In sync with nature, I honed both my style and soul.
Every ride, every piece of gear was a form of self-expression with no room for compromise.

Even after becoming a working adult, that spirit never faded.
At 30, I quit a foreign-capital marketing firm to live by the brush alone.
My roots lay in the calligraphy classes I attended as a child.
I picked up the brush again and began writing “words of the soul” on the streets of Shibuya.

Calligraphy × Street Culture.
Ink × Rebellious Spirit.
Stillness and movement, Zen and ROCK—
All of these collided, and one day, dragons began to emerge from my works.

That experience was no coincidence.
Every time I face the paper in a state of no-mind, the energy of the dragon god enters the brush.
This is not mere art.
It is a modern-day sacred ritual—scraping my soul, channeling my energy, and offering my prayer.

Now, what resides in my brush is nothing less than the energy of the “Dragon God.”
And what supports that is the rebellious soul that once burned for ROCK and the streets.

The spirit of Zen.
The stillness of Iaido.
Writing that burns the soul in a live performance of life itself.

As a calligrapher imbued with the Dragon Spirit,

I now wish to share this with the world—

the energy of dragons, the resonance of kotodama (sacred words),
and every single stroke that contains the entirety of my being.

At 30: From the Streets to the Sacred

After graduating from university in 2000, I worked at a company and then moved on to a foreign-capital marketing research firm.
On my 30th birthday, I brought my corporate career to an end in search of a life I truly wanted to live.
In 2006, after 20 years, I picked up a brush once more and began painting words of the soul on the streets of Shibuya.

Through many years of struggle, I encountered a master and came to touch the profound depths of Japanese culture.
My creative expression evolved from mere art into sacred ritual.
After much trial and error, I established an original calligraphic method that fully draws out the potential of ink, brush, and washi paper.
In a state of no-mind, dragons began appearing in my works—mystical experiences that could not be explained.

“A Path of Calligraffiti, Walked Unknowingly”

Without being bound by conventional ideas, I express the pure message of each word—sometimes writing with my right hand, sometimes with my left.
I spent my formative years in Shibuya, where street sensibilities merged with my calligraphy, and a unique style of three-dimensional calligraphic art was born.
This evolved naturally into a calligraffiti style (Calligraphy × Graffiti), which has drawn attention in Europe and the Middle East.
Even without knowing the genre, I had been unconsciously walking the world of calligraffiti.

This unrestrained freedom—beyond any fixed form—
may be exactly what allowed the Dragon Spirit to enter the brush.

First sword fighting challenge video that triggered starting Iaido

“First Sword Fighting Challenge Video” that Triggered Ryujin to Start Iaido

The first tate (stage combat) video I uploaded to YouTube was back in 2017. For many years, it just had a modest view count of around 2,000. Then, in 2021, the views suddenly exploded. My subscriber numbers shot up quickly too, and it really started to go viral.

For me, who had always been interested in samurai martial arts but had hesitated to take the plunge, this phenomenon was like “heaven pushing me forward.”

As a result, I finally knocked on the door of an Iaido dojo and began attending.

Incidentally, as expected, as soon as I started Iaido, the surge in views for that video immediately stopped.

As if its role had ended──.

【Namer】

My pen name “Ryujin” (Dragon God) was given by the late Masao Ishizaka, a grand lyricist also known as the foster parent of enka singer Keiko Fuji.

【Awards】

My unique activities, especially My cultural exchange overseas, were highly praised, and in 2017, I received the “Higashikuni-no-miya Culture Award.”

【Commercial Publications】

In January 2020, My autobiography will be published for the first time by Sunmark Publishing, one of the leading publishers in Japan. This book is in Japanese only.

【Cultural Figure Registration】

Engaging in vigorous activities both domestically and internationally, he is also registered as a cultural figure as a performer for embassy-sponsored events at Japanese embassies worldwide.

【Encounter with My Life Mentor, Sensei Nenshu Shiraishi】

My life mentor, Sensei Nenshu Shiraishi.
While running a tea ceremony utensil business, he dedicated himself to passing on that cultural heritage to the next generation.

Sensei Shiraishi, bearing the teaching “Touch primary sources” received from his mentor, Sensei Honan Tayama, who was also a National Treasure Inspector for the Ministry of Education, had **collected over 200 original manuscript scrolls of Bakumatsu (late Edo period) patriots.**

Fortunately, thanks to Mentor’s kindness, I was granted the unexpected opportunity to closely examine numerous scrolls imbued with the vivid spirits of these patriots.

I am confident that not many calligraphers across the country have had the chance to directly touch so many authentic manuscripts of Bakumatsu patriots.

I hope to convey the soulful dynamism I received from this invaluable experience to everyone through my own works.

With that in mind, I dedicate myself to my creative activities every day.