Heaven won three major design awards

  • Most Outstanding Design — 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards
  • Gold Prize for Book Design — 2019 Indigo Design Awards
  • Silver Award for Book Design — 2020 Graphis Design Annual

Heaven features Hatsumi Sensei's Dojo Giga collection of paintings. Each is like a koan — meditating on these helps us see from Sensei's perspective.

Heaven includes essays by Hatsumi Sensei (head instructor of the Bujinkan Dojo), Yuko Okuma (professional calligrapher), and Steve Olsen (Bujinkan practitioner / photographer / publisher). The commentary section offers translations of Sensei's calligraphy plus cultural hints which help the reader dig deeper into the riddles of these paintings.

What goes into an award-winning book?

  • Heaven comes in this folding case. The cover is stamped with gold foil, and the title on the spine is in Sensei’s handwriting.
  • It's written in Japanese with English translations.
  • We chose swiss binding and a smyth sewn book block, so spreads open fully — clearly showing Sensei’s paintings and the action photos.
  • 223 pages printed in full color (plus metallic gold).
  • Sensei calls his Dojo Giga paintings his art densho 伝承, meaning these artworks communicate the history and traditions of his dojo. Heaven connects the art with Sensei's comments and action photos, to fully express his lessons.

Delivery to USA & Canada

One Book
We sent a boat load of Heaven to our warehouse near Seattle so delivery to addresses in the USA and Canada is easy!

$145 +$30 postage = $175

Three Books + Free Postage
Our books are individually boxed and packed 3 to a carton. Order a carton and we'll give you free postage — that's a $90 savings! Who needs 3 books? You and your friends!

$145 x 3 (with free postage) = $435

International Availability

2020 was difficult but the international postal situation is improving. We can now post Heaven to Australia, NZ, and most of Europe, (either from Japan or from the USA). Order below and we’ll reply by email to confirm the details and give you a parcel tracking number. If delivering to your destination looks difficult, we’ll reply by email and refund fully.

Japan
Heaven is at an art supplies store called Ishido Gazai in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Due to COVID, their store hours are reduced but they remain open. Ishido’s website and map are here: https://ishidogazai.net/access/

One Book
Each of our books is foam wrapped and packed in a corrugated cardboard box. After you order, we'll reply to confirm delivery details and provide a tracking number.

$145 +$50 postage = $195

Three Books + Free Postage
Order three books to get free postage. Your three books will be individually boxed and arrive packed in a single carton for extra protection. This $150 postage discount is like getting one book free... Order with your friends!

$145 x 3 (with free postage) = $435

A chat about Heaven

For years Sensei wanted a Dojo Giga art book...

We celebrated the publication of Heaven on October 4th, 2018 at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo. At the celebration we showed this video.

  • About 30 years ago Hatsumi Sensei began creating a series of colorful paintings to record and transmit the traditions of his dojo. He calls these paintings his Dojo Giga collection.

    Recently Sensei decided the timing was right to share these paintings with the world so we published Masaaki Hatsumi: Dojo Giga | Heaven. The theme of Heaven is martial virtue (military force used properly to create civilization and maintain peace). Painting subjects include Shinto and Buddhist deities, myths, and legendary martial heroes which point at the history of the Bujinkan Dojo.

  • Our book combines award-winning design, professional photography, and detailed craftsmanship to give Sensei’s Dojo Giga paintings the spotlight they deserve.

    Heaven includes an essay and comments by the artist that put the paintings in context, action photos shot at the dojo illustrate the connection between the paintings and the physical training, and the book’s appendix provides supporting commentary. Our book is in Japanese with English translations. We hope Heaven gives you new insights into Hatsumi Sensei’s arts and inspires your understanding of budo.