Calligraphy
We are deeply honored that Mr. Ohshima presented us with his calligraphy, Hope, as the theme for the celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Chapel Hill Shotokan Dojo and Spring in the South. Hope was executed with dynamic, powerful brush strokes in order to convey and bridge the vast meanings of hope from a philosophical concept to a pragmatic approach.
"The calligraphy, Hope, by Ohshima Sensei is a beautiful blend of art and human spirit. This Hope appears to be coming through dark clouds to illuminate the soul and lift the weary spirit: the light that guides us in life. It neither understands giving up nor giving in; to persevere with unrelenting determination, only knowing to go forward. Hope is all that we seek and see when everything is moving in the wrong direction."
"Ohshima Sensei reminds us always to keep a 'big feeling,' especially when everything goes wrong, as it becomes the basis for our much needed confidence during good times and through difficulties too horrendous to contemplate. It is not easy. A big feeling motivated the survivors of the Titanic to reach for the life boats, but to the victims and survivors of holocausts, when all confidence was lost with no life boats in sight, they looked for hope, no matter how faint: our spirit must find the way through the muddiest waters, the blackest sky, and the darkest potential future, preserving some precious evidence of hope. It is the hope that may only be apparent to us when no one else can see it and sometimes all that we have."
"This is the meaning, the essence, the feeling and message of the calligraphy Hope Ohshima Sensei presents to us: no matter what obstacle lies before us, continue to go forward in life with this Hope." jas.