2007/05/26

Living Daruma

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A living Daruma, Ono Katsuhiko 大野勝彦
Oono Katsuhiko, Oono katuhiko

His Homepage
http://www2.infobears.ne.jp/oonokatuhiko/


I saw a TV feature about this remarkable man, spreading positive energy even via the monitor.

He was just a normal farmer with no special talents, until 18 years ago :

He lost both arms in an agricultural accident and someone discribed him as a "upper body living Daruma" なんとも情けない、上半身生きだるま になってしまったのです。

His mother was standing by his side when his hands got caught in the maschine, but she could not help her son since she did not know which button to press. Both forearms had to be amputated.

After his accident, he started to write calligraphy and then paint, with a prothesis on both arms and two metal fingers, wrapped with a rubber glove to hold the brush. He even started his own group teaching painting and his students donated money to built a museum for him. Now he spends a lot of time in the museum, talking to visitors with their own hardships, who come to receive some positive energy and encouragement from him.

He walks in nature to sketch the landscape of his home area around Mt. Aso in Kyushu and then, stopping his breath, he writes some words of encouragement that come to his mind, in one go without interruption. On his home page you can read his bi-weekly painting message, etegami 絵手紙, for his many friends.



Postcards


He lives near Mt. Aso in Kumamoto with his mother and family and now even travels to Hokkaido to teach painting and open another museum, Kaze no Oka, Hill of the Wind.
In one of the rooms I even saw a Daruma painted by him.


Click HERE to see more of his picture-letters.
Click on . 今週の絵手紙 . at the bottom of the page, and from there, on the downward arrow on the top right of that page to see more.



His motto in life, despite all hardships, is always

"To be Thankful" Arigato! and
"To smile at it, egao".

ありがとう人生 Arigatoo Jinsei


風の丘 阿蘇 大野勝彦美術館
〒869-1403
熊本県阿蘇郡南阿蘇村長野2514-20





ありがとうが いつか 笑顔になった
Kumamoto Prefecture


Reference Hokkaido

Reference Article




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. Etegami 絵手紙
Postcards with Daruma
 


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

A truly courageous fellow;
i quite recently saw on local TV here a feature on a local artist who paints holding the brush between his teeth, his mother mixes his paints for him as a result of lack of hands; i don't remember his name right now but i tell you a little more when i do.

much love

Anonymous said...

thanks gabi san
how wonderful
our bleesings should be numbered