William Reed

Born in the United States, he is the representative of Wa no Mori LLC and a professor at the International College of Liberal Arts (iCLA) at Yamanashi Gakuin University. He holds an 8th Dan in Yuishinkai Aikido and serves as Vice Chairman of the All Japan Educational Calligraphy Federation, where he also holds a 10th Dan in calligraphy. Additionally, he is a certified handwriting advisor with the Japan Handwriting Diagnosis Association and a special instructor for the Nanba Technique Association.

He is a commentator on Yamanashi Broadcasting’s television program Tetete TV and the host of the radio show Compass of Kai Takuja on the same network. Furthermore, he appears as a navigator on NHK World’s Journeys in Japan and served as the narrator and calligraphy contributor for the poster of the Aizu Boshin War 150th Anniversary Documentary (Dogi Edition). He also participated in a promotional video for “Budo Tourism” produced by the Japan Sports Agency, demonstrating live calligraphy.

He writes a monthly column titled “The Brush Is the Sword of the Heart” for Hiden magazine. Under the mentorship of Craig Valentine, the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking, he became the world’s first World-Class Speaking Certified Coach in 2009. As Honorary President of the Japan Handmade Armor Association, he has taken part in Japan’s largest samurai parade, the Shingen-ko Festival, alongside international students dressed in handmade armor.

Passionate about sharing the beauty of Japanese culture, he works in both Japanese and English to promote cultural appreciation and support regional revitalization. In 2020, he was honored with the “Scottish Samurai Great Shogun Award” in recognition of his contributions as an ambassador of Japanese culture.

Yuishinkai Aikido　　https://aikidoyuishinkai-japan-honbu.jimdofree.com/
All Japan Educational Calligraphy Federation 　 http://www.syodo.net/
Nanba Technique Association　https://nanbajyutsu.jimdofree.com/
Samurai Walk: Bunbu Ryodo（文武両道）　 http://www.samurai-walk.com
Aizu Boshin War 150th Anniversary Documentary　 http://aizu150.com/
YBS “Compass of the Pioneers”　https://www.ybs.jp/kaitaku/
Sports Agency “Budo Tourism” Promotional Video　https://sports.go.jp/movie/post-17.html
Order of the Scottish Samurai (OSS) 　https://samurai.scot/