Message from the Director
At the age of eleven, by fortunate happenstance I came across a book
on Aikido for just 99 cents, a book which led to spending most of my
adult life living in Japan and exploring its cultural roots. More than
10,000 kilometers from where I was born in St. Louis, Missouri, I found
myself deeply engaged in Japanese culture. With the help of amazing
Master teachers and countless people who supported me on my
journey, I reached to the roots of Aikido, Shodo, and many elements of
Japanese language and culture, and became a professor of Japan
Studies at Yamanashi Yakuin University International College of Liberal
Arts (iCLA). To recognize and convey this wonderful legacy, we
established Wa no Mori to revalue Japanese culture and revitalize local
culture. I hope to achieve this with the dual perspective of having grown
up in a foreign culture and deep initiation into Japanese culture. Thank
you for your support!
William Reed
