“GI-NO-KOKORO”, literally meaning “the heart of righteousness,” comes from a phrase in The Blue Cliff Record, from the dialogue between The Great Master Bodhidharma and Empe ror Bu about the “Primary Principle,” the enlightenment of Buddha.

◆Everything that exists in this world changes and moves along.
◆Every single thing in this world did not come into being on its own, nor does it exist alone.
◆Comfort exists in a mind that does not discriminate, be obsessed, and dwell.

It was Uesugi Kenshin, the warlord of Echigo province, who was deeply moved by this principle. When he built the temple gates for his master Monk Soken’s Rinsenji Temple, h e engraved the word “Daiichigi” (The First Principle) on a lar ge plaque and hanged it. Kenshin left the quote ” To me, a righteous mind is the beauty of humans being humans.” After the great earthquake and tsunami, the owner of ZAGYOSOH invited a party of 500 from Taiwan and held “The Righteous Mind and Love 20th Annivers ary Meeting” in Niigata Prefecture. The owner was deeply moved by Kenshin’s “Righteous Mind” and Naoe Kanetsugu’s “Love,” both men from Niigata, and took action to revitalize Japan’s sluggish tourism industry. As a token of appreciation, Niigata Prefecture awarded him with a tablet with the engraving “The First Principle.” Th us, the name of the art gallery comes from ZAGYOSOH’s owner’s longing and respect toward Kenshin.

In addition to the exhibition of traditional Japanese artwork, various other events are held. Please stop by and take a look.

daisho by amata akitsugu(living national treasure)
kanata mei　amata akitsugu saku
heisei 23nen aki kichi jitsu present made in niigata pref
hacho:75.0cm　sori:2.0cm

wakizashi mei：akitsugu saku
heisei 23nen aki kichi jitsu present made in niigata
hacho:39.4cm　sori:0.4cm

special order made Kenshin Uesugi style daisho koshirae
totally supervised by Kazuyuki Takayama
metalsmiths: Hiroshi Miyajima, Ikuo Nakata,Takeshi Miyashita,
urushi painting: Tomoaki Kawanobe
tsukamaki: Hisao Okabe
sageo: Tetsuko Mudou

katana mei　izumo koku jyuu sadanaga saku
kore　shouwa 55nen 5gatsu hi present made in shimane pref
hacho:74.9cm　sori:1.75cm

excellent work of unshuu tetsuanshi sadanaga.