About

Masaki Wakabayashi

I studied xieyi painting as a symbolic art (fu-tu) under a Daoist master from Wudang Mountain, China, learning it alongside the philosophical interpretation of the Rootless Tree (Wugen Shu). I have now completed a series of artworks corresponding to each verse and line of the poems. These paintings express not only the heart of the poetry, but also the unseen elements—qi, rhythm, flow, stillness, and space. It is my hope that these works serve as talismanic art, much like the ancient principles of Chinese feng shui—transmitting and harmonizing qi throughout a space, and sending quiet ripples into the hearts of those who view them. Moving forward, I will continue to create xieyi works inspired by poetry and narrative, reimagined for the present age.

The Osaka Kabukiza in the 1950s

Born in Osaka in 1957. His maternal grandmother was a female *Rōkyoku* performer named Koushiwaka, and his grandfather was a senior figure (second-in-command) in a bakuto syndicate that managed entertainment enterprises such as the Osaka Kabukiza Theater and the All Japan Pro-Wrestling Association. From an early age, he received professional training in wrestling, swordsmanship, and performing arts at the dojo of the All Japan Pro-Wrestling Association and the Kabukiza Theater, both operated by his grandfather’s syndicate. He also received instruction in painting from the head billboard artist of the Osaka Kabukiza Theater. During high school, he studied the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū school of swordsmanship. In adulthood, he began private and intensive training under a Wudang Tai Chi master—formerly a bodyguard to his grandfather—who passed on teachings in Tai Chi, internal cultivation (Tai Chi Gong), Daoist philosophy such as Laozi and The Rootless Tree, Chinese expressive painting (xieyi), and evidential scholarship (kaozheng). At around the age of 30, he received formal certification in these arts. From that point, he began creating xieyi paintings inspired by the philosophy of The Rootless Tree, as a method of deepening his understanding. In his twenties, he served as CEO of an advertising and planning company. In 1988, he introduced the “Panda Goldfish,” which he had obtained in Hong Kong, to Japan. He gained wide media attention through appearances on TV, newspapers, and magazines, and relocated to Tokyo to expand the business, later working on business development projects for major corporations. After moving to Yokohama, he founded and managed a nationwide consumer organization for housewives. Since his thirties, he has consistently researched the theories of Tai Chi, promoted its health and martial aspects, and conducted classes in Tai Chi and Qigong. In 2025, after nearly four decades of dedicated study, he completed the full interpretation of The Rootless Tree’s 24 chapters and 100 verses, along with over 250 xieyi paintings depicting each chapter and verse as symbolic diagrams (fu tu). He became the first in Japan to publish a complete commentary on The Rootless Tree and to present its visual representation through art. He continues to publish works on Eastern philosophy, Chinese medicine, Tai Chi Gong, Qigong, and Daoist poetic art, releasing new xieyi concept artworks centered on philosophical verse.

Publications include:

– Refining the Body to the Bone through Simplified 24-Form Tai Chi – The World’s Most Beautiful Simplified 24-Form Tai Chi – True History of Tai Chi (3 volumes: Upper, Middle, Lower) – Tai Chi vs. COVID-19 – Dialogue Between Laozi and a Housewife (Dao & De Volumes) – Yang Style 85-Form Tai Chi,/The Rootless Tree/24Chapters/100Verse among others

Xieyi Painting – 写意画

Xieyi Painting as Visual Poetry – Where Brush Becomes Breath｜写意画 ― 詩が絵となり、絵が空間に気を通す

In the tradition of classical music, great composers often set the verses of poets to melody—transforming emotion into resonance, and word into sound. Just as Schubert gave voice to Goethe’s poetry, or Mahler sculpted vast landscapes of soul through Rückert’s verse, so too can visual art echo the spirit of poetry—not merely illustrating, but breathing its essence into space.
Xieyi painting, or “writing the meaning”, is a form of art that transcends visual realism. Like a poem turned into sound, it turns emotion into ink—into rhythm, flow, silence, and space. It captures the invisible feeling, the spiritual gesture behind a moment, much like a Chopin nocturne captures twilight without showing a single star.
In this sense, Xieyi is not only painting—it is visual composition, an intuitive symphony of energy, breath, and intention. These works do not decorate space—they tune it. They are not images of the external world, but expressions of the inner landscape, just as a Lied or a piano sonata opens a quiet door to the soul.

　クラシック音楽の伝統において、偉大な作曲家たちはしばしば詩人の言葉に旋律を与えました。言葉は音へと変わり、感情は響きとなって、聴く者の心を揺さぶります。シューベルトがゲーテを歌い、マーラーがリュッケルトの詩で魂の風景を描いたように、絵画もまた、詩の心を視覚の中に響かせることができるのです。写実ではなく、“意味を写す” ― それが写意です。
　写意画は、目に見えるものを描くのではなく、気・リズム・流れ・沈黙・余白といった、見えざるものを表現します。まるでショパンの夜想曲が一つの星も描かずに黄昏を映すように、この絵もまた、心の光景を墨の中に宿します。
　写意画は、単なる「絵」ではありません。それは視覚による作曲であり、空間に氣（き）を通し、調律するアートです。音楽が静かに魂の扉を開くように、この絵もまた、空間と心に静かな波紋を広げるでしょう。

Talisman

Xieyi Talismanic Paintings — Visual Vessels of Qi and Spirit｜写意タリスマン絵画 ― 気と精神を宿す視覚の器

A talisman is an object believed to hold magical, spiritual, or protective power, often created or consecrated with intention. It may bring luck, protection, healing, energy, or spiritual influence to the person or space it is connected with.

タリスマンとは、魔力、霊力、あるいは守護の力を持つと信じられている物体で、多くの場合、意図を持って作られたり奉納されたりします。タリスマンは、それと結びついた人や空間に、幸運、守護、癒し、エネルギー、あるいは霊的な影響をもたらすと考えられています。

Xieyi × Talisman｜写意画 × タリスマン

When a Xieyi becomes a “talisman,” it is not just a decorative painting, but a “visual talisman” that moves the energy, adjusts the vibrations of the place, and affects the mind and body of the viewer.
In other words: “Xieyi, which is drawn with intention and symbolism, is not only a “picture,” but also a “working diagram” = a talisman.”

写意画が「タリスマン」となるとき、それは単なる装飾画ではなく、氣を動かし、場の波動を整え、見る人の心や体に働きかける“視覚の護符”になります。
つまり：「写意画に、意図と象徴を込めて描かれたものは、“絵”であると同時に、“働く図”＝タリスマンなのです。」

The positioning of Xieyi painting × talisman｜写意画 × タリスマンの位置づけ

When a Xieyi painting is drawn as a talismanic diagram, it is:
In the Eastern sense, it is a visual feng shui for space that regulates the flow of chi and the five elements of yin and yang.
In the Western sense, it is a talisman painted with intention to activate spirituality.

In other words, it is like an open spiritual device that works on space and people.

「写意画」が「符図（talismanic diagram）」として描かれると、それは：
東洋的には：「氣」や「陰陽五行」の流れを調える、空間のための“視覚風水”。
西洋的に言えば：「意図を込めて描かれた、精神性を活性化する絵画型のタリスマン」。

つまり、**空間と人に働きかける“開かれた霊的装置”**のようなものです。

summary｜まとめ

Talismanic Xieyi paintings are not just symbols. They are energetic tools—bridging spirit and space, inviting harmony, clarity, and transformation.

符図としての写意画は単なるシンボルではありません。精神と空間を繋ぎ、調和、明晰さ、そして変容をもたらす、エネルギーに満ちたツールなのです。