Ma: The Japanese Secret to Contemplation and Calm

Ken Rogers (1952–2024) was a writer, editor, farmer, and longtime resident of Kyoto, best known as the co-founder of Kyoto Journal, an acclaimed international magazine exploring Japanese and Asian culture since 1987. Passionate about fostering cross-cultural dialogue, Ken edited numerous publications illuminating Japanese aesthetics, Buddhist philosophy, and daily life. Ken also emceed The Kyoto Connection, a monthly open mic event that helped nurture a vibrant community of writers and performers. He left behind a rich legacy of insightful storytelling and deep appreciation for the spaces between things.

John Einarsen is a photographer, designer, and founding editor of Kyoto Journal alongside Ken Rogers. His books of photographs include Kyoto: The Forest Within the Gate, Small Buildings of Kyoto, and This Very Moment (2023). From 2013–2015 he served as an advisor to the Japan Times and in 2013 received the Commissioner’s Award of the Japanese Cultural Affairs Agency. He lives near Kyoto’s Nanzenji temple.

Compiled essays, illustrations and photographs by nineteen talented writers and artists including: Alex Kerr; Gunter Nitschke; Pico Iyer; Steven Mansfield; Mark Hovane; Alexandre Avudulov; John McGee; Joshua Pearl; Edward A. Burger; Leanne Ogasawara; Nakajima Hiroyuki; Hikaru Hirata-Miyakawa; Magdalena Rittenhouse; Kit Nagamura; Alexander Bennett; Atticus Sims; Takafumi Kawakami; Robert van Koesveld; and Michael Dylan Welch.