“I am drawn to the Japanese culture, party through my love of Judo and partly an underlying ‘felt’ affinity. The initial carving of the dark fractured Bog Oak gave me a sense of controlled movement, that I need to see in my Judoka. I was first made aware of the ancient art of Japanning with eggshell 35 years ago when in New Zealand! It is a process I have wanted to use for a long time and after some practise, this piece felt right. The addition of the very time consuming sculpted stainless steel adds a finesse of strength’