Tanimoto Dharma Designs

Tanimoto Dharma Designs We are a retail and wholesale design studio of Wabi Sabi inspirational art. Simply said, “Life’s not Perfect,” and we aim to appreciate these imperfections.

Wabi-Sabi is the Japanese view of life that finds beauty in things that are simple and humble, ordinary and unrefined, incomplete and impermanent. Everything ages, nothing lasts forever, and sometimes things don’t work out as planned. Embrace the Wabi-Sabi concept -- laugh, learn, and become a better you.

03/07/2026

This is Erynn, Brian Tanimoto’s daughter. I’m heartbroken to announce the sudden passing of my dad. Tanimoto Dharma Designs/Life is Wabi-Sabi was my dad’s dream, he loved creating & sharing his art every day and I know he was so grateful for everyone he met through his work. The shop will be closed while we go through things- if anyone had pending orders or items there that you would like to pick up, please DM so I can make arrangements. Thank you so much for your kind understanding during this difficult time.

Explaining my thought process in composing this abstract art. It begins with the first diluted sumi ink shape to the rig...
02/28/2026

Explaining my thought process in composing this abstract art. It begins with the first diluted sumi ink shape to the right, then the the black smudge is added in the center, followed by the thin black lines.

The dark circle to the upper left is randomly painted and kinda balanced below with the diluted square shape. After some thought, the connection is bridged with the stylized Japanese looking “asemic” lettering. The Hanko stamp and signature was thought to complete the art, but something to me appeared imbalanced. 🤔

I pondered this question overnight and figured out a few solutions. The end result was the tiny smudge mark to the lower right. That was it!!! The artwork is finally complete. 😂

Had to try to take a pic from the side to capture some of the shimmering gold sumi ink, but it’s a fail! 😕 Also my light...
02/27/2026

Had to try to take a pic from the side to capture some of the shimmering gold sumi ink, but it’s a fail! 😕 Also my lighting is very poor in my studio, and not to mention I really need to upgrade my phone to take better pics of my artwork.

This is far from done, but wanted to show you how I layer my work. This piece has been overlaid 5 times with sumi ink brush strokes, lines, shapes, and scribbles. Each layered session is allowed to dry before proceeding on. Oh, and there really is no plan or forethought involved.

I left a small space in the lower right hand corner for my Hanko stamp mark and my signature. I’m hoping it ends with an acceptable composition. 🙏🏼✨💜

Still going through the layering process. A few of them are close to completion, but just need some tweaking to give it ...
02/26/2026

Still going through the layering process. A few of them are close to completion, but just need some tweaking to give it more presence or pop. You’ll see! The others still need a lot more work.

One thing good about a slow retail month, I have a lot of time to work on my art. Yay!!! Now is the time to stop by for a visit…my walls are full!!! 🙏🏼✨💜

My friend .ho.739 would probably say this is “LBD” or little bit deep, but it will eventually speak to someone. I’ve use...
02/22/2026

My friend .ho.739 would probably say this is “LBD” or little bit deep, but it will eventually speak to someone. I’ve used this message before and all have sold. 🙏🏼 I guess some people appreciate deep thoughts. 😁

Continuing to make these smaller size compositions for variety and affordability. 6 1/8” x 8 1/8” outside frame dimensions, custom framed with plexi protection. Currently priced at $75. Message me if interested. Arigato! 🙏🏼✨💜

Thought I better start saving all my random scribblings. I’ve used a few before in my artwork, but now I’m looking at th...
02/21/2026

Thought I better start saving all my random scribblings. I’ve used a few before in my artwork, but now I’m looking at them through fresh eyes and seeing their mottainai potential.

These were created today as I was testing different brush and pen widths and checking out the ink flow. No thought in mind, just doodling, with no intention of seeing any use for them. Most artist would just throw these away. 😁 What do you think…trash them, or save them?

With Buddhist Church of San Francisco – I'm on a streak! I've been a top fan for 13 months in a row. 🎉
02/20/2026

With Buddhist Church of San Francisco – I'm on a streak! I've been a top fan for 13 months in a row. 🎉

Keeping busy creating new abstract sumi ink paintings with hand lettered Yoshio quotes. I am once again motivated, inspi...
02/20/2026

Keeping busy creating new abstract sumi ink paintings with hand lettered Yoshio quotes. I am once again motivated, inspired, and overjoyed to continue my journey.

Another completed composition which started in a post a week ago. I never know what the end result will be…it just creates itself. 7 1/4 x 8 3/8” outside frame dimensions, custom framed with plexi protection. Currently priced at $120. Message me if interested. Arigato! 🙏🏼✨💜

I was surprised when two friends commented that I should frame my large scribbles I posted three days ago. Since I didn’...
02/19/2026

I was surprised when two friends commented that I should frame my large scribbles I posted three days ago. Since I didn’t have the confidence that I could sell it if I framed it, I decided to do a 5x7 compromise.

I thought this kinda ornate frame I had spray painted black was a nice compliment to the squiggly lines and bolder brush strokes. Since the painting looked chaotic I decided to hand letter some positive and calming words within the composition. You need to look closely to see them.

I still think it’s a hard sell, but you just never know. 7 1/4” x 9 1/4” outside frame dimensions, and currently priced at $85. Message me if interested. It really looks better when you view it in my shop. Stop by to see the growing collection of wabi sabi art. Arigato! 🙏🏼✨💜

Reserved! YAY!!! 🙏🏼

Completed the first abstract sumi ink painting from the post I did 5 days ago. I did tell you it goes through a layering...
02/18/2026

Completed the first abstract sumi ink painting from the post I did 5 days ago. I did tell you it goes through a layering process and will look very different in the end. Doing smaller size paintings to keep the price down. 6 1/8” x 8 1/8” outside frame dimensions, and currently priced at $75. Message me if you’re interested. Thank you! 🙏🏼✨💜

Reserved! YAY!!!

Address

278 Kilauea Avenue
Hilo, HI
96720

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

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