Who is Takuan Amaru?

Takuan Amaru

The son of an African/Native American, career military man and a Japanese woman from the countryside in Kyoto, young Takuan was placed in multi-cultural settings from his childhood. Having received many of life's fundamental lessons in a somewhat universal, non-discriminatory environment, in large part, was responsible for producing this warrior / scholar who has dedicated his life to the ?gexperience of life?h, having been convinced by the age of 5 that all segments of humanity had their invaluable part to contribute to civilization.


After spending 3 years as a paratrooper at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, he went to Rutgers University to study Economics and play football. As Tak entered his second year of college, war escalated in the Persian Gulf region, forcing him to put a promising grid-iron career on hold to assist with military training. Since he could not practice, he became very socially active on campus and soon realized that taking part in the multi-cultural community at Rutgers appealed to him more than catching footballs, and so, never returned. Takuan would later comment that his ?greal education?h had come through the multitude of diverse ethnic groups, clubs and people that he had had the opportunity to associate with on an intimate level during his stay in New Brunswick. Aside from this, in addition to completing a ?gShetaut Neter?h curriculum on ancient Egyptian Spirituality and Philosophy at Kemet University under the guidance of Dr. Muata Ashby, he also studied customs, ethics and cultures in many countries around the world, including the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Canada, Gambia (W. Africa), the United States and Japan.


A true man of the people, Takuan first made a name for himself while still in university as a youth advocate / social worker. He served as a role model, ?gbig brother?h type of figure for ?gat-risk?h youth in impoverished situations. During this time, he encouraged and assisted youngsters in every way imaginable from advocating for juveniles in legal court proceedings to bathing and dressing some of the younger boys. He also provided school tutorials and even prepared meals for these beautiful children who found themselves facing very challenging circumstances due to no fault of their own. For his efforts, he was named the 1997 Middlesex County Youth Advocate of the Year.


As a teacher, Tak has experience teaching mathematics, English and Physical Education at the high school level and English at the university level. At Hamamatsu Jonan High School in Hamamatsu City, Japan, in addition to teaching, he was the assistant coach of the varsity basketball team. Takuan personally took on the challenge of turning around a group of misfits and outcasts that had finished win-less and in last place in each of the last three seasons prior to his arrival. Two seasons later, Jonan High School went undefeated and was crowned champion of Shizuoka Prefecture en-route to earning its first and only berth to the annual All-Japan High School Basketball Tournament in Tokyo.


At Heian High School, which is a private Buddhist school in Kyoto, Japan, Mr. Amaru created and implemented his own curriculum which was called, International Culture & Ethics. The goal of the course was not to only teach the English language and familiarize students with western customs, but more importantly, to focus on introducing young, fresh minds to customs, cultures and sub-cultures within the US and around the globe that may not have been adequately represented in the Japanese media or education. Although his attempt to get students to open up to a new way of thinking was initially met with apprehension by school officials, all worries were soon laid to rest once the class was actually witnessed by them and the students began to express their delight in taking Amaru-sensei's culturally innovative workshops.


As a writer, Takuan has published more than 100 articles on any number of topics ranging from politics, sports, philosophy, history, spirituality, religion and entertainment. His expertise lies in the areas of race relations and ancient philosophy/spirituality. His strength is in his ability to draw on a multitude of personal life experiences to connect with readers on a very deep and intimate level. He analyzes issues from a very unique perspective and articulates his facts and ideas in an honest and forthright manner that inspires readers to rise above the argument of confusion to realize their own sense of humanity and self-worth.


As an Entertainer, Tak is half of the original group AfroAsiatic. Under his Hiphop pseudonym, The Furious C.H.I.L.D., he and James (Source) Elmore teamed up with numerous Japanese and Brazilian-Japanese emcees, deejays, and street-dancers and toured the main island of Japan from 1999 - 2001. They released two CDs: World Tour andFar-East Style, but were more known for their compelling live performances where they would actually teach the basic elements of Hiphop to the crowd using Japanese, English, Spanish and Portuguese before tearing the house down with their own multi-lingual, brand of Hiphop. After making numerous appearances in clubs, radio stations and even TV news, AfroAsiaticwas greeted by Mayor Kitawaki of Hamamatsu City at a press conference and and given the Keys to the City of Hamamatsu for their leading role in promoting international unity and understanding, especially among the youth.

Today, Takuan has decided to turn away from the fast pace of modern life and has made deliberate moves toward returning to nature and the balance in the universe. He has committed to a more spiritual path and makes his living as a writer in a very rural setting in the mountainous, countryside of Japan. He is now publishing an on-line, bi-monthly editorial, AfroAsiatic Perspectives, that features stories, opinions and events from an AfroAsiatic (or non-western) point of view. He is also currently working on a book,Black in Japan: The story of one young man's determination to put together the fragmented pieces of his multi-cultural existence.

A tremendous researcher, multi-linguist and fascinating public speaker, Takuan Amaru has been labelled a modern day Renaissance Man by many associates and former co-workers. When asked about his thoughts regarding this compliment he simply shrugs his shoulders and says,

I just want the opportunity to "Master the Art of Self-Expression" ...if I can achieve that lofty goal and connect with other like-minded souls, we can together, ride the crest of humanity to the Next Level... That, my friend, is the definition of true renaissance!