Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree in Japanese Calligraphy: 8 Hand-Brushed Designs

人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅 hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree

A spring no one sees; the plum on the back of the mirror.

人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅 (hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume): a spring no one sees; the plum on the back of the mirror. 人も見ぬ春 is a spring that not even people see; 鏡のうら is the back of a mirror, where a bronze mirror carried its cast design, plum among the commonest; 梅 is the plum, the first flower of the year. It is a New Year's verse by Matsuo Bashō, and its main reading since the Edo commentaries is this: the plum no one turns the mirror over to see is the good that goes unseen, a person's virtue that no one knows. The English follows R. H. Blyth's, from his Haiku of 1952, with his lines reordered.

Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree (人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅) in Block style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree 人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅 hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume Vertical Block VB3C

Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree 人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅 hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume Vertical Block VB6C

Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree (人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅) in Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree 人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅 hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume Vertical Cursive VC6B

Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree (人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅) in Jiun style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree 人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅 hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume Vertical Jiun VD3B

Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree 人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅 hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume Vertical Jiun VD3C

Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree 人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅 hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume Vertical Jiun VD6B

Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree 人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅 hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume Vertical Jiun VD6C

Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree (人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree 人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅 hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume Vertical Semi-Cursive VS6C

More about 人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅

The verse is Bashō's New Year verse for 1692, printed that summer, in his lifetime, at the head of the spring verses of the Kyoto anthology 己が光 (Onoga hikari).

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅.

About the Designs

Each design is Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase's hand-brushed calligraphy of the word or phrase on this page, delivered as a PDF you can print. Every PDF includes the line art, so a tattoo artist or a craftsperson can work from the outline as well as the brushed image. The line art prints sharp at any size. The brushed image is sized to print at the dimensions shown on the PDF, so for a larger piece, work from the line art.

Licensing

Your purchase includes a personal-use license: use the design as a tattoo reference, frame it, engrave it, print it for yourself, or make it into a gift. For more information see Licensing, which also covers commercial-use options that may be purchased separately.

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Your PDF is available for download the moment your order completes, and a copy is attached to your emailed receipt.

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Japanese Scroll of Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree (hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume) — Calligraphy by Eri Takase

Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree人も見ぬ春や鏡のうらの梅hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume

Original art by Master Calligrapher Eri Takase

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Bashō - On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree as a hand-brushed scroll

Master Takase personally brushes your scroll when you order, and it bears her red seal and her signature. The scroll has woven damask borders and layered Japanese paper. It is designed to last generations and arrives ready to display.