Carelessness is one's greatest enemy

油断大敵 (yudan taiteki): carelessness is a great enemy. 油断 is the moment of a dropped guard, letting the mind relax and underrating what is in front of you; 大敵 is a formidable foe. The proverb treats an inward lapse as an outward enemy. The thought is in the first Japanese proverb collection of 1638, and the four characters are in a puppet play of 1668. In 1732 the Confucian scholar Muro Kyūsō built a chapter on it: asked by a rising young official for one thing to keep, the elder statesman Ii Naotaka answered with this phrase alone and told him never to forget it. It is the martial maxim of the family, and a fitting gift for a dojo.

This beautiful art is a practical reminder to both be prepared and to be attentive and careful. This is a perfect gift for a dojo or any place where attention to detail is all important.