先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ mazu onore wo shire shikashite ta wo shire First Know Yourself Then Know Others

先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ (mazu onore wo shire shikashite ta wo shire): first know yourself, then know others.

First Know Yourself Then Know Others (先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ) in Block style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

First Know Yourself Then Know Others 先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ mazu onore wo shire shikashite ta wo shire Vertical Block VB6C

First Know Yourself Then Know Others (先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ) in Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

First Know Yourself Then Know Others 先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ mazu onore wo shire shikashite ta wo shire Vertical Cursive VC6B

First Know Yourself Then Know Others (先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ) in Design style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

First Know Yourself Then Know Others 先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ mazu onore wo shire shikashite ta wo shire Vertical Design VD6B

First Know Yourself Then Know Others (先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

First Know Yourself Then Know Others 先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ mazu onore wo shire shikashite ta wo shire Vertical Semi-Cursive VS6C

More about 先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ

先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ tells you where to begin: with yourself. You cannot judge another person rightly until you can see your own habits, strengths and faults. In the dojo the other is your opponent; outside it, anyone you deal with. The sentence is an order, not a remark, which is what the ending 知れ, know, keeps. 自己 is read onore here, and jiko is another reading of the same characters. Whether you keep it for training or for daily life is yours.

The precept is one of Funakoshi Gichin 船越義珍's twenty precepts of karate, a list in print by December 1934, four years before Nakasone Genwa 仲宗根源和 printed it with his commentary in 空手道大観 (1938).

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ.

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.

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