善かれ悪しかれ yokare ashikare For Better Or For Worse

Be it good or bad, either way.

善かれ悪しかれ is an old Japanese word, first written down before 1257: be it good or bad. Worn as a tattoo, it says you take what comes, whichever way it turns out.

For Better Or For Worse (善かれ悪しかれ) in Block style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

For Better Or For Worse 善かれ悪しかれ yokare ashikare Vertical Block VB4C

For Better Or For Worse (善かれ悪しかれ) in Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

For Better Or For Worse 善かれ悪しかれ yokare ashikare Vertical Cursive VC3B

For Better Or For Worse 善かれ悪しかれ yokare ashikare Vertical Cursive VC5B

For Better Or For Worse 善かれ悪しかれ yokare ashikare Vertical Cursive VC5C

For Better Or For Worse (善かれ悪しかれ) in Design style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

For Better Or For Worse 善かれ悪しかれ yokare ashikare Vertical Design VD4B

For Better Or For Worse (善かれ悪しかれ) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

For Better Or For Worse 善かれ悪しかれ yokare ashikare Vertical Semi-Cursive VS4C

For Better Or For Worse 善かれ悪しかれ yokare ashikare Vertical Semi-Cursive VS4D

For Better Or For Worse 善かれ悪しかれ yokare ashikare Vertical Semi-Cursive VS5C

For Better Or For Worse 善かれ悪しかれ yokare ashikare Horizontal Block HB4A

For Better Or For Worse 善かれ悪しかれ yokare ashikare Horizontal Cursive HC3A

For Better Or For Worse 善かれ悪しかれ yokare ashikare Horizontal Design HD4A

More about 善かれ悪しかれ

善かれ悪しかれ says whichever way it falls, for good or for ill. It is a word of letting go, where the outcome is not the point. Good or bad, all one can do is wait for the result. Said of a husband and wife, it stands beside the vow and is never the vow itself.

The phrase joins two old imperatives, よかれ and あしかれ, let it be good, let it be bad, and its oldest attested uses are medieval: a letter of Hōnen, carried in collections from the 1250s on, and a Muromachi tale of the 御伽草子, both telling a listener to let an outcome go.

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 善かれ悪しかれ.

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.

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.

Delivery

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

If you need your design again later, ask us for it and we will send it.

For Better Or For Worse (yokare ashikare)

For Better or For Worse in Japanese, 善かれ悪しかれ (yokare ashikare), a hand-brushed hanging scroll by Master Calligrapher Eri Takase.

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For Better Or For Worse 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 real silk borders and layered Japanese paper, so it hangs straight, and it arrives ready to display.