Fine Japanese Calligraphy

The Art of Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase

If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Promptly

善は急げ (zen wa isoge)

The Japanese expression 善は急げ means "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing prompty; If it is a good thing, hurry and do it" and is composed of the kanji |zen,善 goodness (read meaning "good)wa,は and (read which indicates the previous word is the subject)isoge,急げ| which is the imperative form of the verb |isogu,急ぐ to rush (read meaning "to hurry)wa,は| is written with the hiragana ha but it is always read wa. We give how it is read while the dictionary gives how it is written. Interesting, yes?

In Even Monkeys Fall from Trees: The Wit and Wisdom of Japanese Proverbs (Vol 1) by David Galef , the author translates the saying as "Do Quickly What Is Good" and equates this with the saying "Strike While The Iron Is Hot".

If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Promptly (善は急げ) in Block style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Promptly 善は急げ zen wa isoge Block Vertical VB4C
If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Promptly (善は急げ) in Design style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Promptly 善は急げ zen wa isoge Design Vertical VD4B
If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Promptly (善は急げ) in Design style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Promptly 善は急げ zen wa isoge Design Vertical VD4C
If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Promptly (善は急げ) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Promptly 善は急げ zen wa isoge Semi-Cursive Vertical VS4C
If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Promptly (善は急げ) in Block style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Promptly 善は急げ zen wa isoge Block Horizontal HB3A
If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Promptly (善は急げ) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
If It's Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Promptly 善は急げ zen wa isoge Semi-Cursive Horizontal HS3A

Also available as a hand-brushed Japanese scroll

Master Calligrapher Eri Takase creates each scroll personally, hand-brushed to order on traditional Japanese paper.

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