Fine Japanese Calligraphy

The Art of Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase

Not Knowing is Buddha

知らぬが仏 (shiranu ga hotoke)

The Japanese saying 知らぬが仏 meaning "Not Knowing is Buddha" is most often translated to the English equivalent "Ignorance is Bliss". The saying is composed of the word 知らぬ which is the negative form of 知る (read shiru) meaning to know (hence "not knowing"), the grammatical element が (read ga) which indicates the previous word is the subject, and 仏 (read hotoke) meaning "Buddha".

Not Knowing is Buddha (知らぬが仏) in Block style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Not Knowing is Buddha 知らぬが仏 shiranu ga hotoke Block Vertical VB3C

Not Knowing is Buddha (知らぬが仏) in Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Not Knowing is Buddha 知らぬが仏 shiranu ga hotoke Cursive Vertical VC4B

Not Knowing is Buddha (知らぬが仏) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Not Knowing is Buddha 知らぬが仏 shiranu ga hotoke Semi-Cursive Vertical VS3C

Not Knowing is Buddha (知らぬが仏) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Not Knowing is Buddha 知らぬが仏 shiranu ga hotoke Semi-Cursive Vertical VS4C

Not Knowing is Buddha (知らぬが仏) in Block style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Not Knowing is Buddha 知らぬが仏 shiranu ga hotoke Block Horizontal HB3A

Not Knowing is Buddha (知らぬが仏) in Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Not Knowing is Buddha 知らぬが仏 shiranu ga hotoke Cursive Horizontal HC3A

Not Knowing is Buddha (知らぬが仏) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Not Knowing is Buddha 知らぬが仏 shiranu ga hotoke Semi-Cursive Horizontal HS4A

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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