Fine Japanese Calligraphy

The Art of Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase

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能ある鷹は爪を隠す nō aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons

The hawk with skill hides its talons.

The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons (能ある鷹は爪を隠す) in Block style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons 能ある鷹は爪を隠す nō aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu Vertical Block VB7C
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons (能ある鷹は爪を隠す) in Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons 能ある鷹は爪を隠す nō aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu Vertical Cursive VC7B
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons (能ある鷹は爪を隠す) in Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons 能ある鷹は爪を隠す nō aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu Vertical Cursive VC7C
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons (能ある鷹は爪を隠す) in Design style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons 能ある鷹は爪を隠す nō aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu Vertical Design VD5B
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons (能ある鷹は爪を隠す) in Design style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons 能ある鷹は爪を隠す nō aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu Vertical Design VD6B
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons (能ある鷹は爪を隠す) in Design style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons 能ある鷹は爪を隠す nō aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu Vertical Design VD6C
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons (能ある鷹は爪を隠す) in Design style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons 能ある鷹は爪を隠す nō aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu Vertical Design VD7B
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons (能ある鷹は爪を隠す) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase
The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons 能ある鷹は爪を隠す nō aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu Vertical Semi-Cursive VS6C
More about 能ある鷹は爪を隠す

Real ability does not display itself; the hawk does not raise its talons to threaten, and the proverb is about restraint more than concealment. By 1641 a chronicle of the Hōjō of Odawara calls it a popular saying whose origin no one knows, and Edo writers used it every way: Bakin as praise, Gennai as a warning that the quiet ones are the swindlers, Atsutane objecting that in a blind world the quiet hawk is taken for a dead one. The cat that hides its claws is the same proverb with another animal.

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 能ある鷹は爪を隠す.

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.

The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons 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.