Cursive · sōsho 草書 · VC6B
Cursive or sōsho (草書) styles are the most simplified styles and Master Takase's favorite. While very beautiful, these styles are often difficult to read even by specialists.
Summer grass, all the warriors are, but the remains of dreams[1] natsukusa ya tsuwamono domo ga yume no ato 夏草や 兵どもが 夢の跡 bashō 芭蕉
Bashō climbs Takadachi at Hiraizumi, where, his journal says, the glory of the loyal retainers became the grass.
by Master Eri Takase
Born and raised in Osaka, Japan, Eri Takase received the rank of Shihan, master, from two calligraphy societies, the Bokuteki-kai and Bunka-shodō, and won best-of-category awards in all-Japan national competitions. She has created calligraphy for people around the world for more than thirty years, and with your order she will be creating calligraphy for you.
In a ritual as old as calligraphy itself, Master Takase prepares the ink, meditatively rubbing the ink stick against the stone until it reaches the perfect consistency for the paper. Then, properly loading the brush with ink, she brushes your scroll. And only when the scroll is just right and meets her approval, she signs it and affixes her seal, completing your original scroll.
12 1/4" × 43" (31 × 109 cm) Japanese Scrolls
The scrolls have woven damask borders and special layered Japanese paper (washi), designed to last generations by a scroll maker in Gifu, Japan, with whom we have worked for over two decades.
Gift-Ready
Your scroll arrives boxed, with a printed insert describing the haiku in detail.
Sending it as a gift? Add your message at checkout and we will include it with the insert.
Ships in 1-3 days from Washington State
Your scroll is brushed when you order it and completed within 1 to 3 business days.
Your scroll ships from Master Takase's studio in Washington State. Shipping is calculated at checkout. We ship worldwide.
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Every order is covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee. If your scroll arrives damaged, or we made an error, we replace it or refund you in full, including shipping.
Explanation
[1] The English above is Timothy L. Jackowski's, made for Takase Studios.
Bashō came to Hiraizumi in the summer of 1689, on the journey of his 奥の細道 (oku no hosomichi), and this is one of his most famous verses. Asatarō Miyamori described the place in 1932:
The ruins of Takadachi Fort are found at the village of Hiraizume, Iwai County, in the province of Rikuchū. Seven centuries ago General Yoshitsune and his seven or eight loyal men were besieged in this small fort by General Yasuhira's troops. They fought bravely and achieved brilliant deeds, but, far outnumbered, died at last a heroic death.
It is now summer. The ruins are overgrown with grasses. Of old the brave warriors fought against heavy odds and achieved brilliant deeds. But their achievements have proved empty as a dream.
The emotional poet, filled with such reflections, burst into tears, as he confesses in his famous account of travel, “A Narrow Pass through Ōshū.”
Harold G. Henderson spent twenty-five years trying to put it into English, and wrote:
I wish that some genius could find the proper English for this haiku. I myself have not been able to do so.
Learn More About This Haiku
We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 夏草や兵どもが夢の跡.
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