住めば都 sumeba miyako Home Is Where You Live

Home Is Where You Live in Japanese is 住めば都 which is read sumeba miyako

住めば都 (sumeba miyako): live there, and it is the capital.

住めば都 says that wherever you live, you come to call it home. 住めば means if you live there, once you live there, and 都 is the capital. The proverb is about growing used to a place, never about choosing one. The dictionaries add a second turn: hardship too, once you are used to it, becomes a pleasure of the mind. Whether you hang it for yourself or give it to someone far from home is yours.

A twin one vowel away, 住まば都 (sumaba miyako), means the reverse: if you live anywhere, let it be the capital. The design says sumeba.

sumeba miyako is perfect for a housewarming gift, especially for someone living in a new area. This is a great reminder that no matter how different the place, it will become home.

The sentence originates in a poem of 1183, written at sea by a Taira courtier in exile with the child emperor's fled court, on the set topic "love, on the moon"; the chronicles disagree on the poet, naming 平大納言時忠 in the 源平盛衰記 and the 長門本 平家物語 and 左馬頭行盛 in the common text of the 平家物語. The proverb took its shape by the Muromachi period, once the sentence had detached from the emperor.

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 住めば都.

Your scroll is brushed when you order it and completed within 1 to 3 business days. It ships by USPS Priority Mail from Master Takase's studio in Washington State, boxed and ready to hang, with a printed page giving the art's English, romaji and Japanese.

Sending it as a gift? Tell us when you order and we will include your message.

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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. Refund policy

Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase brushes your scroll by hand when you order it. Each scroll bears her red seal, 英利, and her signature.

The scrolls are 12 1/4" W × 43" H (31 × 109 cm) with real silk borders and Japanese paper that are layered so the scroll hangs straight and will not warp over time. The scrolls themselves are made by Sankō (株式会社三幸) in Gifu prefecture, which has been making high quality scrolls since 1947, and we have worked with Sankō for over two decades.

Eri Takase was born and raised in Osaka, Japan, and holds the rank of Shihan, the highest rank in Japanese calligraphy, from the Bokuteki-kai and the Bunka-shodo. About Master Takase