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.
三人寄れば文殊の知恵
sannin yoreba monju no chie
If three people gather, the wisdom of Monju
Three people together have the wisdom of Monju.
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 words 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.
30-day money-back guarantee
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
Monju is Mañjuśrī, the bodhisattva of wisdom; alone we are ordinary, and three of us taking counsel reach what the monasteries prayed to. The line is in a proverb book of 1656 and was what people always say by 1662; its second half is a Buddhist superlative two centuries older, paired in Noh with the Buddha's dullest disciple.
Two heads are better than one is the smaller English cousin.
The whole line is first written down in the 世話尽, a list of sayings of 1656, built on 文殊の智慧, Monju's wisdom, a set phrase for wisdom already in a Noh play of about 1384; in 1817 喜多村節信 argued that it names Monju only to say wisdom and has no source text, Zen or Confucian.
Learn More About These Words
We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 三人寄れば文殊の知恵.
