温故知新 onkochishin Respect the Past, Create the New

Respect the Past, Create the New in Japanese is 温故知新 which is read onkochishin

温故知新 (onko chishin): warm the old and know the new.

温故知新 asks you to go back over what you once learned until it comes alive again. Do that, and you will find something in it you did not know. In the full saying, whoever can do this is ready to teach. The first character pictures learning gone cold, warmed until it answers; some read it as seek out, and the two are one act. In Japan it has also become a motto for honoring the past and making the new. Whether you hang it for study, teaching or work is yours.

The line is Confucius's own saying, recorded in the Analects, chapter 為政, saying eleven, about who is fit to teach; the four characters without the connective 而 already stand as a phrase in a Chinese edict of 23 BC, and a Japanese edict of 703 is the earliest Japanese use known.

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

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.

Shipping is calculated at checkout from your address; within the United States it is $13 to $22. We ship worldwide, and any import charges for your country are shown at checkout before you pay.

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