Semi-Cursive · gyōsho 行書 · VS3C
Semi-Cursive or gyōsho (行書) styles are a simplified and softer form of the kaisho styles. Gyōsho styles can be read by most Japanese.
一拳必殺
ikken hissatsu
Kill with One Blow
One fist, certain kill: karate's own phrase, older in print than the war.
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.
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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.
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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
一拳必殺 names a karate ideal: that one blow of the fist should decide the fight. Character by character it is one fist, then certain kill. Nakayama Masatoshi grants that one devastating blow was the old art's aim, though even those who practiced it long ago put the spirit first. To take killing as the objective, he warns, is dangerous and incorrect.
Its twin 一撃必殺, ichigeki hissatsu, names the strike and is sold here as its own design.
The English follows Nakayama Masatoshi's, from his Best Karate of 1977. 一拳必殺 is composed of the kanji 一 (read ichi) meaning "one", 拳 (read ken) meaning "fist", and the word 必殺 (read hissatsu) meaning "certain kill".
一拳必殺 is a karate phrase, in print by 1934, the earliest use known, and by 1936 a saying in karate, where it stands beside its twin 一撃必殺, one strike; the earliest English book known to carry it as ikken hissatsu is Nakayama's Best Karate (1977–1978).
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 一拳必殺.
