精力善用 seiryoku zen'yō Maximum Efficiency Minimum Effort

Maximum Efficiency Minimum Effort in Japanese is 精力善用 which is read seiryoku zen'yō

精力善用 (seiryoku zen'yō): the best use of energy.

精力善用 is a rule for how you spend yourself, on the mat and off it. The rule is about energy, not effort: whatever you do, use your strength in the best way. Kept in the body, it makes the strongest body; kept in the mind, the best person; kept in work, good results. Whether you hang it for the dojo or for the rest of the day is yours.

seiryoku zen'yō is composed of the words 精力 (read seiryoku) meaning "energy" and 善用 (read zen'yō) meaning "good use".

Kanō Jigorō made the best use of energy, 精力の最善活用, the first principle of judo in 1922, when he founded the Kodokan Cultural Society, whose creed leads from it to the common prosperity of mankind; the four-character 精力善用 is his own shortening, in the society's magazine by that November, and the characters had been ordinary Japanese since at least 1904.

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

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