Block · kaisho 楷書 · VB5C
Block or kaisho (楷書) styles are the most common and recognizable styles. Block styles are easily read and are noted for their angular form and their vertical and horizontal lines.
常に忠誠を
tsune ni chūsei o
Semper Fi
Always faithful, the Marine Corps motto semper fidelis.
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
常に忠誠を (tsune ni chūsei o): always faithful, the Marine Corps motto semper fidelis.
常に忠誠を is always, loyalty: 常に is always, and 忠誠 is loyalty, a faithful and honest heart. The scroll ends on を and leaves its verb unsaid; the dictionary's examples pair 忠誠を with 尽くす, to give, and 誓う, to swear. One Japanese reference work enters Sousa's march Semper Fidelis under the headword 忠誠. Whether it is for your own years of service or for a Marine you are proud of is yours.
The phrase renders Semper fidelis, the motto of the United States Marine Corps since 1883, in words Japanese already had, which Japanese writing on the Marines completes as 常に忠誠をつくせ, or 尽くせ, from 1978 in the National Diet Library's full-text index.
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 常に忠誠を.
