Cursive · sōsho 草書 · VC5J
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.
万理一空 banri ikkū Ten Thousand Principles, One Emptiness
A mind without wavering, reached by training the spirit and the body to their limit.
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
万理一空 (banri ikkū): a mind without wavering, reached by carrying the training of the spirit and the body to their limit.
万理一空 names a state of mind with no wavering in the heart. It is reached by carrying the cultivation of the spirit and the training of the body to their limit. The words say ten thousand principles, one emptiness. Whether it is for the dōjō or for any long training is yours.
In 1666 a disciple in Musashi's school, 寺尾求馬信行, gave 萬理一空 as the ground of the school's name. A book of 1895 headed the phrase kendō's innermost secret, and said it lies in one's own working out. In the older texts of the articles the phrase is written 萬理一空.
On 28 September 2011 the sumo wrestler Kotoshōgiku accepted promotion to ōzeki. He said he would strive and train daily, seeking the state of 万理一空. In English the phrase has been rendered Ten Thousand Principles/One Void and Myriad Principles, One Void.
The four characters are the last heading of Miyamoto Musashi's 兵法三十五箇条, the articles on the sword dated the second month of 1641 and sent to his lord 細川忠利, where the sentence under the heading says only that the point cannot be put into writing and is to be worked out; they are not in the 五輪書, to which the 1936 essay of the novelist 吉川英治 and later the dictionary gave them.
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 万理一空.
