Semi-Cursive · gyōsho 行書 · VS5C
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.
心は放たん事を要す
kokoro wa hanatan koto o yōsu
The Mind Must Be Set Free
The mind must be let loose: one of the twenty precepts of karate attributed to Funakoshi Gichin.
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.
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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
心は放たん事を要す (kokoro wa hanatan koto o yōsu): the mind must be let loose.
心は放たん事を要す says the mind works best when nothing holds it. Fix it on one thing, the other person's hands or your own next move, and the body stiffens and cannot work. Let it go where it will, and the body answers. 放つ is to set loose what was shut in, and 要す makes the sentence a rule, not a wish. Whether you keep it for the dojo or for the desk is yours.
The precept is the sixth of the twenty precepts of karate, a list in print by December 1934, which Nakasone Genwa 仲宗根源和, printing it with his commentary in 空手道大観 (1938), says Funakoshi Gichin 船越義珍 established.
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 心は放たん事を要す.
