千里の道も一歩より senri no michi mo ippo yori A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step

千里の道も一歩より (senri no michi mo ippo yori): even a road of a thousand ri begins from one step.

千里の道も一歩より is a proverb about small beginnings. 千里 is a thousand ri, an old measure of distance, and 道 is the road. 一歩 is one step. より, from, is the proverb's older particle, where today's speakers say から. However long the road, it begins with one step you can take today. Whether you hang it at the start of something long or give it to someone taking a first step is yours.

The Japanese proverb is not a translation but a Japanese-made sentence built from the Laozi's third image in chapter sixty-four; the earliest Japanese witness known, a moral reader for women of 1755, already cites it as a saying of "the ancients" without naming Laozi.

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 千里の道も一歩より.

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