一生懸命 isshōkenmei Do One's Very Best

Do One's Very Best in Japanese is 一生懸命 which is read isshōkenmei

一生懸命 (isshōkenmei): to do a thing as if your life depended on it, to give everything you have.

Everything you have, given as if your life hung on it: the word for the effort that holds nothing back, and the ordinary Japanese praise for anyone who gives it, a student, an athlete, a worker, a fighter. Inside it is an older picture, one place, one life, the single fief a warrior would die to keep, so the word can mean a whole life staked on one thing as much as a day's hard trying, and which you hang it for is yours. The scroll brushes the word as every Japanese reader now sees it; the older spelling, 一所懸命, is the same word, and both are correct.

four-character idiom isshōkenmei is composed of the words 一生 (read isshō) meaning "one's whole life;the greatest of one's life" and 懸命 (read kenmei) meaning "eagerness; risk one's life".

This beautiful calligraphy art of isshōkenmei would be a great addition to any dojo, or any place where maximum effort is expected, as a reminder to always do one's best.

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 一生懸命.

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