運が向く un ga muku Fortune Smiles

Fortune Smiles in Japanese is 運が向く which is read un ga muku

運が向く (un ga muku): fortune smiles, one's luck turns one's way.

運 (un) is fortune, luck, the way things are going to fall; が (ga) marks it as the subject; 向く (muku) is to face, to turn toward, so the phrase says literally luck turns toward me, and the dictionaries define it as good luck coming one's way, circumstances turning for the better. It is spoken Japanese, an idiom of the Edo stage and the storyteller's hall, the line a character says when the tide of a life turns: there, my luck has turned.

The English fortune smiles is the same idiom in the same register, luck personified and turning its face toward you, and the two match idiom for idiom, which is the truest translation a phrase like this can have. On a wall it is a hope, and a good one to give.

This art encourages us that good fortune is just ahead. un ga muku makes a positive and inspirational gift.

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

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