Cursive · sōsho 草書 · VC7B
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.
我が運命を決めるのは我也我が魂を制するのは我也
waga unmei o kimeru no wa ware nari, waga tamashii o seisuru no wa ware nari
I am the master of my fate I am the captain of my soul
I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.
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
我が運命を決めるのは我也我が魂を制するのは我也 (waga unmei o kimeru no wa ware nari, waga tamashii o seisuru no wa ware nari): I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.
我が運命を決めるのは我也我が魂を制するのは我也 is a vow in two matched halves: I decide my fate, and I govern my soul. 運命 is fate, 魂 is the soul, and 制する is to govern or hold in check, the verb that stands for captain. 也 writes nari, the classical word for is, and each half closes with it, so the two read as a vow. In a book of 1922, J. W. Robertson Scott, writing of his journeys through rural Japan, told of the ordeal, at a school, of having to "write" a motto for a wall picture. He wrote that "our mottoes will not readily translate into Japanese," and that he was often grateful to Henley for his English couplet, because with "commander" for captain, its lines translate literally. Whether it is for a hard road you are on or for someone finding their feet again is yours.
The line renders the closing couplet of William Ernest Henley's poem known as Invictus, dated 1875 and printed in 1888, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.
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 我が運命を決めるのは我也我が魂を制するのは我也.
