吐く息一つにも生命が宿り hakuiki hitotsu ni mo seimei ga yadori Life in Every Breath

吐く息一つにも生命が宿り (hakuiki hitotsu ni mo seimei ga yadori): life in every breath; in even one breath breathed out, life dwells.

吐く息一つにも生命が宿り is a sentence left open at its end. 吐く息 is a breath breathed out, and 一つにも is even in one. 生命 is life itself, the larger word beside 命, which is the life in one body. 宿り is to dwell, in a form that does not close, so the thought runs on past the last word. Each half is plain, ordinary Japanese. Whether you hang it where you train or give it to someone who lives by the way of the warrior is yours.

The English is Katsumoto's line in the film The Last Samurai (2003), Life in every breath, spoken in the cherry garden as he tells what Bushido is, and the Japanese renders it: in even one breath breathed out, life dwells.

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 吐く息一つにも生命が宿り.

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