適者生存 tekisha seizon Survival of the Fittest

適者生存 (tekisha seizon): survival of the fittest, the one suited to its surroundings is the one that lives.

Survival of the fittest, and the Japanese word says suited, not strongest: the one that fits its surroundings is the one that lives, and the surroundings decide. The English phrase is Herbert Spencer's, which Darwin borrowed and called more accurate than his own natural selection; the Japanese word was made in the Meiji years in the same rooms as the words for the struggle for existence and natural selection, tried three forms, and kept the one the scroll brushes, the fit one rather than the fit species or the fittest. It is not 弱肉強食, the strong devouring the weak. Whether you hang it as Darwin's phrase or as the Japanese word that says suited is yours.

適者生存 is composed of the words 適者 (read tekisha) meaning "the fit" and 生存 (read seizon) meaning "survive" or "exist".

The English phrase is Herbert Spencer's, coined in 1864 and adopted by Darwin in 1869 as more accurate than his own natural selection; the Japanese word settled in 1883, out of Morse's Tokyo lectures, replacing an 1881 form that made the fit a species.

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

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.

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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