南無妙法蓮華経 namu myōhō renge kyō Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō

Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō in Japanese is 南無妙法蓮華経 which is read namu myōhō renge kyō

南無妙法蓮華経 (namu myōhō renge kyō): devotion to the Lotus Sutra.

南無妙法蓮華経 is the daimoku, the chant at the center of practice in every Nichiren school. Its seven characters give homage to the Lotus Sutra. 南無, namu, is devotion, a taking of refuge, and the rest is the sutra's title, the Lotus of the Wonderful Law. The schools write it two ways: Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for Soka Gakkai and Namu Myoho Renge Kyo for Nichiren Shu. Both are one chant.

A calligrapher's daimoku is a devotional hanging. The Gohonzon, the inscribed mandala of the schools, is a different object and comes from within the tradition. On a wall the daimoku is a practitioner's text. As a tattoo it declares faith in a living religion. Which of the two you choose it for is yours.

Nichiren made the chant of these seven characters the ordinary practice of his school in 1260, seven years after first declaring his teaching at Kiyosumi in 1253; the formula itself is older, a line of homage in a Chinese Lotus rite of the sixth century, and in Japan it closes a court poet's prayer for his dead parents in 881.

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 南無妙法蓮華経.

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