浪人Rounin & 武士道Bushidou Scrolls

These scrolls were ordered as a pair. The customer wanted larger scrolls 5' in length. So we had to use larger paper and the writing on the characters is very large.

If you would like to order a custom scroll there are three ways to get started: 1. Go to my shopping site at www.shop.customjapanesecalligraphy.com 2. Download my scroll design workbook from my website at www.customjapanesecalligraphy.com to read about the concepts behind kakejiku or wallscroll design. 3. E-mail to me directly at sales@customjapanesecalligraphy.com

For those who don't know, a Bushidou means, "Way of the Warrior" and a Rounin was a "masterless Samurai" either because of the death of the daimyou he served in battle or loss of the master's favor. See wikipedia for a more detailed explanation. Literal meaning is someone carried on the waves or a person aimlessly floating.

One thing I wanted to make clear, is that this picture was taken from a Seza position, (kneeling). This is the traditional way to view scrolls, and is the reason that the Ten is longer than the Chi, to provide balance between the artwork and the viewer. For the display, I wanted to use a katana or wakizashi, but could not find my wakizashi and did not have access to a sword. So everyone will need to settle with the fake bonsai. As a set these scrolls are very beautiful in the Navy Blue Cloth with a Green/Gold Ichimonji. Additionally, the Jikusaki are wood with black lacqer and a single band of gold around the outer edge. Gives a little distinction to contrast with the navy colored cloth. The two掛け軸 kakejiku are written in the Gyousho, Semi-cursive style by Ryugyoku.

Dimensions of the scroll in bun (1 bun is equal to about 3.03 mm) are as follows:

天　　　　　Ten (Heaven) 160

上一文字 Ue Ichimonji (Upper Brocade) 14

紙本の幅さ Honshi no Habasa (Artwork Width) 110

紙本の長さ Honshi no Nagasa (Artwork Length) 219

柱 Hashira (Pillars) 15

下一文字 Shita Ichimonji (Lower Brocade) 9

地 Chi (Earth) 114

掛け軸の幅さ Kakejiku no Habasa (Scroll Width) 140

掛け軸の長さ Kakejiku no Nagasa (Scroll Length) 516

Joufuku Scroll for Dojo

The following is a Joufuku scroll written in the kaisho style. It was created to specification for Quan's Bushido Kai a dojo in Fresno, California. The instructor, Kathryn Doi wanted a scroll for the Dojo and a tournament that would show the words Bushido, (Way of the Warrior) with the Dojo's four guiding principles which are written below:

Jinkaku for Character (Right Hand Top Characters)

Sonkei for Respect (Right Hand Bottom Characters)

Kouketsu for Integrity (Left Hand Top Characters)

Shinrai for Trust (Left Hand Bottom Characters)

One can have a similar scroll created for a dojo, home or office starting at $125.00 by e-mailing to sales@customjapanesecalligraphy.com

7 Virtues of the Bushido

This Scroll is Sold.


This is a scroll with the 7 Virtues of the Bushido written in a semi-cursive style by Ryugyoku. The scroll cloth is a cotton with the figure of a dragon in Black and Red. The paper size is Yatsugiri and the scroll is roughly 5.5 Feet long and 1 Foot wide.

The 7 Virtues are as Follows:
Gi - Righteousness
Yuu - Courage
Jin - Benevolence
Rei - Respect
Makoto - Sincerity
Yoo - Honor
Chuu - Loyalty

Some translations differ in that they utilize Chuugi or other two character words for the principles. I prefer the more esoteric one character principles to provide a less strict interpretation of the meaning of the principle.