Kosho Shourei Kai Karate Dojo Scrolls

These scrolls were commissioned by a California Dojo, who wished to have traditional scrolls that depicted both their affiliation with the Sei Kosho Shourei Kai which is at http://www.skski.net/ and their following of the Style of Koshoryu Kenpo.

The below is an excerpt from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosho_Shorei_Ryu_Kempo

It is based upon the teachings of Buddhism. James Mitose is credited as the man who originally brought Japanese Kenpō to Hawaii in 1936. Kosho Shorei Ryu Kempō is the martial art within the parent art Kosho Shorei Ryu, which originated in Kyushu, Japan in 1235 and was taught only to family members and monks staying at the Kosho-ji Temple.[2] As an art of Sohei Warrior Monks, this art is primarily one of spiritual development and holistic self-cultivation, and secondarily one of self-defense. There is no offensive martial aspect of this art traditionally. It is only used to protect life.

Kosho Shorei Ryu 古松奨勵流 means "Old Pine Tree School of Encouragement to Spiritual Diligence." According to Mitose's teachings the art is defined by the practice of oldpinetree.com: eight arts. These arts are:

Working on these scrolls was very fun. The size of the scrolls being uniform will allow them to complement the dojo in a side by side manner. The spiritual nature of making a scroll is reflected in this form of Martial Art.

Aikido Scroll - Kaisho Japanese Calligraphy Style Writing

This scroll was commissioned and is already sold.
If you would like a scroll with the same writing in a different cloth color or different writing style, please contact us at our e-mail or visit our web store.
    
This scroll was designed and written for an Aikido practitioner outside of the United States. The cloth is in a beautiful Navy Blue. Aikido is the Martial Art developed by Morihei Ueshiba, or O-Sensei.
    
It is beautifully written in the block print style called Kaisho by my wife Yoshimi, (Ryugyoku). The Green and Gold of the Ichimonji is a soft transition in regular light, but shines when the flash of the camera was used.
    
The Hanko or Inkan (In English the word used is Chop, but I have never been fond of this word and prefer the Japanese names) is both stamped in the upper right hand side and lower left hand side of the scroll to create a balanced feel between both Hashira or pillars (Side cloth sections of the scroll).

This scroll was also ordered with a beautiful Dark and Light Blue glazed Fuchin. This will be the perfect complement to any dojo.

Father of Judo, Jigoro Kano

This scroll shows Master Jigoro Kano to the right, locked in combat with another student. I am not versed in the detailed history of Judo, and so do not know the person pictured to the left.

A short history provided by Wikipedia as follows:

Kanō Jigorō (嘉納 治五郎?, 28 October 1860 – 4 May 1938) was the founder of judo. Judo was the first Japanese martial art to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic sport. Pedagogical innovations attributed to Kanō include the use of black and white belts, and the introduction of dan ranking to show the relative ranking between members of a martial art style. Well-known mottoes attributed to Kanō include "Maximum Efficiency with Minimum Effort" and "Mutual Welfare and Benefit."

One quote from Kano Sensei as follows:

Judo is the way of the highest or most efficient use of both physical and mental energy. Through training in the attack and defence techniques of judo, the practitioner nurtures their physical and mental strength, and gradually embodies the essence of the Way of Judo. Thus, the ultimate objective of Judo discipline is to be utilized as a means to self-perfection, and thenceforth to make a positive contribution to society.

I felt the dark Earth tone would complement the picture. This is accented with the white and gold ichimonji.