Fall Down Seven Times Get Up Eight

This scroll is another sample of the fall down seven times get up eight. A great Japanese proverb to never give up. Never quit your dreams and keep plugging along even when things go badly. This has a slate cloth with a cloud motif and a beautiful light blue ceramic jikusaki. This is for sale at $75.00 which includes shipping to the United States. For inquiries contact to sales@customjapanesecalligraphy.com

Wedding Gift Wallscroll

I made this scroll as a wedding gift for a customer. It has Love and Joy, written in Kaisho style by Yoshimi Ryugyoku Yamada. It is a maru hyougu style scroll, finished with rosewood (enshu) style machined jikusaki and a Ouka (cherry blossom) color hanging string.

If you would like a custom scroll made for you contact to sales@customjapanesecalligraphy.com or call to the number on the website at www.customjapanesecalligraphy.com

Remounted Scroll (Chikanobu Kano)

This scroll was purchased in an auction. I started the remounting process over 3 years ago. You can see the original condition here.
http://wallscroll.blogspot.com/2014/03/trash-to-treasure.html

I like the way this has turned out.
Some of my thoughts on this scroll.

I am still contemplating if I should put Fuutai on this scroll. (Fuutai are the strips of cloth that hang down from the top of the scroll) What do you readers think.
The scroll currently hangs in a Sandan Hyougu style (Semi-formal). It has a Shitan (Rosewood) jikusaki in the Enshu style. Most people said winter, and that is the feeling I got. Traditionally, a Japanese Hyougushi probably would have framed with the concept of Danshoku/Kanshoku. Which is warm and cool colors. However, they typically do the opposite of the season of the painting. 

I used the white wave pattern cloths to represent snow banks around a pond. The top/bottom (Ten/Chi) cloth is a light blue/gray which reminded me of a winter sky. The ichimonji bordering the top and the bottom has a pine needle motif.

Yamato Hyougu (Tea Ceremony Scroll)

The following scroll was not written by my wife. It was provided to me by the customer. It is very beautiful calligraphy. In selecting the cloths rather than what was written, I focused on the feeling of the writing.


For the Ichimonji I used a gold with orange brown background. The Chuumawashi (intermediate cloth) is a pure silk with a phoenix and chrysanthemum style pattern. The Ten/Chi (top and bottom) cloths are a light beige.


The Sage (Japanese term and not color) Fuutai are the same as the ichimonji cloth.


The scroll is completed with a Dark Gold Kakehimo and a Rosewood jikusaki.


If you would like a custom scroll made for you please contact to sales@customjapanesecalligraphy.com

Fall Down Seven Times Get Up Eight Kakejiku

I made this scroll for a co-worker of mine. He is a martial artist that studied Judo and Shotokan style of Karate. He had a stroke last year, and I wanted to give him something that would remind him to never give up.

The phrase written is Nana Korobi Ya Oki. In English it means fall down seven times get up eight. 

If you would like a scroll that says something similar, or another Japanese proverb please contact to sales@customjapanesecalligraphy.com 

Shikishi for Shodan Advancement

One of my customers always buys a shikishi for his student that takes their shodan (black belt) examination. He tries to match the student character or other traits that he observed while teaching him martial arts.

In this case, he had us write the characters for a foot bellow (tatara) which is a tool used in forging a katana.

If you would like a custom scroll or other calligraphy written, please contact to sales@customjapanesecalligraphy.com

Aikido Wallscroll with Picture of Osensei

This scroll was shipped to the New York area. It was commissioned by a dojo that wanted both a kakejiku (wallscroll) that also had a picture of Osensei, Morihei Ueshiba. For the Ichimonji, I used a pine needle motif pattern because I read that O Sensei trained by "sometimes hanging from trees with weights on his feet".

It has a dark brown cloth with a large flower karakusa (arabesque) and is completed with a Usukin (light gold) hanging string and black lacquer wood jikusaki with a gold band.

The scroll size is approximately 1 foot wide by 2.5 feet long.

If you would like a scroll commissioned for you please contact to sales@customjapanesecalligraphy.com