Be Not Defeated by the Wind, Be Not Defeated by the Rain

Be Not Defeated by the Wind, Be Not Defeated by the Rain in Japanese is 雨にも負けず風にも負けず which is read ame ni mo makezu kaze ni mo makezu

雨にも負けず風にも負けず (ame ni mo makezu kaze ni mo makezu): not beaten by the rain, not beaten by the wind.

負けず is the verb 負ける, to be beaten, in its classical negative, and the clause describes rather than commands: these are the first two lines of a poem by Miyazawa Kenji that is one sentence thirty lines long, whose verb comes at the end, such a person is what I want to become. Everything before it, the strong body, the few wants, the walk east to nurse a sick child and west to carry a tired mother's sheaves, describes that person.

Miyazawa wrote it in pencil in a small black notebook, dated 3 November 1931, ill with the tuberculosis he died of two years later; it was found in a trunk and first printed in 1934. The poem is in katakana; the design writes the two lines in kanji and kana, as the phrase is quoted in ordinary Japanese, and the calligrapher chose that form.

The scroll is completed within 1–3 business days and is shipped from Master Takase's studio in Washington State by USPS Priority Mail. It arrives ready to display.

Every order is covered by our 100% money-back guarantee for 30 days. Contact us first and we will confirm the return details. If your item arrives damaged, or we made an error, we replace it or refund you in full, including shipping. Refund policy

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

Master Takase personally brushes your Japanese scroll when you order. Each scroll proudly 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.