Each Moment Only Once

Each Moment Only Once in Japanese is 一期一会 which is read ichigoichie

一期一会 (ichigo ichie): one lifetime, one meeting.

一期 is a lifetime and 一会 a meeting; the word was made for two people in a small room. Rikyū's disciple Yamanoue Sōji wrote the thought in 1588, that a tea gathering is met once in a lifetime; the four characters themselves belong to Ii Naosuke, the lord who folded the sentence into his tea manual and described the host alone at the hearth after the guests leave. The twentieth century widened it to any meeting that happens once. Both senses are in the dictionaries; the tea room's is the sharper.

Philology of 一期一会

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.

The scroll is packed in its own box inside the shipping box. A printed page travels with it showing the art with its English, romaji and Japanese. Sending it as a gift? Ask us when you order and we will include your message.

The scroll is $220. Shipping is USPS Priority Mail, calculated at checkout from your address: within the United States it is roughly $13 to $22; to Canada about $47; to Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Korea and Brazil about $69 to $86. Outside the United States, import tax and customs charges are collected by your customs authority at delivery and are not part of what you pay us. Germany is the one exception: we collect them at checkout so nothing is owed at the door.

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.