Our company strives to meet the needs of clients worldwide while preserving the traditional techniques of Japanese scroll making.

Today, we’d like to share a heartwarming episode involving a customer from Australia.

This request came from a client living in New South Wales, Australia. The customer wanted us to mount two pieces of calligraphy they had received directly from the world-renowned Vietnamese Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh.

 

Thich Nhat Hanh passed away in 2022, and as he was a cherished teacher to our client, these calligraphy pieces, which could be considered keepsakes, were extremely precious.

The first piece of calligraphy featured the English phrase “be still and know,” while the second had the Chinese character “悲覚” (hikaku: to realize sorrow).

 

 

These words contained deep teachings and thoughts, and our client had a strong desire to keep these teachings close to heart and incorporate them into daily life.

From our initial correspondence with the client, we strongly recognized the importance of this work. We felt the responsibility of creating these important pieces that deeply relate to our client’s life, beyond just a commercial transaction, and kept in mind to proceed with production with the utmost care.

Initially, the client requested that we send sample images of fabric via email for suggestions. However, we believed that seeing the actual artworks would lead to better results for making the most appropriate proposal. So, after informing the client about the approximate cost of mounting, we asked them to send us the artworks first if they wished to proceed with this project.

The client readily agreed to our request, was satisfied with the budget estimate, and promptly arranged to send the artworks to us.

After the artworks arrived, we first carefully examined their condition. We discovered that there was a small tear in the “be still and know” piece.

We informed the client, “Although mounting will make the tear less noticeable, please understand that it may not become completely invisible.”

The client’s response was: “Yes, I am aware of the tear on the ‘be still and know’ piece. If it remains visible, it will still be perfect in its imperfection and I will appreciate any improvements you can add.”

This response reflected the important Zen concepts of “beauty in imperfection” and “accepting things as they are,” showing that the client valued the essential worth of the pieces beyond mere visual perfection. Such an attitude from the client was very encouraging for us craftsmen and sparked even greater passion for our work.

We also found that the seal ink on both pieces was prone to smudging. For this issue as well, we promised to apply our best techniques to address it, which the client understood.

The client placed complete trust in our work, which greatly boosted the morale of all our staff members who wanted to live up to this trust.

Next, we moved on to selecting the fabrics for the scrolls. To reflect the essence of Zen teachings, we needed to choose fabrics with subdued colors that wouldn’t be monotonous. We prepared several fabric samples and explained in detail to the client the characteristics and finished image of each.

For the “be still and know” scroll, the client chose a fabric with the traditional Genji-kō mon pattern. This pattern apparently resonated with the image of “listening to the scent of the master’s words.”

 

For the “hikaku” piece, a deep brown fabric was chosen, reminiscent of the color of the client’s late master’s robes.

 

Even after deciding on the fabrics, we continued to communicate with the client about the finished sizes and design details. Although international communication across time zones was not easy, we aimed for the best finish by carefully conveying our thoughts to each other.

The mounting took several months, but we finally completed the scrolls.

 

We were able to address both of the concerns successfully: the tear became less noticeable, and we were able to prevent the seal ink from smudging on both pieces.

We safely delivered the completed scrolls to the client, and the feedback we received far exceeded our expectations:

Dear Yuuichi-san,

The scrolls have arrived, as have the beautiful frosts and clear skies of mid winter here in the South. Yuuichi-san, thank you so much for these stunning creations! You have taken such extraordinary care and truly honoured my late Master’s gifts. I am happy beyond words. Please convey my heartfelt gratitude to all the people involved in the preparation of these scrolls. I bow deeply to each and all of you. So many, many thanks,

 

When we received these words, all of our staff members felt deep emotion and joy. The realization that through our scroll-making work, we could be close to the life of a client in a distant country and give form to their precious memories and teachings warmed our hearts.

In this era of globalization, it also became an opportunity to reaffirm the universal value of Japanese traditional crafts.

We will continue to create scrolls with care, attuning to the thoughts of each of our clients from around the world. While preserving tradition, we believe our mission is to flexibly respond to the times and our clients’ needs, delivering emotion and joy to people’s hearts through scrolls.

Through this episode, we once again realized the significance and responsibility of scroll making. We are committed to continuing to hone our skills and create works that will please even more clients. We look forward to conveying the wonder of Japanese traditional crafts to people all over the world.