Ichi-go, Ichi-e – Calligraphy for the Tea Ceremony
Sold – no longer available
This piece was a handmade one-of-a-kind work. It cannot be reordered and will never exist in this form again. The page stays online as part of our archive.
You might like these pieces
Details about the sold piece
- Height 126 cm
- Width 73 cm
- Item Type Kakemono
- Jikusaki Wood
- Material Honshi Paper
- Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
- Technique Hand-Painted
- Unique Work Yes
No longer available
Description
"Ichi-go, ichi-e" – literally "one life, one encounter" – appears in powerful, flowing calligraphy at the center of this kakemono. The expression can be freely translated as "one moment, one encounter" and is one of the best-known phrases closely associated with the Japanese tea ceremony.
The phrase serves as a reminder that every encounter and every moment is unique and unrepeatable, and should therefore be experienced with full attention and appreciation – an attitude that has been cultivated for centuries within the framework of chanoyu, the tea ceremony. The dynamic, energetic brushwork of the characters further emphasizes this immediacy of the moment.
Mounted on light-colored paper with a classic border, this kakemono is especially well suited for the tokonoma of a tea room or as a meaningful gift for occasions marked by genuine encounter and time spent together – a quiet yet compelling thought for everyday life.
