The aikido kanji has three characters: 合– AI, to harmonize;氣– KI, life force and 道– DO, the Way. Contrary to the simplified aikido kanji, the aikido kanji in this calligraphy shows the vibrant KI kanji in its traditional, larger form.
The essence of aikido is well expressed in these three characters. The general meaning of AIKIDO is to be in harmony with the universe, to harmonize oneself with the universal life force. Therefore, the kanji for KI is the most important character, it evokes the breath of life, the vital forces. The old version of the KI kanji, used for this calligraphy, is much more expressive than its simplified form which lacks imagination. The three kanji for aikido are:
AI, to harmonize, to unite
The kanji AI represents an earthen pot closed with a lid. When a pot has the proper lid, it is whole, united. Two things have become one and are in harmony.
KI, the life force of the universe
Every time I cook rice I see a life performance of the kanji KI: steam that lifts up from the pot where I am cooking the rice. The kanji KI is very simple and expressive. The three upper strokes represent the steam, while the third slanting stroke encloses the character for rice. It could not be otherwise, the Chinese mind thinks of rice and life breath as inseparable from each other.
DO, the Way
The kanji DO has two elements: on the right you see the image of a human head, an eye with hair, and on the left the image of a foot, which stands for movement. So the Way, is the image of people moving along.
Aikido Prints With Vibrant Hand-brushed Aikido Calligraphy
Artist-calligrapher Nadja Van Ghelue has brushed unique aikido calligraphies for the aikido practitioner. Most of them are written in the gyosho style, the semi-cursive script of Japanese calligraphy, evoking an image of the life force within the universe and oneself.
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| Aikido Kanji Calligraphy Print In Gyosho | Aikido Print With Semi-cursive Aikido Calligraphy |
Buying an Aikido Kanji T-shirt with a hand-brushed Japanese calligraphy
Buy an Aikido T-shirt with a hand-brushed Japanese calligraphy of Aikido, The Way Of Universal Harmony, The Way Of Unifying With KI, The Universal Life Source.
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Aikido T-shirt With Aikido Kanji Calligraphy Enso Design
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