Japanese Calligraphy Kakejiku | 以和為貴 "Harmony is the Highest Virtue" | Sōsho Cursive Script | Signed & Sealed | Prince Shōtoku's 1,400-Year Teaching

Four Characters. Fourteen Hundred Years. One Wall.

There are phrases that belong to a single moment, and there are phrases that belong to all of time. 以和為貴 is the second kind.

The Text: Prince Shōtoku's Founding Words

In the summer of 604 CE, the regent of Japan — Prince Shōtoku Taishi (聖徳太子), a figure so revered he would later be placed on the Japanese 10,000-yen note — composed the nation's first written law. The Prince Imperial Shōtoku in person prepared laws for the first time. His Jūshichijō Kenpō (十七条憲法), the Seventeen-Article Constitution, opened with a declaration that would echo through every subsequent century of Japanese civilization: Nantucket Historical Association

以和為貴、無忤為宗 "Harmony is to be valued; discord is to be avoided."

The Seventeen-Article Constitution states that sincerity, modesty, and harmony are the minimum standards that different people must keep in mind when coexisting and working together — Prince Shōtoku clearly conceptualized these three values in this constitution, which must have had an influence on the subsequent formation of the Japanese character. The Art Institute of Chicago

The four characters of this scroll — 以和為貴 — are not merely a motto. They are the deepest root of the concept of 和 (wa): the harmony that gives Japan its ancient name (Yamato, 大和), that shapes the tea ceremony, the garden, the boardroom, and the dinner table. Harmony is not about uniformity — it is about balance in motion, achieved by valuing each voice and recognizing the significance of silence. Harvard Art Museums

The Brushwork: Sōsho at Full Speed

The calligrapher has chosen sōsho (草書) — the most liberated of the five classical scripts, where strokes bleed into one another and individual characters dissolve into pure gesture. Each of the four characters fills nearly one-quarter of the paper, written in a single sustained breath of movement: the first character (以) opens with a sweeping diagonal; 和 spirals inward; 為 unfurls like a wave breaking; 貴 lands with weighted finality at the base. The ink modulation — dark at the start of each stroke, fading to pale grey at the tail — reveals the breath behind the brush.

This is not decorative calligraphy. This is kakushin (確信) — conviction made visible.

The Seals & Attribution

Three red seals authenticate the work. The upper rakkan-in (落款印) at top right reads 晴水 (Seisui, "Clear Water") — the artist's gō (号), their artistic sobriquet. Two additional seals below the signature complete the traditional Japanese calligraphy attribution convention: the larger square seal contains the studio or lineage name; the smaller contains the personal name seal.

The Mounting: Slate-Blue Yamato Hyōgu

The mounting hyōsō is made of paper or cloth and provides a backing and a frame for the picture; crossbars are attached to the upper and lower ends of the mounting, and a cord attached to the upper crosspiece allows the work to be hung. Here, the honshi (main work panel) is framed in a yamato hyōgu mounting of mottled slate-blue silk — a refined, underplayed choice that allows the bold black ink to command the eye without competition. The gold ichimonji band at the top and bottom creates the traditional separation between heaven, earth, and artwork. Jiku (軸) roller ends are lacquered red. Gjtea

Display

Hang in a tokonoma alcove, an entry hall, a home office, or a meditation space. The scale of the brushwork demands a wall with breathing room — do not crowd it. In a boardroom or executive space, 以和為貴 communicates cultural fluency and philosophical depth without a word of explanation.