Aikido
Aikido is often referred to as the defensive martial art. While aikido was born in Japan, it has become a somewhat famous form of defensive tactics taught to soldiers and Marines, as well as some law enforcement officers in the west.
Looking at the Kanji, the first means "union" or "harmony".
The second Kanji means "universal energy" or "spirit".
The third means "way" or "method".
Please note that while these Japanese Kanji characters can be pronounced in Chinese, this word is not well-known in China and is not considered part of the Chinese lexicon.
Note: It is somewhat accepted that this is the origin of Hapkido in Korea. And other than a modern simplification to the middle Kanji of this 3-Kanji word, it is written the same in Korean Hanja.
See our Aikido custom Japanese Kanji wall scrolls page for more custom Japanese Kanji calligraphy options.
About this artwork...
This was created by Japanese master calligrapher Michiko Imai of Nara, Japan. The materials used include special calligraphy paper and ink. The artwork was sent to our workshop in Beijing where we created a hand-built silk brocade wall scroll. By building the wall scroll at our own workshop, we save you a lot of money - most authentic Japanese calligraphy wall scrolls cost over $200!
Authentic Japanese Calligraphy by Japanese Master Calligrapher Michiko Imai
(Imai, Michiko) was born and raised in Nara, Japan. She began her studies of Calligraphy at the age of four at Baikou Calligraphy School. When Michiko was 25 years old, she received a membership to the Tenshin Kai (calligraphy society) and her life as a calligrapher began. Michiko progressed to the next level, becoming a member of the Cho-ko Guild which is the most prestigious calligraphy society in Japan. During her apprenticeship, she taught calligraphy and studied the art of Japanese silk scroll making (hyougu) at Mizuno Hyougu-ten.
In 1998, Master Calligrapher Michiko Imai was awarded the highest rank in Japanese Calligraphy of Shihan. She currently holds a guild licence for teaching both calligraphy and instructing teachers to teach calligraphy.
Michiko Imai is among the few to have won multiple best of category awards in national competitions (Japan). Her work has been displayed at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Osaka Municipal Museum Of Art, Nara City Museum Of Art and Kyoto Municipal Museum Of Art.
In Addition to being a calligrapher, she is also an "artisan artist" (Hyougushi). Ms. Imai now resides half of the year in Japan and the other in Boston.
It should be noted that Master Imai signs her artwork with the "art name" of 
(Beautiful Cliff/Mountain). So this is what you will see just before the red signature stamp on her calligraphy pieces.
Completely handmade, yet affordable...
If you've shopped much for Japanese calligraphy, you know that it generally starts from $200 and up. In fact, I can show you a catalog full of Japanese calligraphy priced at $2000 and up (someone sent it to me, thinking that I'd like to blow $12,000 on a wall scroll).
So how can we offer authentic Japanese calligraphy for such a low price? The short answer is that I work with people who are more interested in the art than getting rich. Master Michiko Imai has given us a very special opportunity to offer her artwork at a price that most people can afford.
The second part of the equation is the fact that we are building all of our own wall scrolls by hand in our workshop in Beijing. You can see how we build these wall scrolls by visiting our How we build these Asian art wall scrolls page.
All of this means you get high-quality artwork with no "middle man markup".
