Custom Tang Soo Do Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

You can choose from many options to create artwork with Tang Soo Do characters on a wall scroll...


  1. Tang Soo Do / Tang Hand Way

  2. Five Codes of Tang Soo Do

  3. Tang Soo Do Tenets

  4. Concentration

  5. Bravery / Courage

  6. Honesty

  7. Patience / Perseverance / To Endure / Tolerant


Tang Soo Do / Tang Hand Way

 táng shǒu dào
 kara te do
Tang Soo Do / Tang Hand Way Scroll

唐手道 is the alternate title for Karate-do.

This title uses a character, 唐, which represents the Tang Dynasty of China. Thus, this is often translated as the “Tang Hand Way” or incorrectly, “Tang Fist Way.”
I have also seen some call it “China Hand Way.”
Many in Korea refer to and romanize these characters as “Tang Soo Do” (당수도) where these characters refer to a kind of Korean style of Karate.

There is not a lot of information on this title but some believe that a simplified form of Kung Fu that started in China and ended up very popular in Japan used this title initially. It was later changed in Japan to a different Karate title which means “Empty Hand” (as in, without weapons).

Note: When used in Korean, this is pronounced 당수도. This title is often romanized as “Tang Soo Do,” “Tangsudo,” “Dang Su Do,” or “Dangsudo.” The last two romanizations on that list are the official Korean government romanization, though martial arts schools tend to use other non-standard versions.

Five Codes of Tang Soo Do

 guó jiā zhōng chéng fù mǔ xiào dào péng yǒu yǒu xìn shā shēng yǒu zé lín zhàn wú tuì
Five Codes of Tang Soo Do Scroll

国家忠诚父母孝道朋友有信杀生有择临战无退 are the five codes of Tang Soo Do.

I suggest you have this arranged in five columns when you get to the options page for your custom calligraphy wall scroll.

Here are my translations of each of the five codes:
國家忠誠 Be loyal to your country.
父母孝道 In regards to parents, behave in a filial way.
朋友有信 Be faithful in friendship.
殺生有擇 When fighting for life and death, make noble choices.
臨戰無退 No retreat in battle.

Note: “Tang Soo Do” is a romanization of 唐手道. It's 당수도 in Korean Hangul. It can also be romanized as “Tangsudo” or “Dangsudo.”

Tang Soo Do Tenets

 lián chǐ jīng jìn rěn nài zūn shǒu kè jǐ qiān xùn bǎi zhé bù qū
Tang Soo Do Tenets Scroll

廉耻精進忍耐遵守克己謙遜百折不屈 are the tenets of Tang Soo Do.

EnglishOld HanjaModern HangulPronunciation
1. Integrity廉耻렴치 or 염치yeom ci
2. Concentration精進정진jeong jin
3. Perseverance忍耐인내in nae
4. Respect & Obedience遵守준수jun su
5. Self-Control克己극기geug gi
6. Humility謙遜겸손gyeom son
7. Indomitable Spirit百折不屈백절불굴baeg jeor bur gur

After some research, it appears this list was compiled in English based on Taekwondo tenets. We filled in a few of the words that did not have a corresponding Hanja or Hangul. If someone else has a better list with characters included, please contact me.

Concentration

Chung shin tong il

 seishintouitsu
Concentration Scroll

精神統一 means concentration of mind or mental concentration in old Korean Hanja and Japanese.

This concentration title is one of the 8 Key Concepts of Tang Soo Do.

You'll often see this romanized from Korean as “Chung Shin Tong Il.”

If you want to order the modern Korean Hangul version, click on the Hangul characters in the pronunciation box. Otherwise, this title is valid Korean Hanja (from the 1600 years that Korea used Chinese characters).

Bravery / Courage

Courageous Energy

 yǒng qì
 yuuki
Bravery / Courage Scroll

勇氣 is one of several ways to express bravery and courage in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

This version is the most spiritual. This is the essence of bravery from deep within your being. This is the mental state of being brave versus actual brave behavior. You'd more likely use this to say, “He is very courageous,” rather than “He fought courageously in the battle.”

The first character also means bravery or courage when it's seen alone. With the second character added, an element of energy or spirit is added. The second character is the same “chi” or “qi” energy that Kung Fu masters focus on when they strike. For this reason, you could say this means “spirit of courage” or “brave spirit.”

This is certainly a stronger word than just the first character alone.

Beyond bravery or courage, dictionaries also translate this word as valor/valour, nerve, audacity, daring, pluck, plucky, gallantry, guts, gutsy, and boldness.

This is also one of the 8 key concepts of tang soo do.


Japanese 気 While the version shown to the left is commonly used in Chinese and Korean Hanja (and ancient Japanese Kanji), please note that the second character is written with slightly fewer strokes in modern Japanese. If you want the modern Japanese version, please click on the character to the right. Both styles would be understood by native Chinese, Japanese, and many (but not all) Korean people. You should make your selection based on the intended audience for your calligraphy artwork. Or pick the single-character form of bravery/courage which is universal.

 zhèng zhí
 shoujiki
Honesty Scroll

正直 or honesty is being truthful and sincere. It is important because it builds trust. When people are honest, they can be relied on not to lie, cheat or steal. Being honest means that you accept yourself as you are. When you are open and trustworthy, others can believe in you.

正直 is one of the 8 key concepts of Tang Soo Do.


Note: This entry is cross-listed as "integrity" because it also fits that definition.

Japanese jikiPlease note that the second Kanji sometimes has an alternate form in Japanese. Let us know if you want the alternate form shown to the right.


See Also:  Truth | Trust | Integrity

Patience / Perseverance / To Endure / Tolerant

 rěn nài
 nin tai
Patience / Perseverance / To Endure / Tolerant Scroll

忍耐 is patience, the quiet hope, and trust that things will turn out right.

You wait without complaining. You are tolerant and accepting of difficulties and mistakes. You picture the end in the beginning and persevere to meet your goals.

忍耐 can also mean “to endure,” “restrain oneself,” or “forbearance,” and in some contexts, it can mean “perseverance” or “endurance.”

忍耐 is also used as a tenet of Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, and other Korean martial arts where it's titled “Endurance” and romanized as “In Neh.”


忍Note that when writing this as Kanji, Japanese will tend to write the first character in the form shown to the right. If you select our Japanese master calligrapher, please expect this Kanji form (yes, it’s just one stroke that is slightly different in location, crossing another stroke in the Japanese Kanji form).


See Also:  Peace | Harmony | Perseverance


The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...

Title CharactersRomaji (Romanized Japanese)Various forms of Romanized Chinese
Tang Soo Do
Tang Hand Way
唐手道kara te do / karatedotáng shǒu dào
tang2 shou3 dao4
tang shou dao
tangshoudao
t`ang shou tao
tangshoutao
tang shou tao
Five Codes of Tang Soo Do國家忠誠父母孝道朋友有信殺生有擇臨戰無退
国家忠诚父母孝道朋友有信杀生有择临战无退
guó jiā zhōng chéng fù mǔ xiào dào péng yǒu yǒu xìn shā shēng yǒu zé lín zhàn wú tuì
guo2 jia1 zhong1 cheng2 fu4 mu3 xiao4 dao4 peng2 you3 you3 xin4 sha1 sheng1 you3 ze2 lin2 zhan4 wu2 tui4
guo jia zhong cheng fu mu xiao dao peng you you xin sha sheng you ze lin zhan wu tui
kuo chia chung ch`eng fu mu hsiao tao p`eng yu yu hsin sha sheng yu tse lin chan wu t`ui
kuo chia chung cheng fu mu hsiao tao peng yu yu hsin sha sheng yu tse lin chan wu tui
Tang Soo Do Tenets廉耻精進忍耐遵守克己謙遜百折不屈 / 廉恥精進忍耐遵守克己謙遜百折不屈
廉耻精进忍耐遵守克己谦逊百折不屈
lián chǐ jīng jìn rěn nài zūn shǒu kè jǐ qiān xùn bǎi zhé bù qū
lian2 chi3 jing1 jin4 ren3 nai4 zun1 shou3 ke4 ji3 qian1 xun4 bai3 zhe2 bu4 qu1
lian chi jing jin ren nai zun shou ke ji qian xun bai zhe bu qu
lien ch`ih ching chin jen nai tsun shou k`o chi ch`ien hsün pai che pu ch`ü
lien chih ching chin jen nai tsun shou ko chi chien hsün pai che pu chü
Concentration精神統一seishintouitsu
seishintoitsu
Bravery
Courage
勇氣
勇气 / 勇気
yuuki / yukiyǒng qì / yong3 qi4 / yong qi / yongqiyung ch`i / yungchi / yung chi
Honesty正直shoujiki / shojikizhèng zhí
zheng4 zhi2
zheng zhi
zhengzhi
cheng chih
chengchih
Patience
Perseverance
To Endure
Tolerant
忍耐nin tai / nintairěn nài / ren3 nai4 / ren nai / rennaijen nai / jennai
In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line.
In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese.


All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.

When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.

Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!

When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.


A nice Chinese calligraphy wall scroll

The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.

A professional Chinese Calligrapher

Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.
Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.

There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form of art alive.

Trying to learn Chinese calligrapher - a futile effort

Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.

A high-ranked Chinese master calligrapher that I met in Zhongwei

The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over 6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt such a feat.