Scroll down to see all 14 Improvement designs Improvement in Japanese is  which is read kaizen. The Japanese word kaizen means "Improvement, Betterment; Incremental and continuous improvement" and is composed of the kanji  (read as "kai") meaning "change; renew; amend; reformation" and  (read as "zen") meaning "good; virtuous". This design reminds us that improvement really is a continuous process and Perfection is never achieved. R. H. Blyth in Zen and Zen Classics Volume One  explains a fundamental of Zen Buddhism as "Holding to the One is not Truth." There is no Perfect, there is only the journey. In his book The Japanese Have a Word for It: The Complete Guide to Japanese Thought and Culture Boye Lafayette De Mente uses the translation of kaizen as "Nothing is Ever Good Enough". He writes "Kai zen literally means 'continuous improvement,' and is a concept that has permeated Japanese culture since ancient times. It means, simply, that the Japanese are driven by an innate urge to continuously strive to improve both the form of the things they make as well as the manufacturing technology and process." He went on to write, "The historical factor that gave rise to the kai zen concept was the master-apprentice approach that was applied throughout the arts and crafts, from the making of pottery and bamboo baskets to the painting of wall scrolls. As the centuries passed, acceptable standards became higher and higher until finally even the most mundane article was expected to be a work of art." For more information on how kaizen has been interpreted see the Wikipedia article Kaizen - Continuous Improvement. Translations You Can Trust - We want you to be as happy with the translation for "Improvement" as you are with Master Takase's beautiful art and so we have provided direct links to the completely independent dictionary Jeffrey's Japanese<->English Dictionary. To confirm the translation for yourself click on any of the links above or click on Improvement (kaizen). Different Fonts, Same Meaning Japanese Calligraphy has five major fonts and, as you can see, they can look quite different. But despite looking different, the meanings are exactly the same. And Japanese is commonly written both vertically and horizontally and this also does not change the meaning. Hand-Brushed Japanese Kanji Tattoos
by Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase
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