First Know Yourself Then Know Others (mazu onore wo shire shikashite ta wo shire)

Here we offer 4 different hand-brushed Japanese First Know Yourself Then Know Others tattoo designs by Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase. For these First Know Yourself Then Know Others tattoo designs the fonts are different, but the characters and the meaning are the same. So order the style you like - the meaning is the same for each design.

First Know Yourself Then Know Others in Japanese is 先づ自己を知れ而して他を知れ which is read mazu onore wo shire shikashite ta wo shire. The original Japanese uses "dzu" which is no longer used and has been replaced by "zu" in modern Japanese. Most renditions of the Niju Kun use the original form, though one does commonly see both. We have opted to use the original "dzu" so "mazu" is actually written "madzu". The trick is even though it is written "madzu" it is still pronounced "mazu".

With your order, you will receive everything you need for the perfect First Know Yourself Then Know Others in Japanese Tattoo. Your design comes as an Adobe PDF file which means it will print exactly as Master Takase brushed the design and, of course, it includes the line art (also called a stencil) which your tattoo artist must have to properly ink the design.

As soon as your order is placed, you can download your Japanese tattoo design. We also send you an email with instructions should you want to download the design in the future. The Adobe PDF file completely documents the design and contains everything your tattoo artist needs to properly ink the design. Your tattoo artist does not need to know Japanese.