What is the proper translations for this?

[OmPom]

Ware tada shiru taru

I've read it: "I alone know that I'm okay with what I got" and "Only I know that I'm okay with what I got"

Which one is more accurate? I was thinking of possibly getting the english translation on my back under my Nobunaga tattoo.

If at all possible what is the kanji for this as well? If I decide on getting it done in Japanese I might as well do it in kanji.

 

[Toritoribe]

Isn't it "Ware tada taru wo shiru" or 吾唯知足, a well-known maxim carved on a tsukubai in Ryouan-ji? If so, you can see the translation in the linked wiki page. Although I prefer "contentment" for "taru" instead of "plenty".

 

[OmPom]

It's a quote by Nobunaga. I believe it was said before one of his battles, I can't recall at the moment.

 

[Toritoribe]

Where did you get it, in TV drama, novel, movie, or manga? I'm pretty sure that that's not Nobunaga's original words.

 

[OmPom]

I got it from a site dedicated to Nobunaga. I can't post it here because I don't have enough posts yet.

Just enter the quote along with his name on google and the site should pop up.

 

[Toritoribe]

Are you talking about this site or maybe this one?

I'm afraid "Ware tada shiru taru" doesn't make sense as a Japanese sentence. That's a widely-spread misreading of 吾唯知足 or "Ware tada taru wo shiru" as I wrote in my previous post. Search just "Ware tada shiru taru" or "Ware tada taru wo shiru" without Nobunaga on google, then you can get the result that the maxim/proverb is from Zen Buddhism and has nothing to do with Oda Nobunaga . (Actually, only the two sites I linked above say that that's Nobunaga's slogan.)

Incidentally, his battle-banner mark is 永楽通宝[eirakutsuuhou], and not 吾唯知足[Ware tada taru wo shiru]. You can see the banner on the wiki page.

 

[Glenn]

So he basically used the name of a currency on his battle-banner (would that be 幟, by the way?)?

 

[OmPom]

I'm afraid "Ware tada shiru taru" doesn't make sense as a Japanese sentence. That's a widely-spread misreading of 吾唯知足 or "Ware tada taru wo shiru" as I wrote in my previous post. Search just "Ware tada shiru taru" or "Ware tada taru wo shiru" without Nobunaga on google, then you can get the result that the maxim/proverb is from Zen Buddhism and has nothing to do with Oda Nobunaga. (Actually, only the two sites I linked above say that that's Nobunaga's slogan.)
Incidentally, his battle-banner mark is 永楽通宝[eirakutsuuhou], and not 吾唯知足[Ware tada taru wo shiru]. You can see the banner on the

Yes, I was talking about those sites you mentioned above. Thank you very much for your feedback. I wanted to get that cleared up before making any permanent decisions. I was originally planning on using his battle slogan. I might go back to that.

 

[Toritoribe]

So he basically used the name of a currency on his battle-banner

Interestingly, yes. Wiki says 理由は明らかでないが、貨幣流通に早くから注目してい たためであるとも言われる.

would that be 幟, by the way?

Yeah, it's nobori.

 

[Glenn]

You know, I couldn't remember how to read that for the life of me, so I had to input it using the handwriting input method. I tried しき and しょく, then found out it's し. And then I found out (again) it's のぼり. At any rate, I'm glad I was remembering the right character!

 

[Chacab]

For anyone who wants to know the origin of the expression "ware tada taru wo shiru", it appears on a tukubai (stone water holder used to dip a ladle to purify the hands before entering a tea house) in Ryuanji, a Zen temple in Kyoto . The 4 characters that make up the saying 我唯足知 allude to one of the chapters in the last sermon given by the Buddha (仏遺教経）. The sermon is one of the main text used in Zen Buddhism. Here is how the main teaching is often summarized (translated) into modern Japanese: 足ることを知る人は、心は穏やかであり、足ることを知らない人は心がいつも乱れている: A person who knows (what is) enough is rich in mind; the heart of a person who does not know what is enough is always distraught.