Shippai wa seikō no moto (失敗は成功のもと): failure is the root of success. The Daijisen dictionary, as quoted by the magazine Serai, explains the proverb this way. After a failure, a person reflects on its cause and corrects the method and the weak points, so the failure leads to later success.
A related form, shippai wa seikō no haha, failure is the mother of success, has long been familiar. Serai notes that the simpler form with moto has become the common one.
Tsumi o nikunde hito o nikumazu (罪を憎んで人を憎まず): hate the offense, not the person. The Daijisen dictionary defines it this way. Hate and punish the offense that was committed, but do not go so far as to hate the person who committed it.
The saying is traced to the Chinese Confucian book Kusōshi (Kongcongzi). Its original wording speaks of hating the intent, not the person. In Japan, the word for intent became the word for offense.
Sasshi (察し): sensing. The Nihon Kokugo Daijiten defines it as perceiving, being considerate, inferring. Ichi o kiite jū o shiru (一を聞いて十を知る): hear one, know ten. To grasp the whole of a matter after hearing or trying only a little of it.
Kiji mo nakazuba utaremai (雉も鳴かずば撃たれまい): had the pheasant not cried, it would not have been shot. Had one not said something unnecessary, one would have escaped disaster. Kuchi wa wazawai no moto (口は災いの元): the mouth is the source of misfortune. A careless word can bring unexpected trouble.
Kata ga aru kara katayaburi, kata ga nakereba katanashi. Because there is a form, there can be form-breaking. Without a form, there is only formlessness. The saying plays on two words. Katayaburi, form-breaking, means unconventional. Katanashi, formless, means spoiled or ruined.
The saying is attributed to the kabuki actor Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII. Its wording varies. A school newsletter in Sapporo quotes the ending as tada no katanashi, mere formlessness. An original source for either version has not been found.
Inamori Kazuo, the founder of Kyocera, set down six endeavors, muttsu no shōjin. They are: make efforts second to none, be humble and not arrogant, hansei aru mainichi o okuru, live each day with reflection, be grateful to be alive, accumulate good deeds and acts for others, and do not dwell on emotional worries.
Ryōyaku wa kuchi ni nigashi (良薬は口に苦し): good medicine tastes bitter. The Daijisen dictionary traces the saying to the Chinese School Sayings of Confucius. Effective medicine is bitter and hard to swallow. In the same way, good advice is painful to hear but does the listener good.
The same Chinese passage continues with a second saying, chūgen mimi ni sakarau: loyal advice offends the ear.
Seisha hitchū (正射必中): a correct shot always hits. A maxim of kyūdō, Japanese archery. A publication of Chuo University explains it: an arrow released with the correct shooting form will surely hit.
In 1717, Shimomura Hikoemon opened the kimono shop Daimonjiya in Fushimi, Kyoto. It grew into the department store Daimaru. A business magazine credits him with making sengi kōri the principle of his business: righteousness first, profit after.
The phrase goes back to the Chinese philosopher Xunzi. Those who put righteousness before profit are honored. Those who put profit before righteousness are despised.
Seven rules for the tea ceremony are traditionally attributed to the tea master Sen no Rikyū. They are known as Rikyū shichisoku. Make tea so that it is good to drink. Lay the charcoal so that the water boils. Arrange flowers as they grow in the field. Make it cool in summer and warm in winter. Be early. Have an umbrella ready even when it is not raining. Be mindful of the other guests.
A children’s tea ceremony leaflet from the town of Chikujō in Fukuoka explains each rule. The first teaches kikubari, attentiveness. The rule on summer and winter teaches omoiyari, consideration for others.