弘法にも筆の誤り (こうぼうにもふでのあやまり): anyone can make a mistake; Homer sometimes nods; even Kōbō Daishi's handwriting contains mistakes

anyone can make a mistake; Homer sometimes nods; even Kōbō Daishi's handwriting contains mistakes

The polite way to note that a master made a mistake. It names Kōbō Daishi, the great calligrapher, so it flatters even as it points at the error.

A Japanese proverb (ことわざ)