Dec 13

WIT Life #257: 今年の漢字

Art, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #257: 今年の漢字

WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03).  She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

It was recently announced that the kanji representing 2013 would be 輪 (rin or wa).  It  means ring, circle, or wheel, and refers to different aspects that have converged this year.  This was the most popular submission in the public contest run by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, and there were several explanations for why.  One idea came from the five rings symbolizing the Olympics, in regard to the September announcement that Tokyo would host the Summer Olympics in 2020.  Another was the coming together of citizens in a circle of recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake (Thanks to this rebuilding, construction and real estate related stocks have been booming on the Nikkei Stock Average).  Yet another interpretation was the private/public cooperation that led to the recent registration of Mt. Fuji on the World Heritage List.  輪 received 9518 votes, and second-place 楽 (raku) which received 8562 votes referred to the Tohoku Rakuten (楽天) Golden Eagles’ victory in the Nippon Series baseball championship.

For those who are interested in kanji and Japanese calligraphy, I would highly recommend the current exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art entitled Brush Writing in the Arts of Japan.  It was interesting to learn about the poetry contests engaged in at court, as well as check out the ukiyo-e depicting calligraphy in the pleasure quarters.  Pictured here is the more modern PixCell deer in front of a 屏風 (byobu or folding screen) decorated with birds and flowers of the 12 months.  Other byobu featured typical Japanese seasonal themes such as momiji and sakura, and I especially enjoyed seeing the handscrolls with illustrated portions of The Tale of Genji.  This exhibit will be on display until January 12, so make sure to visit before it’s gone!