Kanji: kyo, ko
These kanji are a first draft for 
sar_anon's website.
| Kyoko: security, strength, stability Kyo (the top kanji): The "3" shape is a longbow; the triangle at the top is a very simple version of a character meaning 'field' and normally used to denote 'big.' The idea of a particularly large longbow, a particularly thick wooden stave, implies strength or unbreakability. The last piece of this kanji is a pictograph of an insect. It originally meant 'pierce' - something a strong insect does. The meaning of the entire character mutated to "persistent" and then back to "strong," which is what it means today. Ko (the bottom kanji): The piece in the center of the square means "old" - read as 'long in place', or 'firmly established'. The square around it just means 'enclosure'. The two together originally meant "solid, heavy wall around an [ancient] castle". It is used in words to mean 'solid' in a geneal sense. So: strong+solid = 'security/strength/stability' sar_anon asked for a character or two meaning strength/stability/long lasting. While I'm not overjoyed about the once-upon-a-time'insect' etymology, I love the whole effect: 'longbow/wooden stave/castle walls/long-in-place/security/stability'.But the main reason I chose these was visual. Lookit 'em. All but three angles are right angles. Long, strong vertical lines, braced/doubled horizontal ones. Tried to ink with precise angles and heavy straight strokes, like cuniform, instead of my usual flicked sword-strokes. Not my usual style, but exactly like sar_anon's carpentry - thick beams (lots of 4x4s) and very obviously heavy-duty construction.The really fun part is I'm also going to do kanji for the other website [not work|mormon safe], which will be as graceful and sprawled and arched as I can. :) One request, two very different forms. |
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