Asia (bbabo.net), - The character "ikusa" ("battle, war") was chosen today, December 12, as a symbol of the outgoing 2022 in Japan. The ceremony on this occasion was held at the Buddhist temple of Pure Water in Kyoto, which was broadcast by the country's leading television companies.
The symbol of the year was drawn on a sheet of rice paper measuring 130 by 150 cm by the abbot of the temple, the monk Seihan Mori. According to the organizers, the choice was made, in particular, due to the ongoing fight against the coronavirus, the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the successful performance of Japanese athletes at the Beijing Winter Olympics. In addition, among the answers also featured launches of ballistic missiles by the DPRK.
“This year, we have witnessed various battles, so in a bad or good way, it made an impression on people,” the organizers said.
220,000 people took part in the nationwide survey. In second place in popularity was the hieroglyph "an", which, depending on the use, has the meaning "cheap" or "safe". Among the factors that influenced this choice was a record depreciation of the yen against the dollar to a minimum in more than 30 years. In addition, this character is part of the surname of the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated this summer.
The third in the popularity rating was the hieroglyph with the readings "gaku" and "raku" in the meaning of "light, cheerful." Those who chose him explained that this year they noted an improvement in the situation with the coronavirus and felt more freedom and opportunities for various pastimes, TASS reports.
The definition of the symbol of the year has been carried out since 1995. This ceremony was the 28th in a row. Last year, the character "kin" ("gold") was chosen as the symbol of the year, due to the record number of gold medals that Japanese athletes won at the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
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