Golden Calligraphy

Today, on December 12, the character, denoting “gold” was named the symbol of 2012 in Japan. It was decided by the majority of the Japanese who voted in this traditional national competition. This character is to mark the success of Japanese athletes who won the record number of gold medals at the summer Olympic games in London.

The “gold” character was drawn with a giant brush on a large piece of paper by the Prior of the Pure Water Buddhist Temple in the ancient capital Kyoto. Such ceremonies are traditionally held there on December 12, and the calligraphy piece on a sheet of best rice paper (1.5x1.3 m) is on public display in the temple’s courtyard, where it is kept until final minutes of the month. Almost half a million people took part in this year’s competition.

The character for "Gold"