Bone-script inscriptions were carved on turtle shell, ox bone or sheep bone in Ancient China in connection with divination.
All the other ancient hieroglyphs emerged and vanished in Egypt, the Indus Valley and elsewhere.
These bone-script inscriptions have been handed down for more than 4,000 years and represent a font of wisdom.
Each cocoro-e can be matched to your room, your mood or the season.
We would be happy to write your own favorite word, motto and other idea in this way.
Please contact us!

cocoro-e can be adapted to various places and occasions.
We hope you enjoy the contemporary charm of these ancient characters.


1. MOON AND DAY

moon and sun:
hieroglyphs reflecting natural shapes.

full moon, half moon, the moon’s shape changes.
but it seems the people of ancient China were especially fond of the sharp edged crescent moon

It is easy to imagine how uneasy they might have felt on a moonless night.

the moon character reflects a sense of reverence


2. PLEASURE

at the base is a box for a prayer to a deity.
on top of the box is a heap of festive food.

even now, over 4,500 years later, you can share the pleasure this represents.
this character originally referred to amusing the deity by serving festive food and beating drums.

sumo, too, was once not just a sport but a ritual to amuse a deity.
the wrestlers would show that they fight fair and do their best.


3. FATHER AND MOTHER

the character for father was originally a man with an ax, commanding authority.
the character for mother was a seated woman with hands on her lap.

the two dots signifying the breasts
were aligned vertically when the character changed into its present form.


4. COMFORTABLE

conveying an abstract feeling as a visible shape whose meaning almost anyone can share.
quite a challenge!

where and under what circumstances did people in ancient china create these characters?
it’s fascinating to speculate.

this character presented the image of birds chirping in a tree,


5. TIME

the present-day character is simpler, but the original one is a combination of
the sun,
feet
and a hand.

time is not visible and no image of it can be found in the natural world
the people of ancient china saw time as a day of physical work with the sun marking its progress.

what a rich imagination they had


6. LIGHT

the figure of a man with a flame on his head: nature under control

the tragedy of 11 march 2011 reminded us that japan has been routinely visited by devastating disasters:
earthquakes, tsunami, typhoons, eruptions, and these are now joined by man-made nuclear disasters.

the japanese word kiki has two meanings: crisis and opportunity.
a crisis illuminates an opportunity to use our experience to make life better now and for posterity.


7. JOY AND SORROW

sorrow is denoted by wild grass that grows in japan, korea and mongolia.
the stalks contain a bitter juice.

we have to take the good with the bad.
if there are sunny days, there are rainy days too.

like a moebius strip
both sides are possible at the same time.

is the world above the clouds?
or under the clouds ?
your view varies with your perspective.