Kanji-characters

漢字は今から２２００年程前に中国の「漢」という国で作られたものです。

しかしそれ以前にも文字は存在していたので「漢」の国で発達したものだと言って良いと思います。それが日本に仏教の経典と共に伝わって来て、それから日本の中で独自に改良されて更に使い易くなっていきました。日本には漢字を省略して創った文字の「ひらがな」と

漢字の一部を用いた「カタカナ」という新しい二種類の文字が生まれました。その中の

「ひらがな」を完成にまで導いた人が四国巡礼を経験したあなたが知っている「空海・弘法大師」です。

彼は、あなたが日本の四国で体験した「四国八十八カ所参拝・巡礼」の基礎を創った有名な高僧です。

Kanji was created in a country called "Kan" in China about 2,200 years ago.　However, characters existed before that, so it's fair to say they developed in the country of "Kan." They were brought to Japan along with Buddhist scriptures, and were then independently improved in Japan, becoming even easier to use. Two new types of characters were born in Japan: "Hiragana," which was created by abbreviating kanji, and "Katakana," which uses parts of kanji.

The person who brought "Hiragana" to completion was "Kukai/Kobo Daishi," known to those of you who have made the Shikoku pilgrimage.

He was a famous monk who created the foundation for the "Shikoku Pilgrimage" that you experienced in Shikoku, Japan.