Day 292: The year of the Rabbit

Enjoy here the calligraphy of Alex Kerr.  These are two characters for the word Rabbit.  I'm not sure what the difference is, but I trust Alex whose knowledge of Orientalia is considerable.  Alex speaks and reads Japanese, Chinese and Thai fluently.  His book, Lost Japan is one of the best books on contemporary Japan.  Alex is an art collector and among the literati. I met him in the early 1980's at the Oomoto Foundation in Japan when I studied traditional Japanese arts.  His web site introduces his many gifts.   These colorful kanji celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit, just beginning in the Chinese calendar.  


From the web site:  Chiff.com


General predictions for the Year of the Rabbit
The year of the Rabbit is traditionally associated with home and family, artistic pursuits, diplomacy, and keeping the peace. Therefore, 2011 is very likely to be a relatively calmer one than 2010 both on the world scene, as well as on a personal level.
Conversely, nations will also become more insular and increasingly lock down their borders to protect against the "other". However, 2011 will also see new art movements projecting a distinct national identity taking the world by storm. Shrewd and creative new business partnerships will also form to the benefit of all.
Rabbits who thrive on delicate business dealings are best suited to navigating the year ahead. Those compatible with the Rabbit — the Sheep, Dog and Pig in particular — will also find 2011's circumstances inspiring them to greater personal happiness and professional success.
Others will suffer, by degree, depending on how flexible they are to the world mood. Those who have cultivated careful negotiation skills (or, perhaps more importantly, can sniff-out and swiftly dodge dangerous situations!), may attain similar good luck enjoyed by rabbits and those compatible with them in 2011.