Kizuna

When I set up this blog, I wanted a name to reflect the global connections and collaborations that I hope will drive the blog.  I live and work in Japan.  The Japanese have several words for connecting – it depends on what is being connected and why.  After the earthquake and resulting tsunami of March 2011, a word that has become popular in Japan is kizuna -to bond together or connect people.  In Japanese, the written kanji of a word often represents a deeper meaning.  The kanji for Kizuna consists of two parts.

Japanese friends explained their interpretation of the kanji; the first part, meaning rope or thread, shows weaving together or connecting. The second part, meaning half, represents two halves that become stronger when they are connected.  After the disastrous events of March 2011, the people of Japan reached out to each other, making connections across the country. Kizuna became a sysmbol of strength through connection. The people of Japan voted for kizuna as the kanji of the year for 2011.

As I reflected on this I thought that these are the kind of connections I hope to make through this blog -connections with other people that will be mutually positive and strengthening.