Ancient people believed that all living things were born from the land. Deeply revering this source of life, they mounded the earth high and prayed for longevity. This figure directly symbolizes that sacred, mounded earth, meaning ‘land’.
On the left side of this figure, you can find the symbol for land, and on the right, a sword. Therefore, this character represents a place built upon the earth and protected by weapons—meaning a ‘castle’.
On the left side of this character, you can see the symbol for ‘LAND.’ On the right, there is a fence viewed from above. Yes, this kanji means ‘FENCE’ or ‘HEDGE’ in Japanese!