堤
embankment
Kanji 1620
Thank you for visiting this Character Home Page. Below you'll find a synopsis of the essay. If you wish to read the full text, the PDF of the essay is available for purchase to the right.
Embankments save lives and could even be why we have government! But they're so well integrated into landscapes that you could walk on an embankment and not know it. See why Japan has built these structures for millennia. (A folktale particularly brings the topic to life.) Also find out about embankment stew, tsutsumi dolls, “super embankments,” and a "battleship seawall."
Revision History:
June 29, 2023: p. 14: Added a note that the 埋める in the last Japanese sentence is in the pre-masu form of its passive voice.
June 4, 2021:
- p. 14: Slightly modified the translation of the last sentence.
- p. 15: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.
July 31, 2019:
- p. 2: Changed the etymology to reflect the newer edition of Henshall, rather than the older one. Also updated the Sears link.
- p. 4: In 千丈の堤も蟻の一穴より, I have now defined より as "from," not "due to."
- p. 5: Changed 以って to 以て.
Apr. 24, 2015: Originally published.
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