THE MASTER SYMBOL
Copyright ©
2005-12 James Deacon
When
it comes to writing words/phrases in the 'roman' (English) alphabet,
there are many different styles we can use, whether we opt for a
particular form [ ie. typeface/font-style] of Block Capitals or
lower-case letters; or one of the various formal cursive handwriting
styles (- with most individuals having their own
personally-identifiable 'sub-style').
The same is of course true
when it comes to writing in Japanese.
Above
are sixteen examples of different traditional and modern styles of writing the
phrase:
“dai kō
myō” (dai
kou myou).
.
Here are a further eleven additional examples in far more archaic script forms.
Below
are several examples of versions of the dai kō
myō as found
in Reiki books, manuals, handouts, etc.
In
the main, such 'alternative' versions of the dai kō
myō have come into
being as a result of people who were not familiar with Japanese
calligraphy, attempting to replicate the symbol-form shown to them
by their teachers, who in turn had often made imprecise copies of the
symbol as presented by their teachers, and so on....
While
accidental alterations to the DKM have occurred over time due to poor
calligraphic skills, some individuals have made a conscious
decision - for whatever reasons – to replace the dai kō
myō kanji
(however poorly written) with a completely different symbol
presumably of their own creation:
