From Calligraphy to Anime: Traditional and Contemporary Cultural Bridges Between Japan and the Arab World

Rotating the kanji tatematsuru clockwise produces the Arabic سُبْحانَ الله (subhanallah). (© Nippon.com)

The kanji kotobuki, on the left, becomes the Arabic أَسْتَغفِرُ اللهَ when laid on its side. (© Nippon.com)

Yamamoto Naoki, during an interview at the Nippon.com office. (© Nippon.com)

Yamamoto participating in an event introducing Japanese culture in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Hoping to stimulate interest in Japan, Yamamoto wears kimono whenever possible. (Courtesy Yamamoto Naoki)

A 2013 study session in Jordan, with students sitting in a circle around a renowned Islamic scholar, as is done traditionally. (© Yamamoto Naoki)

Lacquered natsume decorated with Arabic script. These objects drew considerable attention at exhibitions in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East. (© Nippon.com)

Yamamoto pairs Japan’s traditional hemp leaf motif with the word futuwwa in Arabic on a tenugui cotton towel, along with a motif showing the leaves of the futuwwa tree—whose name can mean “youthfulness” and, by extension, “chivalry.” (© Nippon.com)