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The character 谷 originally depicted a stream flowing out from between mountains, representing a valley. In ancient oracle bone script, it showed two mountain peaks with a stream in between. Over time, it evolved through bronze script and seal script to become the modern 谷. The character carries meanings of both 'valley' and 'grain' (as in cereals), though these were originally separate words that coincidentally came to share the same character form. In Chinese philosophy, the valley symbolizes humility and emptiness, as expressed in Daoist texts where the valley represents receptivity and the feminine principle. Arrived in Japan: The character 谷 was introduced to Japan during the Yayoi period (around 300 BCE to 300 CE) through cultural exchange with China, and became systematically established with the introduction of Chinese writing systems in the 5th century CE along with Buddhism and Confucian texts. It appears in early Japanese documents like the Kojiki (712 CE) and Manyoshu (8th century).