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The character 東 (east) originally depicted the sun rising behind a tree, symbolizing the direction where the sun appears. In oracle bone script, it showed a sun (日) within a bundle or tree trunk. Over centuries, it evolved through bronze script, seal script, and clerical script before becoming the modern kanji 東. The character's core meaning of 'east' has remained consistent throughout Chinese history, representing one of the cardinal directions and carrying associations with dawn, beginnings, and renewal. Arrived in Japan: The character 東 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, primarily through the introduction of Chinese writing systems via Korean peninsula. It was part of the early wave of Chinese characters (kanji) that formed the foundation of Japanese written language. The character became particularly significant in Japanese geography, notably in the name 'Tōkyō' (東京) meaning 'Eastern Capital,' and the historical region 'Kantō' (関東) meaning 'East of the Barrier.'