Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 祭 (jì/sai) depicts an ancient sacrificial ceremony. Its earliest oracle bone script shows a hand (又) offering a piece of meat (月, actually 'meat' radical) on an altar (示). This composition vividly captures the ritual of presenting offerings to gods or ancestors. Over time, the character evolved through bronze script and seal script, eventually standardizing into its current form. The meaning expanded from religious sacrifices to include commemorative ceremonies and festivals, reflecting how ancient worship practices transformed into cultural traditions. Arrived in Japan: The character 祭 arrived in Japan around the 5th-6th centuries CE during the period when Chinese writing system was introduced to Japan through Buddhist scriptures and cultural exchange. It became incorporated into the Japanese writing system as part of the kanji characters, pronounced as 'sai' or 'matsuri' and used in words like 祭り (matsuri - festival) and 文化祭 (bunkasai - cultural festival).