浜 means 'seashore'

All four kanji symbolize curving objects that have inspired fascinating creative leaps. Umbrella designs made people connect 傘 with domes, mushroom caps, snake eyes, and swords. Land and sea meet in a curvy line, so 浜 helps represent "wavy design" in everything from raked gravel to furniture to dog dishes. As "sickle," 鎌 drives words for crescent-shaped things (e.g., hamachi kama, curving ridges, a dolphin fin, and a dental tool). And the pear influences terms for pear-shaped islands and certain rounded body parts.

Japan boasts a complex coastline, and as these essays show, that's for better and for worse. The numerous capes jutting out into the sea have caused disastrous shipwrecks, one of which exposed inequity that sparked outrage in Japan. But this island nation also abounds in winding beaches, and those gentle curves have influenced the designs of everything from pottery and furniture to family crests. The endpoints of the main islands beckon to tourists who want to visit the southernmost point, for instance. The outline of one cape as seen from space even gave rise to a popular song.