Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-12
INSECTS OF JAPAN.
The Curious Legends About Them
How Cruelty is Prevented.

How Cruelty is Prevented.
From the New York Tribune
Inc Japanese, being an imaginative little
people, have some pretty and pathetic
legends attached to the insects and animals
that abound In the quaint little gardens that
are the most attractive feature of the homes
OF the well-to-do. In these gardens every
thing is in miniature, squatty little trees cut
into curious shapes of birds and beasts, tiny
walks leading to fantastic rustic bridges
over threadlike streams and airy tea
houses gay with bright colors like large
bird cages, which they resemble
Lafcadio Hearn gives curious tradition
about strange insect which is found only
In Himeji, a pretty little town near the
center of the island It seems there once
lived rich noble in a castle on the out
magnificence of his dishes, among which
were ten priceless bowls of solid gold. In
his employ was maid servant of good FAM
lily, whose name was o. Kiku to whom was
1ntrusted tie care of the precious plate, but
to her great despair one day one of the
gold dishes was missing. She searched dill
gently in vain, and, not knowing how to
prove her innocence, in her despair drowned
herself in a WELL but her ghost returned
each night to the spot, and could be heard
counting the dishes slowly with sobs, "Ichf-
mai. ni-mai, san-mai yo-mai, go-mai roku-
mai shichi-mai, hachi-mai ku-mai," up to
iAiic, WITCH tDSIe WOulu IOllOW d lOuU, WALL
ing cry, and the uncanny count began over
again. AT last the uneasy spirit passed
into the body of an insect whose head some
what resembles ghost with long, tousled
hair, and in that part of Japan it is con-
sidered unlucky to cultivate the chrysan-
themum, as the girls name O-kiku, means
chrysanthemum.
There is a large green cricket, larger than
cur native variety, of which the children
in Japan are very fond. 1t is sold in cum
ming little bamboo cages in booths on the
streets, and is loved for its CHEEKY chirp.
Several varieties Of tree crickets are pure
white, coming at different times of the year.
some have note so loud and inSiStent that
to have two or three playing their fiddles in
garden at once makes a noise almost
deafening, while a species that comes late
III the fall has an exquisite note like the
quick ringing of small bell.
Some lovely varieties of dragonf1ies hover
over the tiny streams on hot days, with
which the children are fond of playing. 1t
is said the male Of this insect never deserts
captive female, and a favorite game of the
children is to capture the female and at
tach her to a twig by a; thread, when the
male is sure to return to her. The boys sing
verse which means Thou king of Korea.
dost thou not feel ashamed to flee away
from the queen of the east?" which is a
haunting allusion to the conquest of Korea
in the early days by the Empress lingo of
Japan. Ia
There is a tiny insect that does great
damage to the rice crop, about which there
is an interesting tradition, There was once
a famous warrior who was fighting dead
ly battle on horseback with his bitter enc
my. Just as the victory was about his, his
horse slipped on the stalks of rice in the
field in which the combat took place, and
while trying to regain his footing the enemy
closed in upon the warrior and killed him.
The spirit of the warrior, Infatuated at the
treachery of the rice plant, became a rice
eating insect, which is called by the natives
by the warriors name, Sanemori-san. On
summer nights fires are lighted in the rice
fields to attract the insects, which come in
swarms, gongs beaten, bamboo flutes
sounded while straw figure representing a
horse and rider are burned. This insect is
almost the exact size and color of rice
husk, and Mr.. Hearn says he thinks the
| legend may have arisen from it's resem-
| blance to the helmet OF Japanese warrior.
There is infinite variety of moths,
which are seen at night fitting about the
gnarled and twisted branches of the old
| cherry and plum trees in the gardens. One
| enormous creature called the .ague moth
| is supposed to bring intermittent fever into
| any house it enters Its body is as large
| as that of humming bird, and from tip to
| tip of its gray wings it sometimes measures
| five inches.
| One kind of locust is particularly dreaded
| by the children for its propensity to bite 1t
reaches six inches in length when full
| grown, and Mr.. Hearn has seen one of these
| huge creatures fight off the attack of sew
| eral frogs at once on the banks of a pond,
| and the battle was only ended by the locust
| being dragged into the water, where, out of
| it's element, it was at the mercy of the
| froSs.
Among the beetles is small one. which
| is popularity supposed to eat human eyes,
/ and to kill one of these repulsive creatures
| is to win the gratitude of the god Buddha.
There are many kinds of spiders of i'm
| mense size about which there is super
| stition that while people sleep the spiders
| 6of their shape and become demons, so that
| one seen after dark must be killed.
| Most beloved of all the insects are the fire.
| flies, which like the erickets, are caught
| and Sold fifteen together in a little bamboo
cage covered with mosquito netting for 10
| cents. Japanese child loves to have these
| little pets near him at night. that the CHEEKY
| glow may shine out and drive off the ter
rors that infest the darkness.
The children are noted for their gentle
ness and kindness to animals, as Buddhism
| teaches that a child being cruel to or mall
| treating them will be unhappy when next
| 1t is born into the world that religion hold
| ing the doctrine of reincarnation, tenet
| which acts as a perpetual society for the
| prevention Of cruelty to animals.
| Crepe Paper Decorations.