Insect

"Yukigesho."

"Karakurenai."

The Japanese language is rich in unique expressions, that reflect nature and culture.

Magical Japanese.

Today's theme is "mushi," or insects.

A wide variety have called Japan's mountains, fields, and rice paddies home, since the ancient times.

And their sounds and beauty have had a great influence on the country's culture.

Hello, I'm Peter MacMillan.

Today I'm in Matsue, Shimane prefecture.

This is the place where my compatriot, Lafcadio Hearn, lived.

Lafcadio Hearn was born in present-day Greece, and raised in Ireland.

While working as a journalist in the United States, he encountered Japanese myths, and came to Matsue to learn more about the culture.

He is known for "Kwaidan," a collection of ghost stories and other works, that explore the essence of Japan.

The Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum in Matsue carries on his legacy.

Hearn loved insects.

He resonated with Japanese insect culture, and he himself kept insects in a beautiful bamboo basket at his home.

He loved listening to their chirping.

Let's have a look at some expressions in Japanese and Japanese culture related to "mushi."

"mushi no shirase."

"Shirase" means notice.

"Mushi no shirase" can be literally translated as "a notice from insects," and refers to a premonition or hunch.

In the past, it was believed small insects, or worm-like beings living in your body, could influence you in certain ways.

The phrase is still used today.

I randomly went to my father's house yesterday, and found him collapsed on the floor.

I called an ambulance, and now he's all right.

That's what you call a "mushi no shirase"--premonition.

"mushi no shirase."

Some expressions refer to specific insects.

"tonbogaeri."

"Tonbo" is dragonfly, and "gaeri" means to return.

"Tonbogaeri" refers to an immediate return from your destination, similar to when a dragonfly quickly changes course.

He made a "tonbogaeri"--immediate return--
from his business trip to be with his newborn son.

"tonbogaeri."

"cho yo hana yo."

"Cho" is butterfly, and "hana" is flower.

This expression describes parents who raise their children with great care and affection.

My parents raised me "cho yo hana yo"--with such care and affection.
I'm very grateful to them.

"cho yo hana yo."

People in Japan have long kept insects as pets to listen to their calls.

It's a custom that exists to this day.

When Hearn first saw insects sold as pets at a festival in Japan, he marveled at the love that the Japanese have for the sound of chirping insects.

In English, we often refer to the chirping of insects as "noise."

But the Japanese use the word "sound" instead.

To many Japanese, it's not an annoying noise, but a beautiful sound.

Let's have a look at some expressions in Japanese related to the sound of insects.

"semishigure."

"Semi" is cicada, and "shigure" refers to rain.

"Semishigure" is used to describe the cries of cicadas, which become louder, then quieter, much like falling rain.

"semishigure."

There are different onomatopoeia for the various sounds of insects in Japanese.

Try comparing them to the actual cries.

A "korogi" or cricket, sounds like this: "koro koro."

Here's a "matsumushi," or pine cricket: "chinchirorin."

A "suzumushi," or bell cricket, cries like this: "rin rin."

Hearn wrote with admiration about the Japanese people's love of the sounds of insects.

He also praised the richness of the Japanese way of life, which encouraged communication with insects.

For example, he noted how people would enjoy the light of fireflies in summer, and keep chirping insects in wicker cages and listen to their calls in autumn.

Hearn himself was greatly influenced by this lifestyle.

In addition to seventeen ghost stories, Hearn's book "Kwaidan" also contains three essays about insects.

These are not entomological studies, but are Hearn's thoughts on the variety of insects in Japan and their chirping.

It is clear that he himself shared with the Japanese an awe for insects.

Hearn is said to have enjoyed Fabre's Book of Insects.

There is a word for book lovers like him: "hon no mushi."

"Hon" means book.

Like "bookworm" in English, this expression likens someone who loves to read, to insects that eat through the pages of books.

A person who is passionate, or even obsessive about something, is often compared to an insect.

"hon no mushi."

Here's someone who's absorbed in his work: "shigoto no mushi."

This is the house where Hearn lived.

Hearn would notice different insects, frogs, and snakes there.

Living in Japan, he accepted some aspects of nature, that are not usually loved as much in the West.

Hearn understood the Japanese view that humans are part of nature, and through this, his understanding of diverse cultures deepened.

There is a saying that Hearn loved, that expresses the Japanese belief that insects also have a soul.

"issun no mushi ni mo
gobu no tamashi."

"Issun" is a unit of length, equivalent to about 3 cm in today's terms, while "gobu" is about 1.5 cm, or half of an "issun."

"Tamashi" means soul.

The phrase means even a small insect is made half of soul, and has its own thoughts and ideas.

Similar to the English phrase, "even a worm will turn," it expresses how even a tiny or weak existence should not be dismissed.

"issun no mushi ni mo
gobu no tamashi."

Hearn reflected on the Japanese view of insects as follows: Surely we have something to
learn from the people
in whose mind the simple chant

of a cricket can awaken
whole fairy-swarms of tender
and delicate fancies.

That's it for today.

Next time you're outside, try to listen to the sound of the insects.

You might hear something beautiful, that you never realized was there!

See you next time.

Bye.