Swallow
A migratory bird that comes to Japan in spring, and that often builds nests in human houses, making it a familiar presence since ancient times
In addition to tsubame, swallows are also called Names for the swallow in Japanese include tsubame, tsubakuro, tsubakura, and tsubakurame in Japanese. It is a common migratory bird seen in Japan in the summer. migratory bird and a representative summer bird for Japan. In spring, swallows migrate back to Japan, build nests in urban areas and villages, and village areas, and breed. In summer, swallows they gather in flights flocks of several hundred to several thousand birds at dry riverbeds, lakes, marshes, rice paddies, and shores;. And in autumn they leave Japan. In the past, when people did not know much about swallows' migratory habits, it was commonly believed that they the migration of swallows, the common belief was that swallows came from the "Eternal Land" (Tokoyo Kuni / Tokiwa no Kuni), a mythical place without change, and spent the winter in the ground or in holes in trees, or that they came from the "Eternal Land" (Tokoyo Kuni / Tokiwa no Kuni), a mythical place without change. They were thus thought to considered creatures that connect this world with the spirit a world beyond. Globally, there are numerous examples of beliefs and customs that associate swallows with the water world, in particular, and in Japan, too, swallows were used in rain-making rituals. Also, as since people could observe from up close the way how swallows took care of their chicks, they were perceived as loving and caring parents. The seashells that swallows often leave in their nests were considered a token of their gratitude to people, and were sometimes viewed in some beliefs were seen as charms for easy childbirth. There are also stories about swallows taking revenge on snakes that attacked their nests or chicks. "Mention of The easy-birth shells supposedly possessed by swallows" featured in Taketori monogatari ("The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter", late 9th or early 10th century) is believed to come from observations of swallows' habits. are believed to originate in observations of such habits exhibited by swallows. There are also stories about swallows taking revenge on snakes that attacked their nests or chicks.
Swallows are beneficial birds that help farmers by eating insect pests. Moreover, since they and nest under eaves, in close proximity to human dwellings. As a result, people came to believe that killing a swallow would result in misfortune, and that having a swallow build a nest would bring good luck to the house, but that if a swallow stopped returning each spring, the family's fortunes would decline. A swallow pairs tends to return to the same nest each year., and This habit This behavior is believed to be the origin of the story in Konjaku monogatari shu ("Anthology of Tales from the Past"), in which, after the male of in a pair of swallows was killed and the female alone was released, the female swallow returned to the old nest the following spring, but lived alone, remaining faithful to her its dead partner.
The return of swallows has become a symbol of the arrival of spring. Around the same time, another migratory bird, the wild goose, leaves Japan, so swallows and wild geese have come to be perceived as a contrasting symbols. Spring is also the season in which the willow buds and sprouts fresh verdant leaves, so the combination of willows and swallows has become a beloved favorite spring motif.
Related People, Things and Events
Books
Taketori Monogatari ("The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter ") and Kaguya Hime (“Princess Kaguya”) books
Related Works
Craft works and kimono that feature swallow motifs
Institutions Holding Related Materials
The National Diet Library (NDL), founded in 1948, is the library which belongs to the Diet. The NDL assists the activities of the National Diet. The Library collects and conserves materials and information both from Japan and abroad, serving as a foundation of knowledge and culture and providing library services to administrative and judicial entities and Japanese citizens.
As Japan’s representative museum, Tokyo National Museum collects, preserves, displays, and researches the cultural properties of Asia with a focus on Japan, and also provides educational programs.
Kyoto National Museum collects, preserves, displays, researches and provides educational programs focusing on cultural properties from Heian- through to Edo- period Japan, when the capital was located there.
Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art was founded as the successor of the Aichi Prefectural Art Gallery, which originally opened in Sakae, the center of Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, in 1955. The museum opened in 1992 as part of the Aichi Arts Center, an urban cultural complex, and has established a wide-range collection of approximately 8,000 items, centered on works of art of the twentieth century. The Museum has also organized numerous exhibition of a wide-range of themes. The Museum has actively worked to develop and communicate new aspects of art and culture to the public, based on its core mission to serve as the primary art museum of the Chubu region.
早稲田大学の図書館です。惺々暁斎（河鍋暁斎）による『伊蘇普物語』の「裁判所の燕の話」を所蔵。
External Links
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