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Butterfly (Cho)

Butterflies, of which there are many species in the world, have a captivating beauty that has given rise to many beliefs and folktales and has made them the subject of many decorated objects and works of art

Cho (butterfly) is a general term for insects that belong to the Lepidoptera family of swallowtail butterflies. In Japanese they are also called chorui, kocho, chocho, and in classical Japanese, kawabirako. It is said that about 17,600 species of butterflies inhabit the world. In Japan, there are about 250 species in 9 families. These include Japan's national butterfly the great purple emperor (Sasakia charonda), the cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae), the common grass yellow butterfly (Eurema hecabe), the Asian swallowtail butterfly (Papilio xuthus), and the Chinese peacock swallowtail butterfly (Papilio dehaanii).

       The butterfly's body is generally elongated, and the two pairs of lobe-shaped wings on the chest are covered with scales and scale hair that give the wings their color. The head has a pair of club-shaped antennae, a pair of compound eyes and two ocelli (simple eyes), and a coiled proboscis for sucking honey and sap. Many butterflies are active in the daytime and hold their wings upright on their backs when they alight. The larvae—called caterpillars (imomushi), green caterpillars (aomushi), or hairy caterpillars (kemushi)—eat vegetation, and then metamorphose into pupae and become adults.

       Butterflies are mentioned in the Chinese poetry of Kaifuso (Fond Recollections of Poetry), a compilation of Chinese poetry written by Japanese poets from the eighth century. However, they are not mentioned in Japanese works such as the Man'yoshu (Collection of Myriad Leaves, after 759), Kokin waka shu (Collection of Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern Times, ca. 905), or Shin kokin waka shu (New Collection of Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern Times, 1205). Butterflies also seldom appear in medieval picture scrolls. The background for this is that butterflies were thought to be human souls and were considered ominous; even the word for butterfly was taboo. There was a time when beautiful women were likened to butterflies as a metaphor for their beauty but also as a metaphor for their being an omen of ruin. In Zhuangzi (before 221 BC), chapter 2, the Chinese Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi tells the story of dreaming that he was a butterfly. And in many places in Japan, people believed that the souls of the dead transmigrated to other creatures, including butterflies. Moreover, during Obon (the Buddhist custom of honoring the spirits of one's ancestors), the deceased, according to folk belief, return to this world on the backs of black butterflies. There is also the folk belief that if you encounter a swarm of white butterflies on the road late at night, you will get sick and die.

       In the realm of art, butterflies have been the subject of designs and decorations since ancient times, such as the ornamental hairpin featuring a lapis lazuli butterfly mentioned in Konjaku monogatari shu (Anthology of Tales from the Past, late Heian period). In addition, butterflies are a popular theme in daily life, such as the peonies and butterflies card in Japanese playing cards (hanafuda) and the paper butterflies displayed at weddings.

       Butterflies are also found in family crests, such as the two-facing-butterflies crest, the swallowtail-butterfly crests of several Taira families, the Genji butterfly crest, and the butterfly-knot crest.

       Capturing and collecting butterflies is a familiar and popular pastime, but some species—such as various birdwing butterflies belonging to the Ornithoptera, Trogonoptera, or Troides genus—are endangered by this activity. 

Related People, Things and Events

Books

図譜、図説、図鑑類の蝶

史書・古典にみえる蝶

Collections of butterfly-themed designs

Related Works

Butterfly drawings in paintings (Japan)

Butterfly drawings on craft works (Japan, dyed fabrics)

Butterfly drawings on craft works (Japan, lacquer works)

Butterfly drawings on craft works (Japan, metal works)

Butterfly drawings on craft works (Japan, ceramics)

Butterfly drawings in paintings and on craft works (Overseas)

Videos

Past Exhibitions

TitleshusaiPlaceopenclose
飯田市美術博物館2010/7/32010/9/5
高松市美術館2012/6/232012/9/2
カメイ美術館2014/12/22015/2/1
カメイ美術館2015/12/12016/1/31
カメイ美術館2017/8/12017/9/22
カメイ美術館2018/11/272019/1/27
カメイ美術館2019/12/32020/3/1

Institutions Holding Related Materials

  • Established in 1877, the National Museum of Nature and Science (Kahaku) is one of the oldest museums in Japan. It is also the only national museum in the country that offers a comprehensive exhibition of natural history and the history of science and technology. It collects and preserves a variety of collections, such as natural history specimens, historical objects, and scientific and technical documents, and so on.

  • 年中昆虫を大温室で観察することができる昆虫園。展示施設の中をさまざまな種類の蝶が飛び交う。

  • 園内には、一年中さまざまな蝶が見られる大温室をはじめ、蝶の飼育をする「チョウの飼育室」、草花を植えて野生の蝶を呼び寄せる「バタフライガーデン」がある。

  • 館内の「チョウの園」で、沖縄など南国のチョウを約10種類、およそ1000匹飼育。

  • 一年を通じて、日本の国蝶・オオムラサキの生態を観察できる。本館・森林科学館・生態観察施設の3つの施設から成り、施設の周囲に約6haの自然公園が広がる。 観察会や工作教室などのイベントも多数開催。

  • 現存する日本最古の昆虫専門博物館。ギフチョウの発見で知られる昆虫学者・名和靖によって設立された名和昆虫研究所の付属施設として開館。約1万2千種、30万匹の標本を収蔵し、世界の蝶の標本やギフチョウを多角的に解説した展示を見ることができる。

  • 放蝶スタイルの施設で、箕面周辺に生息している種から亜熱帯の種までさまざまな種類の蝶を飼育する。

  • 広さ600㎡の関西最大級のガラス温室で、約14種1000匹の蝶を一年中観察できる。

  • 館内には一年を通じて沖縄八重山地方の蝶が舞う放蝶温室がある。1000点を超える昆虫標本や化石標本も展示。

  • 園内には、一年を通して熱帯植物が咲く「フラワードーム」があり、日本最大の蝶・オオゴマダラをはじめ、アサギマダラやツマムラサキマダラなど約500匹の蝶を飼育。

  • 国立科学博物館附属の自然教育園で開園以来記録されたことのある生物の種名2865種、動植物や風景の写真約1900点を検索することができる。

  • 日本チョウ類保全協会が運営。本州・四国・九州でよく見られる蝶36種類を紹介する。

  • 岐阜聖徳学園大学教育学部地学・川上研究室が運営。日本に生息する昆虫の生態写真のデータベースを公開。

References

  1. 「チョウ」の項
  2. 「チョウ」の項
  3. 日立デジタル平凡社,平凡社
  4. 「蝶」の項