Nightingale - Uguisu

Japanese: 鶯 - うぐいす

[1] [Noun] 1. A bird of the passerine order, family Muscicapidae. Males are about 16 centimeters long, and females about 14 centimeters long. Both sexes are green with a brownish tinge on the back, and whitish on the underside. In early spring, they sing a beautiful song, "hohokekkyo," so they are kept as pets. In summer, they live in bamboo thickets from the plains to the high mountains, and their chirp (also called sasanaki) is "cha-cha." In winter, those from the mountains come down to the plains. Since the eggs of the warbler are very similar to those of the lesser cuckoo, the warbler often incubates and raises the eggs of the lesser cuckoo. Spring Bird. Spring Bird. Utayo Midori. Kyoyo Midori. Nioi Dori. Hitokudori. Momochidori. Hana Midori. Atagodori. [Season: Spring] ※Man'yoshu (late 8th century) 5.824 "I regret the plum blossoms have fallen, and in the bamboo grove of my garden , the Uguisu cries." ※Heike (early 13th century) 4 "The color of the flowers on the branch fades, and the song of the palace nightingale grows old." ② Abbreviation of "Uguisukagura (nightingale kagura dance)." ③ Abbreviation of "Uguisuiro (nightingale color)." ④ Abbreviation of "Uguisucha (nightingale tea)." ⑤ Abbreviation of "Uguisumochi ( nightingale rice cake)." ※Zappai, Yanagi Taru-32 (1805) "Ukuhisu ya uzura de nomutaka no tsume" ⑥ A tool used to fasten obi, etc. The end of a bamboo spatula that has been split. ⑦ One of the incense tools. A metal skewer that fastens the incense wrappers. Uguisu kushi. ⑧ One of the tea utensils. A metal fitting used to hold the tea whisk upright during the tea ceremony on the tea box. It is inserted into the board that holds the tea bowl, and the handle of the tea whisk is inserted into it. ⑨ A bamboo skewer used to bind books and other things. *Haikai poem, Takatsukuba (1638) 1 "Utasho wo yatozuruito yanagi ( Teiji )" ⑩ (From the similarity in shape to ①) A court lady's word for a cutting spoon. [Onna Juhoki (Genroku 5th year) (1692)] ⑪ (From the fact that ① cries "hohokekkyo") Refers to a monk of the Nichiren sect. ⑫ (From the beautiful cry of ①) A beautiful voice. Also refers to a person with a beautiful voice. [2] Kyogen. Izumi school, Sagi school. He tries to stab a treasured nightingale for his master, but fails. [Essay] (1) As its nickname "spring messenger bird" suggests, it is usually thought of as a bird that waits for spring or sings to announce the arrival of spring, but in the "Kokinshu," there are also nightingals in late spring that sing to lament the falling of flowers and the passing of spring. Nightingals that continue to sing after spring has passed are called "old nightingals" and are a seasonal word for summer.
(2) In waka poetry, the nightingale is often combined with plum blossoms, which are flowers of early spring, and the compositions of "a nightingale on a plum branch" and "a nightingale on a plum blossom" are also subjects for painting and crafts.
(3) “The nightingale in the valley” is an adaptation of a poem that originally featured a nightingale leaving a secluded valley during the Tang Dynasty in China, which was a subject of poetry for early spring. As in “Deep in the valley, as the light of spring lingers late, the nightingale’s voice enveloped in snow (Sugawara no Michizane)” (Shin Kokin-Zajo, 1440), it became a metaphor for misfortune and seclusion, and for being rejected by the world. Conversely, the nightingale leaving the valley came to represent success or promotion.

Source: The Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary About the Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary Information

Japanese:

[1] 〘名〙① スズメ目ウグイス科の鳥。雄は全長約一六センチメートル、雌は約一四センチメートル。雌雄とも背面は褐色を帯びた緑色で、腹部は白っぽい。早春、「ホーホケキョ」と美声でさえずるので、飼い鳥とされる。夏は平地から高山までの各地の笹やぶにすみ、地鳴き（笹鳴きともいう）は「チャッチャッ」と鳴く。冬に山地のものは平地に降りてくる。鶯の卵はホトトギスの卵とよく似ているので、鶯はしばしばホトトギスの卵を孵化(ふか)して育てる。はるどり。はるつげどり。うたよみどり。きょうよみどり。においどり。ひとくどり。ももちどり。はなみどり。あたごどり。《季・春》※万葉（８Ｃ後）五・八二四「梅の花散らまく惜しみわが園の竹の林に于具比須(ウグヒス)鳴くも」※平家（１３Ｃ前）四「梢の花色おとろえて、宮の鶯声老いたり」② 「うぐいすかぐら（鶯神楽）」の略。③ 「うぐいすいろ（鶯色）」の略。④ 「うぐいすちゃ（鶯茶）」の略。⑤ 「うぐいすもち（鶯餠）」の略。※雑俳・柳多留‐三二（1805）「うくひすやうづらでものむたかのつめ」⑥ 帯などをくける時に用いるもの。竹篦(へら)の端を割ったもの。⑦ 香道具の一つ。香の包み紙を止める金属製の串(くし)。鶯串。⑧ 茶道具の一つ。茶箱の月の点前(てまえ)のとき、茶筅(ちゃせん)を立てるために使う金具。器据えの板に差し、それに茶筅の柄(え)を差す。⑨ 草子などを綴じる竹串。※俳諧・鷹筑波（1638）一「鶯で歌書をやとづるいと柳〈定時〉」⑩ (①と形が似ているところから) 切匙(せっかい)をいう女房詞。〔女重宝記（元祿五年）（1692）〕⑪ (①が「ホーホケキョ」と鳴くところから) 法華宗の僧をさしていう。⑫ (①の鳴き声が美しいところから) 美声。また、美声の人をいう。[2] 狂言。和泉流・鷺流。主人のため、ある秘蔵の鶯を刺そうとして、失敗する。[語誌](1)「春告げ鳥」の異名のとおり、春を待って、あるいは春の到来を告げて鳴く鳥と捉えられるのが普通だが、「古今集」には、落花や行く春を惜しんで鳴く晩春の鶯も見られる。春が過ぎても鳴く鶯を「老鶯」といい、夏の季語となる。
(2)和歌では、特に早春の花である梅と組み合わせられる例が多く、「梅の枝の鶯」「梅に鶯」という構図は、絵画工芸の題材ともなる。
(3)「谷の鶯」は、もと中国の唐代に幽谷を出る鶯が早春詩の題材となっていたものを受容したもの。「谷深み春の光のおそければ雪につつめる鶯の声〈菅原道真〉」〔新古今‐雑上・一四四〇〕のように、世にいれられず沈淪する不遇や籠居の隠喩となり、逆に谷を出る鶯は出世や昇進を意味するようになる。

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