Insect Selection - Mushi Erabibi

Japanese: 虫撰び - むしえらび

Also called mushi erami, senmushi, mushi erai, and mushiawase, this was a game played by courtiers who went out into the field to select and catch insects, then placed them in beautifully decorated insect cages and presented them to the Imperial Court. It is said to have started during the reign of Emperor Horikawa (around 1100). Mushiawase was one of the games of monoawase, such as kusaawase and kaiawase, in which participants brought various insects that made sounds and competed to see who could collect the best sound or appearance. It was not a ritual, and participants apparently collected insects while walking around Sagano. This later developed into insect poetry contests, in which participants composed poems related to insects and competed to see who could produce the best insect and poem.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

虫えらみ，撰虫，虫えらい，虫合（むしあわせ）ともいう。野外に出て，虫を撰び採り，美しく飾った虫籠に入れて宮中に奉った殿上人の遊び。堀河天皇の時代(1100年前後)から始められたという。虫合は種合（くさあわせ），貝合などの物合の一つで，種々の鳴く虫などを持ち寄って鳴声や姿の優劣を競った。別に儀式ばったことではなく，嵯峨野あたりの散策で虫を集めたらしい。これはのちに虫の歌合などに発展した。これはそれぞれ虫にちなんだ歌を詠み，虫や歌の優劣を競う遊びである。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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