My son and I are constantly discovering new things in the park - usually of the insect and animal variety. Today he spotted a dead beetle unlike I've ever seen before. We snapped a few photos so he could look it up when we got home.
The beautiful iridescent and green beetle is a Tamamushi or jewel beetle. It is a wood-boring beetle that lives three to five years in a tree as a larvae, but only several dozen days as the beautiful iridescent adult.
These beetles are so interesting that many people raise them in captivity. The gem-like wings have been used in arts and crafts since at least the seventh century.
Tohoku Kogei, a company located in Sendai, about 300 km north of Tokyo, makes a special type of lacquerware called "Tamamushi lacquerware" because it is painted in the likeness of the captivating colors and gloss of this beetle. The pieces of functional art focus on stationary (pens) and dishes (bowls, chopsticks).
There is even a shrine for the tamamushi in Nara Prefecture. I haven't been to it, but it might get added to the list of things to see when we visit Nara next time.
There is even a shrine for the tamamushi in Nara Prefecture. I haven't been to it, but it might get added to the list of things to see when we visit Nara next time.
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