Red Bird, Red Currants: bright red fruits in Kanagawa’s forest in early winter

 

In 1918 a Japanese children’s book author Miekichi Suzuki 鈴木三重吉 launched publication of magazine specialized in children’s literature. The name of the magazine was “Akai Tori 赤い鳥” aka “Red Birds.” For Japanese children’s culture this was a seminal moment. Even after the magazine ended its life in 1936 together with the passing-away of Mr. Suzuki, many similar publications continued and we Japanese grew up absorbing the world of “Akai Tori” at unconscious level, I guess. Among big names of Japanese literature who contributed to the magazine there was a poet, Hakushu Kitahara 北原白秋. One of his rhymes was called none other than “Akai Tori.” It goes like this (a-hem, Naomi’s translation!);

Red bird, red bird,　赤い鳥　小鳥

Why are you red?　なぜ　なぜ　赤い？

I ate red currants.　赤い実を食べた

Fast foward to the 21st century, in the 10th volume of manga “Damon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 鬼滅の刃,” Nezuko, a sister of the hero Tanjiro, was calmed her fit of “demonization” by a nursery rhyme,

Kittens (baby rabbits), Kittens, in forest,　こんこんお山の子うさぎは

Why are your eyes red?　なぜにお目目が赤こうござる？

My mommy ate red berries when I was in her belly.　小さい時に母さまが赤い木の実を食べたゆえ

So my eyes are red.　それでお目目が赤うござる

Althogh netsphere is busy deciphering the origin of this song (; some say it is from traditional nursery rhyme of Saga Prefecture), basically the rhyme is a creation by the author of Kimetsu, Koyoharu Gotouge 吾峠呼世晴. But the song sounds very familiar for us ... Hakushu Kitahara was the first translator of Mother Goose from English to Japanese. So, I just simply believed “red currants” are regulars for nursery rhymes all over the world. I opened a book of Mother Goose, and searched for any rhyme of red currants … I could not find any. Do you know any nursery rhymes, from any part of the world, with red currants? If you know, please let me know ...

I suddenly realized red currants are not so common in the other forests of the planet. Come to think of it, in the 18th century European plant hunters brought female sapling of spotted laurel (Aucuba japonica) from Japan. They expected bright red fruits for their winter garden, as Aucuba japonica did so in Japan. Alas, they could not have any of such display in Europe until an Englishman Robert Fortune managed to obtain male tree in 1860. I guess he made a fortune in smoggy Victorian London … At least in my neighborhood forests for megalopolis Tokyo, red berries are very common especially in late fall. Speaking of Aucuba japonica, frankly, we’re a bit tired of weeding them. Their thick evergreen leaves cover the forest floor darkly and obstruct sunshine to reach, which makes biodiversity of our forest poor. Damned fecund red fruits of spotted laurel! We have to weed! Anyway, we don’t have to depend on Aucuba japonica to enjoy red berries in fall to winter forest (, park, garden, … you name it). Here are the other red cuties we’ll meet in our forest around this time of the year.

Himalayan Spindle (Euonymus hamiltonianus) マユミ

Lyreleaf nightshade (Solanum lyratum) ヒヨドリジョウゴ

Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica) ナンテン

Rhynchosia acuminatifolia　トキリマメ

Ardisia crenata　マンリョウ

Trichosanthes cucumeroides　カラスウリ

Baby rose (Rosa multiflora) ノバラ

Solanum maximowiczii Koidz.　マルバノホロシ

Marlberry (Ardisia japonica) ヤブコウジ

Kadsura japonica　サネカズラ

Phew! Those are some photos I’ve taken during the last 4 weeks in Kanagawa. They stand out in forests shedding the colored leaves. Please enter the forests now, and enjoy bright reds in chilly air … Christmas! The time of red berries!

If you find environmental issues in Kanagawa Prefecture, please make a contact with Kanagawa Natural Environment Conservation Center 神奈川県自然環境保全センター

657 Nanasawa, Atsugi City, 243-0121
〒243－0121　厚木市七沢657
Phone: 046-248-0323

You can send an enquiry to them by clicking the bottom line of their homepage at http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/div/1644/