Within Japanese culture, insects have occupied an important role as aesthetic, allegorical, and symbolic objects. In addition, insects have had a historical importance within the context of the culture and art of Japan.
Kenta Takada, longhorn beetle collector and author, noted that the Japanese appreciation for insects lies within the Shinto religion. Shinto, a form of animism, places emphasis that every facet of the natural world is worthy of reverence as they are the creation of the spiritual dimension. Takada additionally noted the importance of mono no aware, Zen awareness of the transience of all things, as an important factor within the perception of insects in a Japanese context. Lafcadio Hearn remarked that "[the] belief in a mysterious relation between ghosts and insects, or rather between spirits and insects, is a very ancient belief in the East".
Historical context
Insects have occupied a place within Japanese culture for centuries. The Lady who Loved Insects, is a classic tale of a woman who collected caterpillars during the 12th century. The Tamamushi Shrine, a miniature temple from the 7th century was formerly adorned with beetlewing from the jewel beetle Chrysochroa fulgidissima.
Lafcadio Hearn, a European-American scholar who became a Japanese citizen in the 19th century remarked: "In old Japanese literature, poems upon insects are to be found by thousands". Hearn's body of work while he was a citizen of Japan and as he analyzed Japanese literary works particularly focused on the comparative state of Western perceptions of insects compared to the Japanese ways of "[finding] delight, century after century, in watching the ways of insects". Twelve of the eleven books that Hearn had written included passages devoted to insects. In particular, Hearn wrote about Japanese tales regarding silkworms, cicadas, dragonflies, flies, kusa-hibari (a cricket known under the scientific name Svistella bifasciata), ants, fireflies, butterflies, and mosquitoes.
Entomophagy
Entomophagy has been a tradition within the regions of Gifu and Nagano, mountainous regions where there was a lack of fish and livestock for protein. In times of famine, such as the end of the Second World War, the consumption of insects like inago and hachinoko served to supplement the diets of those with little access towards other forms of protein and vitamins. Consumption of insects waned when the Japanese people gradually gained access to higher-quality livestock products. However the practice of entomophagy has been seeing a resurgence in recent years, with easily available packaged versions and with chefs looking for a sustainable food source popping up. Access to edible insects for the purpose of consumption have been gradually made easier with the advent of online shopping, as well as vending machines and retailers providing a supply. Additionally, cultural festivals, matsuri, provide a venue for consumption and highlighting local traditions of entomophagy. The Kushihara Hebo Matsuri of Ena, Gifu, is an example of such an event. Where beekeepers cultivate and then proceed to try and harvest the most hachinoko.
Inago - Orthoptera
The consumption of grasshoppers, known as inago in the Japanese language, is considered a luxury food product.
Hachinoko - Hymenoptera
In the Chūbu region of central Japan, local people raise wasp or bee larvae for the purposes of consumption. The larvae are referred to as hachinoko. Foraged wasps are consumed at all life stages, from larva to adult. The type of wasp harvested is known in places where insects are consumed, such as Gifu Prefecture, as hebo. Hebo is consumed only during the month of November, and is a local delicacy in mountainous regions. The name refers to two species of black wasp (identified as クロスズメバチ, kuro-suzumebachi, Vespula flaviceps), an easy to catch and non-aggressive species of wasp. During the Kushihara Hebo Matsuri, foraged wasp nests are weighed in a competition to determine which is the largest for a trophy. The festival itself arising from the need to protect local customs by older wasp foragers during 1993. The consumption of hebo is understood to be more of a supplementary food source, rather than as a primary means of nutrition, with individuals coming across and harvesting the larvae when coming across them by chance. The Kushihara region of Gifu was unique in that locals would actively seek out wasp nests and would subsequently raise them at their own home.
Hebo and hachinoko more broadly is consumed in a variety of ways. Hebo gohan is cooked rice mixed with the wasp larvae. Hebo gohei mochi, grilled mochi served with a sauce consisting of wasp larvae, miso, and peanuts.