If you like anime, you have certainly noticed that in some of them there is the presence of the crow (鳥, Karasu). Have you ever wondered if this bird has any significance in Japan?
Many animals, plants, and symbols do not appear by chance when it comes to Japanese culture. The crow is no different! In Japan, the crow symbolizes gratitude, family love, and most commonly, it is a divine messenger that represents good omens. But in other cultures, for example, it has negative symbolism.
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How did the crow become a symbol?
There is not much evidence regarding how the crow came to be considered a symbol of a messenger, but the most common story is that a giant crow saved the Emperor Jimmu (神武) during a military campaign in another country.
The emperor Jimmu is considered a descendant of the sun goddess according to Shinto tradition. But, just like the story of the messenger crow, there is not much information about his representativeness.
Jimmu’s older brother was killed in a battle in which he also participated. Upon losing, Jimmu realized that the fight was against the sun, so he decided to wait for the right moment to attack. After resting overnight, he planned to fight, and while passing through Kumano, he encountered a Yatagarasu (three-legged crow). This crow guided him to Yamato, and there he emerged victorious.
Currently, it is said that when one hears a crow crying at night, it means bad news.
Yatagarasu, the three-legged crow
The “three-legged crow” or “messenger of the heavens” is popular in Japanese mythology and is called Yatagarasu (八咫烏). The three legs represent Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. The three legs may also be linked to three clans: Enomoto, Suzuki, and Ui. Additionally, they signify periods of the day: dawn, dusk, and nightfall.
The crow has a very sharp sense of direction, which symbolizes protection. It is also believed that the Yatagarasu possesses the three main characteristics of the gods: wisdom, benevolence, and valor.
According to Shinto legend, the Yatagarasu was sent from the heavens by the goddess Amaterasu to guide Jimmu so that the emperor could take the initial steps towards the foundation of Japan.
The crow and Japanese football
For those who are fans of Japanese football, you may have noticed that the symbol of the Japan Football Federation is a three-legged crow.
The symbol is a shield with a crow with open wings dominating a football with one of its legs. The red and yellow colors relate to the representation of the sun.
Because of the legend, the Yatagarasu is also seen as a bird that brings victory. So, it definitely makes sense for it to be a symbol of football, after all, the mascot’s goal is to bring luck to the team and represent.
The writing of crow and bird
For those interested in learning Japanese, especially the part about ideograms, or kanji, it can be challenging since learning another language has its difficulties. This is especially true when there are words and terms that are very similar and can end up causing confusion.
Many confuse the ideograms for bird (鳥, Tori) and crow (烏, Karasu). The writing is quite similar, right? But if you pay attention, the difference is just one stroke that appears in Tori and not in Karasu.
Teacher @kayoshodo (she explains kanji in the most didactic way possible, I recommend) explained in one of her posts on Twitter the reason for the little stroke.
She explains that the stroke in the word bird exists to represent the eye because when it has a relatively light color, it is possible to see the eye clearly. This does not happen with the crow, as it has a dark color, so the eye is hardly seen.
The crows portrayed in anime
Can you remember any anime where you have seen the participation of crows? I will mention two anime where the crow is well represented symbolically: Naruto (ナルト) and Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅).
Naruto Uzumaki is a young orphan ninja who lives in Konoha. He dreams of becoming a Hokage, the highest and most powerful leader of his village. Despite having this goal, he is quite a troublemaker. Naruto possesses within him the nine-tailed fox that was sealed by his father when he was still a baby, and because of that, he ended up losing his own life. Because of this, Naruto is seen by the people of the village as a strange being.
The crow in Naruto is often used in scenes involving battles of the Uchiha family members, one of the most famous being Itachi. He uses the genjutsu technique, where in the Japanese animated series it involves manipulating Chakra to deceive the opponent through illusions by confusing one of the five senses (taste, smell, sight, hearing, and touch). In this case, the illusion created is that of a body fragmented into several crows.
On the other hand, Kimetsu no Yaiba tells the story of Tanjirō, who had his family murdered. His mother and siblings were killed by an oni, which is a race that preys on humans, threatening the well-being of the community. The only one who manages to survive is his sister Nezuko, but she transforms into an oni. The unfolding of the anime is Tanjirō trying everything to make his sister return to being human.
In the anime, the crow serves as a messenger for the oni hunters, including Tanjirō himself. Each member who passes the tests receives a crow to accompany them and inform them of the instructions they receive from the master.
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