How to Read “Green leaves for the eyes, a mountain cuckoo, and the first bonito”
Me ni wa aoba yama hototogisu hatsu gatsuo
Meaning of “Green leaves for the eyes, a mountain cuckoo, and the first bonito”
This proverb expresses three iconic symbols of early summer in Japan. It captures the season through three senses: the lush green leaves you see, the beautiful song of the mountain cuckoo you hear, and the first bonito of the season you taste.
Together, these three elements paint a complete picture of early summer’s wonderful qualities. Each sense adds another layer to the experience of the season.
People use this proverb when they want to celebrate the arrival of early summer. It expresses a refined sensitivity to seasonal changes that goes beyond simply saying “It’s early summer now.”
Even today, people use “Green leaves for the eyes, a mountain cuckoo, and the first bonito” when enjoying seasonal foods during the beautiful green season. It captures the joy of receiving nature’s gifts with your whole body in elegant words.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb comes from a haiku poem written by Yamaguchi Sodo, an Edo period poet. Sodo was known as a friend of the famous haiku master Matsuo Basho.
His poem beautifully captured the atmosphere of early summer in Edo. It became widely loved and eventually turned into a proverb.
The poem’s structure cleverly combines three different senses. Green leaves represent sight, the mountain cuckoo represents hearing, and the first bonito represents taste.
The first bonito held special meaning in Edo period culture. People of Edo eagerly awaited this seasonal delicacy each year.
There was a saying “first things extend life by seventy-five days.” People believed eating the first catch of the season would help them live longer.
The first bonito sold for extremely high prices. Edo residents, who valued style and sophistication, were said to take pride in eating first bonito even if they had to borrow money.
This poem became more than just a seasonal description. It turned into a proverb because it perfectly expressed how Japanese people experience early summer through all their senses.
One poem has continued to resonate with people across centuries. It lives on as a proverb that still speaks to us today.
Interesting Facts
During the Edo period, the first bonito cost as much as tens of thousands of yen in today’s money. It was an expensive luxury item.
Edo residents were so obsessed with first catches that a saying emerged: “Pawn your wife to buy first bonito.” This shows how far they would go for seasonal foods.
Meanwhile, people in Kamigata (the Kansai region) preferred the fattier returning bonito caught later in the season. They sometimes mocked Edo residents by saying “first bonito is about showing off, not taste.”
The mountain cuckoo has been featured in Japanese poetry since ancient times as a bird that announces early summer. Its call is sometimes described as sounding like “tokkyo kyokakyoku” (patent office).
In reality, it makes a distinctive “kyo-kyo-kyo-kyo” sound. Once you hear it, you’ll never forget this unique call.
Usage Examples
- Kyoto in May truly embodies “Green leaves for the eyes, a mountain cuckoo, and the first bonito” – I think it’s the most beautiful season of the year
- When the season of fresh greenery arrives, the phrase “Green leaves for the eyes, a mountain cuckoo, and the first bonito” naturally comes to mind
Universal Wisdom
This proverb teaches us a fundamental truth about human nature. We are creatures who find joy in the changing seasons.
Why do we feel special emotions when we see green leaves, hear bird songs, and taste seasonal fish? It’s more than just noticing that the weather has gotten warmer.
The answer lies in our nature as beings who can appreciate beauty and freshness, not just survive. Early summer comes every year, yet we greet it each time with fresh wonder and joy.
Our ability to find new discoveries and emotions in these repeating seasons shows the richness of human experience.
“Green leaves for the eyes, a mountain cuckoo, and the first bonito” also shows the importance of experiencing the world through all our senses. We don’t just look with our eyes – we listen with our ears and taste with our tongues.
When we experience a season through multiple layers of sensation, our experience becomes many times richer. Our ancestors knew the value of consciously sharpening all five senses to truly savor each season.
Looking deeper, this proverb teaches us to cherish “this moment, right now.” Early summer lasts only a brief period each year.
The beauty concentrated in that short time deserves our full attention. We shouldn’t let it pass unnoticed.
This attitude of fully receiving each moment is the secret to living a rich life. “Green leaves for the eyes, a mountain cuckoo, and the first bonito” quietly speaks this wisdom to us.
When AI Hears This
The human brain has a special mechanism for integrating different sensory information when it arrives simultaneously. This integration has an important constraint called a “time window.”
For visual and auditory information, this window is about 200 milliseconds. If information doesn’t arrive within 0.2 seconds, the brain processes them as separate events.
What’s remarkable about this poem is how it compresses three different senses into the “early summer” time window of just a few weeks. The leaves become vividly green, the cuckoo begins singing, and the first bonito arrives in Edo on the Kuroshio Current.
These events aren’t coincidental. They’re natural synchronization phenomena created by Earth’s orbit and climate patterns.
Neuroscience research shows that when three or more senses integrate, memory retention increases by about 2.5 times compared to single-sensory experiences.
Even more interesting is how this poem includes the element of scarcity through “first things.” The brain’s reward system releases three to five times more dopamine for stimuli experienced only once per year.
This means the poem is an extremely efficient memory device. It simultaneously activates two neuroscientific memory enhancement mechanisms: multi-sensory integration and scarcity, using nature’s own timing.
Lessons for Today
“Green leaves for the eyes, a mountain cuckoo, and the first bonito” teaches us to notice small seasonal changes in our daily lives. This sensitivity matters now more than ever.
In our busy lives, we often get caught up in immediate tasks. We can easily overlook the changing seasons altogether.
But try stopping for a moment and looking around. Notice how the green of trees grows deeper each day. Listen to how the birds’ songs change. See how the foods at the store shift with the seasons.
Simply noticing these small changes will definitely enrich your day.
Modern society makes seasonal awareness harder. Air conditioning keeps temperatures constant. Supermarkets stock similar foods year-round. The sense of seasons has faded.
That’s exactly why we need to consciously try to feel the seasons. Eat foods in season. Display seasonal flowers. Open your window and feel the outside air.
These small actions add color to your life.
Experiencing seasons through all five senses means living in the present moment. Not regretting the past or worrying about the future, but fully feeling the beauty that exists right here, right now.
That’s the secret to living with a rich heart.
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