EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Owls of Happiness

Fukuro Owl Figurines
Kyoto, Honshu, Japan

Explanation:  Who are these 7 adorable owl figures?  Where are we?

Aha, we are in the Kyoto Handicraft Center, located in the Arashiyama District of the city of Kyoto, on the island of Honshu, in Japan.  

And ... Japan, or more appropriately, the Japanese culture, reveres owls!  Here, owls are symbols of good fortune, happiness, and luck.  No matter where I traveled on Honshu, I encountered endless examples of owls in crafts and art, with major positive cultural significance.  How different this was, compared to how owls are viewed by so many other native cultures throughout much of the world that consider them a harbingers of ill health, bad fortune, evil spirits, and death.  

The Japanese name for owl is fukuro.  This name breaks down as:  fu = happiness, ku = to come (and "ro" is a grammatical connector word).  So an owl represents ... happiness to come!  

As written and explained by our local tour guide.

Also in the Kyoto Handicraft Center were these gold-placed owl earrings, garnering a hefty price of 21,780 Japanese yen, equivalent to about US$144.  

Here were two "Love Owls" Shigaraki Ware, a type of Japanese stoneware..

You will find owl images and figurines in all kinds of
unexpected places in Japan.
Here, one adorns a shelf in a restaurant -- and I saw
many other owl figures in many restaurants there.
    

So for this researcher of owl ecology and mythology, I was so heartened to enjoy these wonderful, positive cultural views of a life form too-often vilified.  

And ... did you notice that there are SEVEN owls?  Seven is a very auspicious number in Japanese culture, signifying good luck!  

Happiness to come, indeed!

Bonus info:  
In this week's main photo of the "7 lucky owls," did you notice what each owl is holding?  Each owl is stylized and is holding something to represent some aspect of everyday life of importance.  
       The owl in the middle is holding a sign that translates to "Traffic Safety."  
       The sign on the very left translates to "Seven Fortunes Fukuro" (or "Seven Lucky Owls").  And see the text above for the meaning of "fukuro."