The Dragonfly Isles

In the summer and autumn of Nippon, the dragonfly can be spotted careening around the riverside, skimming the water's surface and darting between reeds, sometimes being chased by children with nets, at others smacking cyclists unexpectedly in the nose (and sometimes burrowing down the back of their shirts, as happened to Sir S, which I suspect is a damnably awkward thing to happen whilst cycling).

Japan was once known in ancient times as 秋津島 Akitsushima, or the Dragonfly Isles. Dragonflies were associated with happiness, and with victory, and often adorned the helmets of samurai. In fact, just the other week whilst in Tottori for the hanami festival, who should I bump into but a dragonfly-bedecked warrior. These days dragonflies decorate many a pretty thing, from bento boxes to chopsticks, to jewellery and windchimes.

On the cyber-broadsheet I recently perused another meaning of which I'm rather fond, that is in Native American culture, the dragonfly is a symbol of renewal after hard times.