In ancient times, karasu, the crows and ravens of Japan, were not maligned as garbage-strewing pests
In ancient times, karasu, the crows and ravens of Japan, were not maligned as garbage-strewing pests, but revered as messengers of the gods and bringers of good fortune. In Japanese mythology, the three-legged Yatagarasu guided legendary first emperor Jinmu, and many Shintō shrines still hold obisha matsuri around the lunar New Year in which parishioners pray to an archery target bearing the image of karasu.The Japanese language lumps five distinct species of corvids together under the term karasu, the most common of these being the hashiboso garasu (”narrow-beaked crow”) and hashibuto garasu (”broad-beaked crow”). The migratory miyama garasu (rook), kokumaru garasu (jackdaw), and watari garasu (northern raven) are less dispersed, but can be spotted in some areas during certain times of the year. The Clever “Karasu”: Wise Old Birds Living Side by Side with Humans -- source link