Copper Brass Silver Shakudō Gold
2008
Date&Material
The dignity of the small fly
Rhomborrhina japonica - commonly called “Kanabun (= 金蚊) “ in Japan, is a insect classified in the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Cetoniinae, is a kind of scarab beetles (e.g., Flower chafer), is comparatively larger than the others in the group. There are many relatives of it, also called “Kanabun”, that is generally describing the family Scarabaeidae, particularly that are of glossy colored, therefore, Anomala albopilosa a green middle-sized scarab beetle is called “Kanabun-bun” occasionally, yet thus need to be careful in taxonomical correctness.
It is said, the common name Kanabun (= 金蚊) is from its metallic glossiness interpreted into the Chinese character 金 (= Kana) means gold, and the sound of its frying expressed “Boon” interpreted into 蚊 (= Bun) means a bug.
Some said, there are different names for it, e.g., “Bui-Bui” among Kansai to Shikoku districts (west of Japan), and “Chu-chu kappa” or “Gama” in Wakayama prefecture.
The flight is distinctive that dose not need to open the forewings to stretch out the hindwings as the other insects do, because it can make the gaps on its sides, though the forewings are closed, therefore it flaps only hindwings to fly, yet forewings are kept closed. Moreover, it can fly without any footholds, is acknowledged as a highly developed ability.
A memory from my childhood, a scarab beetle I threw into the air opened the wings and flew up to the sky. Afterwards I grew into an adolescent, I did it to the rhino beetles and stag beetles, but they fell onto the ground. I wondered that, but the reason was simply they can not open the wings in the air.
The larva seems like a small sized larva of rhino beetle, that does not use the legs on the ground, but turn itself upside down to use its back instead, moves in wavy motion.
When I was a child, I assessed scarab beetle as a small fly, and was not realy worth collecting. The green one was called simply “Kanabun” or “Blue Kanabun” or “Green Kanabun”, categorised into the middle rank, was noticed only in the situation that there were no rhino beetles or stag beetles found. The black one was called “Black Kanabun”, categorised as the highest rank in scarab beetles, promoted the captor to the hero, yet thus was only applied in the situation mentioned above. In terms of the brown one, was called “Shit Kanabun” or “Shit Kana”, categorised into the lowest rank, was almost ignored if there are some popular beetles, or, was just threw away as a disposable thing.
This work was made of various metals: copper, brass, silver, gold, Shakudô (a billon of gold and copper), was to depict the color variation of scarab beetles, designed to have movable body, legs, and wings capture the distinctive hindwings.
Paradoxically, I am aiming to make 1000 pieces of this, to fulfill my room with the species previously I regarded as small flies, but the number I have made is only 15, is very far to the goal. Through such aim and reproduction, the joint parts have been upgraded to the 3rd version.