Festive Kanji - Reflections on a Seven Faced Bird

[Roland Domenig]

the "seven faces" of the name seem to refer to the fact that the bare skin
on the throat and the head of a turkey changes color from grey to striking
shades of red, white and blue when the bird becomes distressed or excited.

by the way, mizoguchi kenji made a film with the title SHICHIMENCHO NO YUKUE
(the traces of the turkey) for nikkatsu in 1924.


roland domenig
institute of east asian studies
vienna university


> Not exactly relevant to the field of cinema, but something that I've been
> pondering over for the past few days, since I established that no one in
> Japan will actually be having turkey this Christmas.
> The Japanese for 'turkey' is 'shichimenchou', a composite kanji meaning
> 7-faced bird. Can someone please explain to me why a turkey is known as a
> 7-faced bird in Japan? I assume that turkeys are not indigenous to Japan,
> and so this name must be of fairly recent invention, unless imported from
> the Chinese word.
> Sorry if off topic, but I've no idea where else to turn. Every Japanese
> person I've asked so far says they've never given the matter a second
> thought .
> 
> Merry Christmas,
> 
> Jasper Sharp
> 
> Midnight Eye: The Latest and Best in Japanese Cinema
> www.midnighteye.com
> 
> 
>