ON the day immediately following the Festival of the Dead, by the old
Japanese calendar[28] (which is incomparably more exact than our
Western calendar in regard to nature-changes and manifestations),
begins to sing the _tsuku-tsuku-boshi_. This creature may be said
to sing like a bird. It is also called _kutsu-kutsu-boshi_,
_choko-choko-uisu_, _tsuku-tsuku-hoshi_, _tsuku-tsuku-oishi_,--all
onomatopoetic appellations. The sounds of its song have been imitated
in different ways by various writers. In Izumo the common version is,--
Tsuku-tsuku-uisu,
Tsuku-tsuku-uisu,
Tsuku-tsuku-uisu:--
Ui-osu
Ui-osu
Ui-osu
Ui-os-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-su.
[28] That is to say, upon the 16th day of the 7th month.