O księżniczce kochającej owady (Mushi mezuru himegimi)

The tale About the Princess Who Loved Bugs (Mushi mezuru himegimi) is one of the most known out of ten stories that constitute the collection Tsutsumi chūnagon monogatari (Tales of the Tsutsumi Counselor). The collection was most likely compiled by the end of the 12th century by an unknown author. The story, written in the language of the court, is about a princess who indulged in collecting insects, which also revealed her scientific affinities. It can be concluded from the story that the princess’ predilection towards insects, not only those that were beautiful, was something uncommon in her time (the turning point between the Heian and Kamakura periods).