A letter from Tokyo related that the Iseniyama Temple on Lake Biwa, near Kyoto, sent His Imperial Majesty Emperor Yoshihito (122nd ruler of Japan, who was forced into retirement in 1921 owing to a mental affliction) no less than 10,000 fireflies.
To the Japanese, fireflies are the souls of departed lovers lighting the paths of living swains. Whereas in Occidental climes a robust suitor will kiss a flower and toss it to his sweetheart with truculent self-possession, a Japanese lover reverently presents a firefly encased in a small wicker basket.
Emperor Yoshihito...
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