

In Episode 2 of Flying Witch, this rather strange looking fellow appears and
terrorizes poor Chinatsu at the door.

[![harbinger of
spring](https://i.stack.imgur.com/z0T3Lm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/z0T3Lm.jpg)

Makoto explains that he's the Harbinger of Spring, some kind of nature spirit
who ushers out the winter and ushers in the spring, like a fairy.

[![he's the harbinger of
spring](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SYTg3m.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SYTg3m.jpg)
[![he bids farewell to
winter](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xsw0Wm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xsw0Wm.jpg)
[![and brings about
spring](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kdgS3m.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kdgS3m.jpg)]
[![he's like a
fairy](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wcO16m.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wcO16m.jpg)

> He's the Harbinger of Spring. He's a splendid person who bids farewell to
> winter and brings about spring. He's like the fairy of spring.

The series takes place in the modern day and the witches and magic are very
Western in style. However, the Harbinger's clothing looks like traditional
Japanese clothing (almost ninja-like).

[![the harbinger at the
door](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3uE64m.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3uE64m.jpg)
[![the harbinger's
sandals](https://i.stack.imgur.com/FkaYFm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/FkaYFm.jpg)

His mask sort of reminds me of a cross between the kodama from Princess
Mononoke and the style of Jomon pottery:

[![kodama](https://i.stack.imgur.com/245F6m.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/245F6m.jpg)
[![jomon
pottery](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0YQrDm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0YQrDm.jpg)

So, at least within the series, it seems like the Harbinger is supposed to be
a traditional Japanese spirit. Is it based on any similar real-life legend or
is it completely a creation of the series?


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culture flying-witch
Is the Harbinger of Spring based on a real Japanese legend?


In the anime, the Harbinger of Spring is called 春の運び屋 _haru no hakobiya_
(spoken around `07:50`~`07:55` on
[Crunchyroll](http://www.crunchyroll.com/flying-witch/episode-2-a-visitor-for-
the-witch-712217)).

While I don’t remember having heard this name or seen this appearance before,
similar “spirits” exist in Japanese folklore. And animes like this usually
portray one or two, e.g. _Mushishi_ or _Natsume’s Book of Friends_.

I would consider the Harbinger of Spring a force or spirit of nature, and not
necessarily a specific legendary being, even if it may appear as one, like in
this anime.


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I love the sophistication of the question, and it so happens that I was musing
about this too. So, as a non-Japanese speaker, I did the obvious, and entered
the Japanese characters for the Harbinger of Spring into Google search and got
a wikipedia entry ... about the anime. Then used Google translate to get some
sense of the Harbinger character. What I learned: it is definitely a barn owl,
as one respondent suggested. And ... that's it. There does not seem to be an
equivalent in traditional folklore (credit to the how creators, who are being
inventive, albeit in a traditional way). The connection to Jomon and animistic
beliefs is clear, and yes, Natsume comes to mind.


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There is no direct correspondence in Shinto, which doesn't have a god or
harbinger/herald of spring (except for the sakura tree), although in some
stories a rooster is said to have tempted Amaterasu the sun goddess out of her
cave - to end winter.

The mask is a stylized owl, though. In older legends, owls are bringers of
luck/warders against misfortune.

Maybe it is even a reference to Kotankor Kamui / Chi-kap Kamui of Ainu legend?
He was the land god of Ainu lands and was also an owl god (see _Handbook of
Japanese Mythology_ by Michael Ashkenazi). He was supposedly a god of plenty
and in charge of making sure the humans and gods/spirits of the lands obeyed
the rules and lived in peace. One of the better known stories about him has
him ending famine by teaching the Ainu the proper rituals to honour the
spirits/gods when catching & killing fish etc. so the gods would not withold
their bounty.


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