Chrysochroa fulgidissima, "jewel beetle" or Yamato tamamushi in Japanese (ヤマトタマムシ) is a metallic woodboring beetle of the family Buprestidae.
Characteristics
This beetle is native to Japan and Korea. It is typically found in woods or forests during summer under the strong sunshine and can grow between in length.ふしぎがわかる しぜん図鑑 こんちゅう, page 56. Froebel-Kan CO., LTD., 1999
The Tamamushi Shrine, an Asuka Period miniature shrine located at Hōryū-ji Temple, Nara prefecture, was decorated with lacquer and oil painting on wood, gilt bronze plaques, and with beetlewing work using the iridescent wings of the Chrysochroa fulgidissima beetle.Rowthorn, C.:Japan, page 370. Lonely Planet, 2005
Tamamushi-iro Since this insect has iridescent wings that glow lengthwise with different colors depending upon the light angle, one cannot be sure exactly which color it is. Therefore, it gave rise to the expression tamamushi-iro (tamamushi color), in reference to a convoluted statement that can be interpreted in more ways than one.
The term tamamushi-iro is used in the context of Japanese officialdom, when politicians or bureaucrats use language that is ambiguous.Japanese business language By Mitsubishi Corporation
See also Beetlewing
Notes
References