… RAINBOW RAINBOW RAINBOW RAINBOW RAINBOW …
○Science and Nature
What is rainbow?
・Definition(by Oxford)
1. A bow or arch exhibiting the prismatic colours, in their order,
formed in the sky opposite the sun by the reflection, double refraction,
and dispersion of the sun's rays in falling drops of rain. Also, a
similar arch formed in the spray of cataracts, etc.
2.A brightly coloured arch, ring, etc., resembling a rainbow.
3.Short for rainbow trout.
・Reflection / refraction / interference
・primary rainbow / secondary rainbow / double rainbow , , , , , ,
What color does rainbow show?
・2 to 6, 7
・Newton → 7 ← lucky (or sacred) number
・Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, (Indigo), Violet
・White rainbow (mist, Moonbow), black rainbow (imagination)
How does rainbow appear?
・Arch shape(bridge), horizontal, vertical, short, long
Where does rainbow appear?
・east(evening) west(morning) low (below 42deg. on the flat
ground.)
・sky(from ground), mist, mountain fog, high cloud(from air plane),
water fall, fountain, etc.
How often can you see rainbow?
・Summer (a haiku keyword of summer)
・Weather statistics
○ Language（word, origin）
・English rainbow (bow after rain)
・French arc en ciel (arch in sky)
・Spanish arco iris ("iris"; name of Greece goddess)
・Italian arcobaleno (baleno ; flash/lightning)
○ Myth and Legend
What is rainbow regarded as?
・Arch (bridge or road for Gods between the Heaven and the Earth. North European myth(Befrost), Japan's Genesis(Ameno-ukihashi))
・Dragon (a metamorphosis of very old snake or a member of dragon
family)
・Goddess/God (Iris(Messenger goddess;Greek), Manzato(Goddess of rainbow ;Sumer) / Heimdal(Guard god of Befrost ;North Europe))
・Blood smoke etc.
・「虹」 → 虫（not worm, but snake→dragon） ＋ 工(earth / bridge /heaven)
Is rainbow lucky or unlucky?
・Rainbow → beautiful(colorfull), disappear instantly, never
reach(catch),etc.
・lucky The Old Testament(the Flood), most of other myth or legend
・unlucky The Poem of So(ancient China), American native legend("do not point"), etc ← sacredness
"Rainbow chaser → a man who chases overnight success dream/impossible)
"Gold under the foot of rainbow"→lucky (conception of sacred
baby,instead of gold)
○ Various rainbow in nature
・Fish Rainbow trout
・Bird Quetzal (Guatemala's national bird, called "Rainbow bird") Rainbow cane(nijikiji)
・Other animals Rainbow boa(Colombia) , Rainbow shell, Rainbow lizard
・Flower/plant German iris(called "Rainbow flower") Rainbow ball
・Stone/gem Opal, Labradolite,
Rainbow stone (oxidized iron ore. Needle type;" Goethite" )
Pliny; Iritis (the Natural History)
Star wars ; rainbow gem (good material to make life saver)
・Iridium #77 element 22.61g/cm3
Melt with very strong acid, shows iridescenT color.
○Literature
・Several hundred of "rainbow" books published since 1950 in Japan. Most of them have no relations with the rainbow in nature.
Novel
・Yasunari Kawabata "The Rainbow" " The Rainbow, Many Times "
・Kyoshi Takahama (haiku poet) " The rainbow "
・D. H. Lawrence " The Rainbow "
・L. M. Montgomery " Rainbow Valley " etc.
・Raipo Edogawa "The Black Rainbow"
・Rainbow lover --- Seiichi Morimura 6 books, Juichiro Yamate 4 books,
Poem
・Daigaku Horiguchi ;called "Poet of Rainbow" 4 books
・Wordsworth "The Rainbow"
・Kenji Miyazawa etc.
Translation of book title
・The Man Who Catches Rainbow（Japanese「Nijiwo tsukamu otoko」,movie）(1947) ←"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
・ The Rainbow Land of Oz(Japanese「Ozuno nijino kuni」) ←"The
(Marvelous) Land of Oz"
○Song/Music ( many in kayokyoku/J-pops ,little in classic)
・"Over the Rainbow" (Judy garland, Y. Hraburg;
lyricist)
・ "She's A Rainbow" ( RollingStones)
・"Sing Voice beyond the Rainbow" ( Hibari Misora)
・"Love Gone with the Rainbow" ( Kosetsu Minami)
・"A Rainbow in My Heart" (Blue Comets)
・" Rainbow" (Yoshimi Tendo, L'arc en ciel)
・" Our Rainbow Town" (Mimi Hiyoshi) ・" Rainbow Lake" (Akiko
Nakamura)
more and more. (Listed more than 20 songs in karaoke book)
○Arts
Paints
・Millet "Spring" Seiki Kuroda " Rainbow"
・Hiroshige "Takanawa-ushimachi"(Edo 100 scene)
・Aio ; called "Rainbow Painter"
House
・Rainbow Window (Gioji, Kyoto. Using the principle of
interference.)
"Rainbow room" (Sanzen-in, Kyoto, with Kanzan's painting of rainbow)
"rainbow beam" (arch shaped wood beam to support the roof or upper floor)
Craft art
・" Rainbow Temmoku" ( tea cup, one of Oomeibutsu, made in China)
"rainbow" ( one of Meibutsu, by Nonko)
"Luster glaze" (" ko-sai",iridescent color, Persia )
○Other Rainbow
Body
・iris / variegation
Stamps
・75 years anniversary of migration to Hawaii (Japan) Letters
day (Japan)
200 anniversary of Newton's birth (UK) etc.
Name
（Place） Nijinosato（Shizuoka） Nijigaoka（Nagoya,Kanagawa） Nijibetsu
（Hokkaido） Nijigahama（Kanagawa） Nijigai（Aomori） Nijinomatsubara
（Saga. Japan's only train station name with Niji）Nijinomachi(（Osaka,
Yamagata）Nijinotaki (rainbow fall) Nijiminotaki (rainbow looking
fall)Nijinomori(rainbow forest)
Rainbow bridge(Tokyo Bay)
Rainbow Bridge National Monument( reservation at S.Utah near Arizona
boundary)
（Man/woman） Nijikawa, Nijiko, Kouji
（Medical science） iris
（others） Rainbow Worriar( name of ship of Green Peace) Irridium
(satellite telephone service) Rainbow House( sometimes used as a name
of assisting group of handicapped people or orphan) Rainbow flag( flag
of emperor / symbol of gay)
○Rainbow in Space
・Sinus Iridum (rainbow-shaped inlet(bay) at the Rain Sea on the Moon;
on the breast of Moon Rabbit)
・Iris (name of #7 asteroid)
・Starbow (rainbow-colored ring of star-light which theoretically can be seen when travelling at near light speed between stars.)