Phoenix

In Japan, as earlier in China, the mythical Phoenix was adopted as a symbol of the imperial household, particularly the empress. This mythical bird represents fire, the sun, justice, obedience, fidelity, and the southern star constellations. According to legend (mostly from China), the Phoenix appears very rarely, and only to mark the beginning of a new era – the birth of a virtuous ruler, for example. In other traditions, it appears only in peaceful and prosperous times (nesting, it is said, in paulownia trees); and hides itself when there is trouble. As the herald of a new age, the Phoenix descends from heaven to earth to do good deeds, then returns to its celestial abode to await a new era. It is both a symbol of peace (when the bird appears) and a symbol of disharmony (when the bird disappears).