We called him Akamaru. He would run after anything that moved, whether a worm or a person, then attack with his mighty beak. He was the only natural enemy I had when I was in elementary school. I used to walk around with a bamboo stick shoved through my belt like a sword, and ward him off with it.

We bought Akamaru at a summer festival bazaar, when he was a chick. The idea was to keep the chick and get an egg per day after it grew up. The bird gained weight quickly, but then we realized it was a rooster. Our eggs-to-eat plan was a dismal failure. But he was a great success as a rooster — a magnificent cockscomb, sharp spurs, a fighting spirit, and a loud "cock-a-doodle-do" more than able to disturb all of the neighbors before dawn.

In Japanese cities, we no longer hear roosters crowing. Years ago, most homes kept chickens as a valuable source of protein, but that was before the mass production of meat from broilers, which were originally imported from the United States. Many people kept chickens because they considered the meat, called kashiwa in Japanese, superior to beef or other animal flesh, and the females provided eggs. Actually, though, the Japanese generally did not eat chicken until the Meiji period, which began in the 1860s. Before then, chickens were kept mainly as pets.

Chickens are not native to Japan. Their ancestor, the Red Jungle Fowl, lived in woodlands from India to Southeast Asia. It was domesticated about 4,000 years ago. It seems that in the early days roosters were kept for their meat, then later for their eagerness to fight and announce the time. Chickens were apparently first brought to Japan from China, although recent genetic research shows that some also came via the Philippines.

We do not know when chickens were first introduced to Japan. The oldest written record, from the early 700s, tells the story of the supreme goddess, Amaterasu Omikami, who hid in a cave and refused to come out. People tried to change her mind by bringing roosters to the cave entrance and making them all crow in unison, to tell her the time. Chicken bones were excavated from shell mounds dating from around 300 B.C., so it is assumed that chickens were introduced to Japan some time before then.

In the early days, roosters were kept as sacred birds that were special because they announced the beginning and end of the day. The idea that they were sacred probably came from China. The roosters crowed loudly and lengthily, making a far more impressive racket than they do today. They crowed three different times every day — before dawn, after the sun rose, and before nightfall. Their timing was quite accurate, giving them an excellent reputation as timekeepers. The longer a rooster crowed, the more it was prized. In Japan, the day was considered to begin when dawn broke and the roosters announced the coming of daylight. For centuries, it was common to have chickens around the house.

They were admired for their appearance, too. Different breeds, each beautiful in its own way, were developed from an early variety brought back from China by envoys sent there on official business in the 9th century. This variety, called shokoku, was originally used in cockfights. Its superior features — especially its voice and tail — were emphasized in subsequent breeds like totenko and koeyoshi, known for their long "cock-a-doodle-do" which lasts about 15 seconds, and the minohiki and ohiki, famous for their magnificent long tail feathers. Another breed, the nagaodori, was developed from a variety whose tail feathers do not molt.

Other breeds introduced from China in the 1700s include the shamo, chabo and ukokkei. These were developed into a number of beautiful varieties and spread throughout Japan. Some varieties have been designated as protected breeds.

In our home, that little tyrant we called Akamaru belonged to the white leghorn breed, which was introduced to Japan after the mid-1800s. One year, just before January 1, he disappeared. Or rather, he became part of our New Year's meal.