potter wasp; Eumenes mikado
Refers to potter wasps, especially the species Eumenes mikado found in Japan. The name comes from the shape of the nest resembling a tokkuri (sake bottle).
A potter wasp was building a nest out of mud in the garden.
The nest of a potter wasp is shaped like a sake bottle.
Katakana spelling is common for this insect name; usually written in kana.
Hiragana spelling, also used.
Kanji spelling is rare; the word is usually written in kana.
From 徳利 (とっくり, sake bottle) + 蜂 (はち, bee/wasp), referring to the bottle-shaped mud nests built by these wasps.