Archaic literary term for the sun, derived from the Chinese legend of a golden crow (or three-legged crow) dwelling in the sun. Not used in modern everyday Japanese; encountered only in classical poetry or historical texts.
In old waka poetry, one finds the expression 'the golden crow inclines to the west' (meaning the sun sets).
sun and moon
From Chinese 金烏 (jīnwū), literally 'golden crow', referring to the mythological three-legged crow that lives in the sun. The term entered Japanese as a literary borrowing.