It is one of the favorite motifs of Japanese poetry, featured in many poems including those in "Man'yōshū" or "Kokin Wakashū". In haiku and renga, "uguisu" is one of the kigo which signify the early spring. In poetry the bird is associated with the ume blossom, and appears with ume on hanafuda playing cards. There is also a popular Japanese sweet named "Uguisu-boru" (Uguisu Balls) which consists of brown and white balls meant to resemble ume flower buds. However, the distinctive song is not usually heard until later in spring, well after the ume blossoms have faded. In haiku the bird with this song is known as "sasako", and the song is called "sasanaki".