The Pleiades is recognized in almost all ancient cultures with a feminine name, the Seven Sisters in European cultures, the Seven Virgins in Aborigine culture, etc. It is interesting to note there are currently only six stars visible to the naked eye. The Pleiades (Suburu in Japanese) are all young hot stars that were born out of the gas and dust of a nebula, the stars have blown away the remnants of their birth leaving only some background materials to reflect their light.
The cluster contains up to 100 stars including some exotics (white dwarfs and brown dwarfs).