Microseason Forecast for Nov 2-7 ~ Notes from the Japanese Almanac

over 2 years ago

Today begins a new microseason! If this is your first time joining us, scroll down past the forecast to read about what exactly a microseason is. For the rest of you, let’s jump in!

The Current Microseason: Maples and Ivy Change to Yellow

Yesterday, 2 Nov, began 楓蔦黄, the 54th microseason (候, kō) which is read momiji tsuta kibamu and means Maples and Ivy Change to Yellow. This is the third and last microseason of Sōkō, which is itself the sixth and last solar term of autumn. Winter (at least according to this system) is only a week away!

The almanac tells us that the colored leaves are starting to move down the country from north to south, sharing their beauty with us. In Japan there are many colors, as in other countries, but the two main and most popular ones are yellow and red, given to us by the ginkgo which turns a brilliant golden yellow, and the Japanese maple, which turns a fiery red.

^{”Autumn Colors” by Sano Takao}

Seasonal Fish

Marlin are said to be especially good during this microseason. These fish are called flag fish in Japanese (kajiki) due to its large fin which resembles a flag. It has a strong flavor and can be eaten cooked or as sashimi.

Here is a haiku for this microseason:

秋深き隣は何をする人ぞ
aki fukaki tonari wa nani wo suru hito zo

autumn deepening—
my neighbor
what does he do
—Bashō

Towards the end of his life, Bashō turned away from attempting to elevate the haiku form to something new and returned to what is called his “low style” and an examination of the lives of common people.

He was only a few weeks from death as he wrote this. He was visiting a disciple’s house in Osaka, having intended to attend a poetry gathering (he ended up being too sick to attend and sent this poem). At the house, he was separated from his neighbor by only a very thin wall so he could hear everything his neighbor did. He must have been curious about some of the things he was hearing.

The kigo here is aki fukaki, autumn deepens. It is a kigo for late autumn.

^{”Red Maples of Mama at Tekona Shrine” by Hiroshige}

Will move this info to another post soon, but for now, briefly:

each month has two seasons, giving us 24 seasons, which are called solar terms. This gives the system its name, the 24 Sekki (二十四節気). I usually refer to this entire system as The Japanese Almanac. It is more than a little similar to the American Farmer’s Almanac.
each of these 24 seasons is further divided three more times, giving us a grand total of 72 seasons. There aren’t many English translations for these 72 seasons, but the few that exist seem to have settled on calling them microseasons, so I will use that here as well.
each microseason is about 5 days. With time periods so short, they can get pretty specific about what in nature we might expect to be happening around now.
The system was originally from China, but it was reformatted during the Edo era (1603–1868) to fit better with Japan’s climate. I find it also fits fairly well with much of the Eastern half of the US. But if you live in a different area, your milage may vary.
The entire system is based on the equinoxes and solstices, so it is fluid and the exact dates will vary from year to year. Luckily there are a great many Japanese sources that do the astrological computations for us and tell us exactly when each one starts and ends every year.

The next microseason start on Nov 8nd. See you then for the next forecast!

❦

	David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku.