Over the last few weeks the last of the crops have been harvested and the fields have been patterned with regiments of hay bales now gathered in for autumn. The blackberries have ripened and the evening air has cooled. All these little changes are noticeable on my daily evening walk. Each day subtle changes, each evening the sun sets just a minute or so earlier. And so, summer slowly begins to change in autumn.
We only have four seasonal words - spring, summer, autumn, winter - to describe so many changes.
In 1685, the Chinese 24-season calendar was rewritten by the Japanese astronomer Shibukawa Shunkai and it became 72 micro seasons. Each micro-season is a recognition and awareness of the subtle and continuous changes of nature. This seasonal calendar is a hymn to the beauty of nature.
立春 Risshun (Beginning of spring)
February 4–8 東風解凍 Harukaze kōri o toku East wind melts the ice
February 9–13 黄鶯睍睆 Kōō kenkan su Bush warblers start singing in the mountains
February 14–18 魚上氷 Uo kōri o izuru Fish emerge from the ice
雨水 Usui (Rainwater)
February 19–23 土脉潤起 Tsuchi no shō uruoi okoru Rain moistens the soil
February 24–28 霞始靆 Kasumi hajimete tanabiku Mist starts to linger
March 1–5 草木萌動 Sōmoku mebae izuru Grass sprouts, trees bud
啓蟄 Keichitsu (Insects awaken)
March 6–10 蟄虫啓戸 Sugomori mushito o hiraku Hibernating insects surface
March 11–15 桃始笑 Momo hajimete saku First peach blossoms
March 16–20 菜虫化蝶 Namushi chō to naru Caterpillars become butterflies
春分 Shunbun (Spring equinox)
March 21–25 雀始巣 Suzume hajimete sukū Sparrows start to nest
March 26–30 櫻始開 Sakura hajimete saku First cherry blossoms
March 31–April 4 雷乃発声 Kaminari sunawachi koe o hassu Distant thunder
清明 Seimei (Pure and clear)
April 5–9 玄鳥至 Tsubame kitaru Swallows return
April 10–14 鴻雁北 Kōgan kaeru Wild geese fly north
April 15–19 虹始見 Niji hajimete arawaru First rainbows
穀雨 Kokuu (Grain rains)
April 20–24 葭始生 Ashi hajimete shōzu First reeds sprout
April 25–29 霜止出苗 Shimo yamite nae izuru Last frost, rice seedlings grow
April 30–May 4 牡丹華 Botan hana saku Peonies bloom
立夏 Rikka (Beginning of summer)
May 5–9 蛙始鳴 Kawazu hajimete naku Frogs start singing
May 10–14 蚯蚓出 Mimizu izuru Worms surface
May 15–20 竹笋生 Takenoko shōzu Bamboo shoots sprout
小満 Shōman (Lesser ripening)
May 21–25 蚕起食桑 Kaiko okite kuwa o hamu Silkworms start feasting on mulberry leaves
May 26–30 紅花栄 Benibana sakau Safflowers bloom
May 31–June 5 麦秋至 Mugi no toki itaru Wheat ripens and is harvested
芒種 Bōshu (Grain beards and seeds)
June 6–10 蟷螂生 Kamakiri shōzu Praying mantises hatch
June 11–15 腐草為螢 Kusaretaru kusa hotaru to naru Rotten grass becomes fireflies
June 16–20 梅子黄 Ume no mi kibamu Plums turn yellow
夏至 Geshi (Summer solstice)
June 21–26 乃東枯 Natsukarekusa karuru Self-heal withers
June 27–July 1 菖蒲華 Ayame hana saku Irises bloom
July 2–6 半夏生 Hange shōzu Crow-dipper sprouts
小暑 Shōsho (Lesser heat)
July 7–11 温風至 Atsukaze itaru Warm winds blow
July 12–16 蓮始開 Hasu hajimete hiraku First lotus blossoms
July 17–22 鷹乃学習 Taka sunawachi waza o narau Hawks learn to fly
大暑 Taisho (Greater heat)
July 23–28 桐始結花 Kiri hajimete hana o musubu Paulownia trees produce seeds
July 29–August 2 土潤溽暑 Tsuchi uruōte mushi atsushi Earth is damp, air is humid
August 3–7 大雨時行 Taiu tokidoki furu Great rains sometimes fall
立秋 Risshū (Beginning of autumn)
August 8–12 涼風至 Suzukaze itaru Cool winds blow
August 13–17 寒蝉鳴 Higurashi naku Evening cicadas sing
August 18–22 蒙霧升降 Fukaki kiri matō Thick fog descends
処暑 Shosho (Manageable heat)
August 23–27 綿柎開 Wata no hana shibe hiraku Cotton flowers bloom
August 28–September 1 天地始粛 Tenchi hajimete samushi Heat starts to die down
September 2–7 禾乃登 Kokumono sunawachi minoru Rice ripens
白露 Hakuro (White dew)
September 8–12 草露白 Kusa no tsuyu shiroshi Dew glistens white on grass
September 13–17 鶺鴒鳴 Sekirei naku Wagtails sing
September 18–22 玄鳥去 Tsubame saru Swallows leave
秋分 Shūbun (Autumn equinox)
September 23–27 雷乃収声 Kaminari sunawachi koe o osamu Thunder ceases
September 28–October 2 蟄虫坏戸 Mushi kakurete to o fusagu Insects hole up underground
October 3–7 水始涸 Mizu hajimete karuru Farmers drain fields
寒露 Kanro (Cold dew)
October 8–12 鴻雁来 Kōgan kitaru Wild geese return
October 13–17 菊花開 Kiku no hana hiraku Chrysanthemums bloom
October 18–22 蟋蟀在戸 Kirigirisu to ni ari Crickets chirp around the door
霜降 Sōkō (Frost falls)
October 23–27 霜始降 Shimo hajimete furu First frost
October 28–November 1 霎時施 Kosame tokidoki furu Light rains sometimes fall
November 2–6 楓蔦黄 Momiji tsuta kibamu Maple leaves and ivy turn yellow
立冬 Rittō (Beginning of winter)
November 7–11 山茶始開 Tsubaki hajimete hiraku Camellias bloom
November 12–16 地始凍 Chi hajimete kōru Land starts to freeze
November 17–21 金盞香 Kinsenka saku Daffodils bloom
小雪 Shōsetsu (Lesser snow)
November 22–26 虹蔵不見 Niji kakurete miezu Rainbows hide
November 27–December 1 朔風払葉 Kitakaze konoha o harau North wind blows the leaves from the trees
December 2–6 橘始黄 Tachibana hajimete kibamu Tachibana citrus tree leaves start to turn yellow
大雪 Taisetsu (Greater snow)
December 7–11 閉塞成冬 Sora samuku fuyu to naru Cold sets in, winter begins
December 12–16 熊蟄穴 Kuma ana ni komoru Bears start hibernating in their dens
December 17–21 鱖魚群 Sake no uo muragaru Salmon gather and swim upstream
冬至 Tōji (Winter solstice)
December 22–26 乃東生 Natsukarekusa shōzu Self-heal sprouts
December 27–31 麋角解 Sawashika no tsuno otsuru Deer shed antlers
January 1–4 雪下出麦 Yuki watarite mugi nobiru Wheat sprouts under snow
小寒 Shōkan (Lesser cold)
January 5–9 芹乃栄 Seri sunawachi sakau Parsley flourishes
January 10–14 水泉動 Shimizu atataka o fukumu Springs thaw
January 15–19 雉始雊 Kiji hajimete naku Pheasants start to call
大寒 Daikan (Greater cold)
January 20–24 款冬華 Fuki no hana saku Butterburs bud
January 25–29 水沢腹堅 Sawamizu kōri tsumeru Ice thickens on streams
January 30–February 3 鶏始乳 Niwatori hajimete toya ni tsuku Hens start laying eggs
In her book East Wind Melts the Ice, Liza Dalby writes a memoir of her time living in Japan through the 72 Japanese seasons. Writer Ruth Ozeki described it as a chronicle of the beauty of time passing and an evocation of the transient and whimsical nature of all things.
If you would like another way to engage in the micro-seasons there is an app called 72-Seasons. This app brings you photographs, illustrations, haiku poems and words based on the poetic names of the seasons, each of which depicts a subtle change in the natural world throughout the year. It is beautifully designed.
We could write our own seasonal calendar for our climate- ‘ripening blackberries’, ‘dewy mornings’ or ‘spiders indoors’ come to mind at the moment.
In fact, Lev Parikian has done just that with his book, Light Rains Sometimes Fall: A British Year in Japan's 72 Seasons. In seventy-two short chapters he charts the changes that each of these microseason brings to his garden, streets, park and wild cemetery. Instead of Japan's lotus blossom, praying mantis and bear, he watches bramble, woodlouse and urban fox; hawthorn, dragonfly and peregrine. But the seasonal rhythms and attention to nature’s subtle changes remain.
Japan’s 72 seasons has also inspired artists and designers.
Designer Lisa Furze has produced a series of beautiful images and posters for each of the 72 seasons of the ancient Japanese calendar. The designs aimed to balance modern aesthetics with inspiration from traditional Japanese artforms, such as sumi-e (black ink) drawings.
A micro-season journal
Why not experiment with this yourself. You could write a micro-season journal of your own, with images, haiku, whatever you find creative and engaging. This way you can really tune in to the subtle and gentle changes of nature around you.