I recently discovered the traditional Japanese calendar, and my heart was immediately aflutter. Rather than lumping every day into one of four seasons, which, lets face it, are rarely accurate these days, the Japanese calendar is split into 72 different sections. Each of these sections sits within one of 24 divisions, which are all given descriptively beautiful names. The 72 sections (or kō) last for only around five days each, yet perfectly describe what is happening as life blooms and ebbs. I would love to spend an entire year documenting my life according to the calendar. Heck, I may dedicate 2016 to seeking lingering mist and singing wagtails!
Japan’s 72 Poetic Micro-Seasons — Wherever
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In agricultural days, staying in-tune with the seasons was important. When should we plant seeds? When should we harvest? When will the rains come? Are they late this year? Knowing what was happening with nature was the difference between a plentiful harvest and a barren crop.
Prior to the Gregorian calendar, farmers in China and Japan broke each year down into 24 sekki or “small seasons.” These seasons didn’t use dates to mark seasons, but instead, they divided up the year by natural phenomena: