Haikus and seasons

Haikus are now known worldwide. While their structure is becoming widely understood, and probably no longer needs an introduction, I wanted to highlight a few specific features this short Japanese poem format has.

Haikus are notably concise, composed of exactly 17 syllables arranged in a 5-7-5 pattern. This ternary rhythm is essential to their form. In terms of language and themes, haikus also rely on two key elements: the kireji, or cutting word, which introduces a pause. I actually always thought rhythm and silence belonged solely to music, but in haikus, they also create space for reflection, inviting readers to pause and observe a moment. Additionally, the kigo, or seasonal word, is needed. This element anchors the poem in nature and time, capturing the essence of a fleeting moment, almost like a picture in words.

It is especially this last element that intrigued me the most. It turns out that, after some quick research, this element is much more codified than expected. For example, a true haijin (haiku poet) would not use just the word snow as a kigo representing winter. Specific words have to be used, depending on the season. And this is were it gets more subtle.

There are traditionnally 24 seasons (also called solar terms, or sekki) in Japan. Each of them can be further divided into 3 moments of season (kō). They are summarized in the table below, and are originally sourced from this Wikipedia article dedicated to the japanese calendar.

In particular, if we take it as a reference, the current sekki and kō (on the day you read this) are the following:

Sekki: Taisetsu / Heavy Snow (21)

Kō: Kuma ana ni komoru / Bears hide away in their dens to hibernate (62)

One can also see that spring, summer, fall, and winter don’t begin on the equinoxes or solstices; instead, these points fall in the middle of each season.

Season (sekki)	Number	Traditional Dates	Moments of season (kō)	English Meaning
Risshun Beginning of Spring	1	Feb. 4 - 8	Harukaze kōri o toku	The east wind melts the thick ice
	2	Feb. 9 - 13	Kōō kenkan su	Bush warblers sing in the countryside
	3	Feb. 14 - 18	Uo kōri o izuru	Ice cracks, allowing fish to emerge
Usui Rain Water	4	Feb. 19 - 23	Tsuchi no shō uruoi okoru	Rain falls, moistening the soil
	5	Feb. 24 - 28	Kasumi hajimete tanabiku	Mist lies over the land
	6	Mar. 1 - 5	Sōmoku mebae izuru	Trees and plants put forth buds
Keichitsu Awakening of Insects	7	Mar. 6 - 10	Sugomori mushito o hiraku	Hibernating insects emerge
	8	Mar. 11 - 15	Momo hajimete saku	Peach trees begin to bloom
	9	Mar. 16 - 20	Namushi chō to naru	Cabbage whites emerge from their cocoons
Shunbun Spring Equinox	10	Mar. 21 - 25	Suzume hajimete sukū	Sparrows begin building their nests
	11	Mar. 26 - 30	Sakura hajimete saku	Cherry blossoms begin to bloom
	12	Mar. 31 - Apr. 4	Kaminari sunawachi koe o hassu	Thunder rumbles far away
Seimei Clear and Bright	13	Apr. 5 - 9	Tsubame kitaru	Swallows return from the south
	14	Apr. 10 - 14	Kōgan kaeru	Wild geese fly north
	15	Apr. 15 - 19	Niji hajimete arawaru	Rainbows begin to appear
Kokuu Grain Rains	16	Apr. 20 - 24	Ashi hajimete shōzu	Reeds begin to sprout
	17	Apr. 25 - 29	Shimo yamite nae izuru	Rice seedlings grow
	18	Apr. 30 - May 4	Botan hana saku	Peonies bloom
Rikka Beginning of Summer	19	May 5 - 9	Kawazu hajimete naku	Frogs begin croaking
	20	May 10 - 14	Mimizu izuru	Worms wriggle to the surface
	21	May 15 - 20	Takenoko shōzu	Bamboo shoots sprout
Shōman Grain Fills	22	May 21 - 25	Kaiko okite kuwa o hamu	Silkworms feast on mulberry leaves
	23	May 26 - 30	Benibana sakau	Safflowers bloom in abundance
	24	May 31 - June 5	Mugi no toki itaru	Barley ripens, ready to be harvested
Bōshu Grain Beards and Seeds	25	June 6 - 10	Kamakiri shōzu	Praying mantises hatch and come forth
	26	June 11 - 15	Kusaretaru kusa hotaru to naru	Fireflies fly out from moist grass
	27	June 16 - 20	Ume no mi kibamu	Plums ripen, turning yellow
Geshi Summer Solstice	28	June 21 - 26	Natsukarekusa karuru	Prunella flowers wither
	29	June 27 - July 1	Ayame hana saku	Irises bloom
	30	July 2 - 6	Hange shōzu	Crowdipper sprouts
Shōsho Lesser Heat	31	July 7 - 11	Atsukaze itaru	Warm winds blow
	32	July 12 - 16	Hasu hajimete hiraku	Lotuses begin to bloom
	33	July 17 - 22	Taka sunawachi waza o narau	Young hawks learn to fly
Taisho Greater Heat	34	July 23 - 28	Kiri hajimete hana o musubu	Paulownia trees begin to produce seeds
	35	July 29 - Aug. 2	Tsuchi uruōte mushi atsushi	The ground is damp, the air hot and humid
	36	Aug. 3 - 7	Taiu tokidoki furu	Heavy rains fall
Risshū Beginning of Autumn	37	Aug. 8 - 12	Suzukaze itaru	Cool winds blow
	38	Aug. 13 - 17	Higurashi naku	Evening cicadas begin to sing
	39	Aug. 18 - 22	Fukaki kiri matō	Thick fog blankets the land
Shosho End of Heat	40	Aug. 23 - 27	Wata no hana shibe hiraku	Cotton bolls open
	41	Aug. 28 - Sept. 1	Tenchi hajimete samushi	The heat finally relents
	42	Sept. 2 - 7	Kokumono sunawachi minoru	Rice ripens
Hakuro White Dew	43	Sept. 8 - 12	Kusa no tsuyu shiroshi	White dew shimmers on the grass
	44	Sept. 13 - 17	Sekirei naku	Wagtails begin to sing
	45	Sept. 18 - 22	Tsubame saru	Swallows return to the south
Shūbun Autumnal Equinox	46	Sept. 23 - 27	Kaminari sunawachi koe o osamu	Thunder comes to an end
	47	Sept. 28 - Oct. 2	Mushi kakurete to o fusagu	Insects close up their burrows
	48	Oct. 3 - 7	Mizu hajimete karuru	Fields are drained of water
Kanro Cold Dew	49	Oct. 8 - 12	Kōgan kitaru	Wild geese begin to fly back
	50	Oct. 13 - 17	Kiku no hana hiraku	Chrysanthemums bloom
	51	Oct. 18 - 22	Kirigirisu to ni ari	Crickets chirp by the door
Sōkō First Frost	52	Oct. 23 - 27	Shimo hajimete furu	Frost begins to form
	53	Oct. 28 - Nov. 1	Kosame tokidoki furu	Drizzling rain falls gently
	54	Nov. 2 - 6	Momiji tsuta kibamu	Maple leaves and ivy turn yellow
Rittō Beginning of Winter	55	Nov. 7 - 11	Tsubaki hajimete hiraku	Sasanqua camellias begin to bloom
	56	Nov. 12 - 16	Chi hajimete kōru	The land begins to freeze
	57	Nov. 17 - 21	Kinsenka saku	Daffodils bloom
Shōsetsu Light Snow	58	Nov. 22 - 26	Niji kakurete miezu	Rainbows disappear
	59	Nov. 27 - Dec. 1	Kitakaze konoha o harau	The north wind blows leaves off the trees
	60	Dec. 2 - 6	Tachibana hajimete kibamu	Tachibana citrus trees begin to turn yellow
Taisetsu Heavy Snow	61	Dec. 7 - 11	Sora samuku fuyu to naru	The skies stay cold as winter arrives
	62	Dec. 12 - 16	Kuma ana ni komoru	Bears hide away in their dens to hibernate
	63	Dec. 17 - 21	Sake no uo muragaru	Salmon swim upstream en masse
Tōji Winter Solstice	64	Dec. 22 - 26	Natsukarekusa shōzu	Prunella sprouts
	65	Dec. 27 - 31	Sawashika no tsuno otsuru	Deer shed their antlers
	66	Jan. 1 - 4	Yuki watarite mugi nobiru	Barley sprouts under the snow
Shōkan Lesser Cold	67	Jan. 5 - 9	Seri sunawachi sakau	Parsley thrives
	68	Jan. 10 - 14	Shimizu atataka o fukumu	Springs once frozen flow once more
	69	Jan. 15 - 19	Kiji hajimete naku	Cock pheasants begin to call
Daikan Greater Cold	70	Jan. 20 - 24	Fuki no hana saku	Butterburs put forth buds
	71	Jan. 25 - 29	Sawamizu kōri tsumeru	Mountain streams gain a cover of thick ice
	72	Jan. 30 - Feb. 3	Niwatori hajimete toya ni tsuku	Hens begin to lay eggs

There's a lot more that could be said about haiku, but I'll leave that to collections like Haikus de printemps et d'été (ISBN: 2072929164) or Haikus d'automne et d'hiver (ISBN: 2073053432).

Fun fact: The term haiku was introduced around 1900, though the form itself dates back to the 8th century. Originally part of longer compositions, these short poems evolved from waka, an early term for Japanese poetry, to haikai in the medieval period, before becoming the standalone form we recognize as haiku today. So naming a pre-1900 work as a haiku is in fact an anachronism.