Week 48: “The North Wind Brushes The Leaves”

November 27 – December 03 is the 48th week of the Gregorian calendar.  During this week, we have the Solar Term of Minor Snow (Nov 23 – Dec 06) and the micro-seasons of “The North Wind Brushes the Leaves” (Nov. 28 – Dec 01) and “The Tachibana First Turns Yellow” (Dec 02 – Dec 06).

The haiku selected for this week were written by Bahso, Issa, Reichhold, Kerouac, and Ross.

---

The 24 Solar Terms

The 24 solar terms were created by farmers in ancient China  (206 BCE and 24 CE) to help guide their agricultural activities. Each solar term is 15 days long and is based on the climate around the city of Xi’an, which was the capital of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE). ⁽¹⁾

This week we remain in the Solar Term of Minor Snow (Nov 23 – Dec 06).  Minor Snow is the 20th Solar Term of the year and indicates the arrival of snow in northern parts of China.

Some activities that are associated with this season include:

• Eating Soup: In traditional Chinese medicine, you can prevent health issues by managing your “inner heat”. This philosophy advocates for consuming hot soups like cabbage and bean curd, spinach and bean curd, or mutton and radish soups as a possible way to balance internal heat, promote overall well-being, and address potential health concerns that come with more time inside.⁽²⁾

• Preserving Pork: During this season, people begin to preserve pork.  If you preserve your pork now, it will be ready just in time for the Chinese Spring Festival.(²⁾

• Pickling Vegetables: If you pickle your vegetables shortly after harvest, you can enjoy them all winter long.⁽²⁾

The 72 Seasons

The 72-season calendar was established in 1685 by Japanese astronomer Shibukawa Shunkai.  Each season lasts for about 5 days and offers “a poetic journey through the Japanese year in which the land awakens and blooms with life and activity before returning to slumber.”⁽⁵⁾

This week we have the microseasons of  “The North Wind Brushes the Leaves” (Nov. 28 – Dec 01) and “The Tachibana First Turns Yellow” (Dec 02 – Dec 06).

About the North Wind

A “North Wind” is a wind that originates in the north and blows in a southerly direction.  For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this means the air is coming from the Arctic and will bring colder temperatures.  For those in the Southern Hemisphere, a north wind can bring warmer temperatures.⁽⁴⁾

About The Tachibana

While it is possible for the term “Tachibana” to refer to any number of citrus fruits, it is likely that the Tachibana referenced here is the Tachibana orange or Citrus tachibana.  

The Tachibana orange is a variety of wild mandarin oranges native to Japan.  Tokyo-based writer Leow Florentyna, who writes for Atlas Obscura,  describes the Tachibana this way:

“Scratch the peel of one of those tiny fruits, and you’ll release a remarkably powerful fragrance, full of zesty, spicy, bitter notes, a dozen citruses distilled into a single whiff. Its flesh is an electric burst of tart and bitter flavors, far more intense than a lemon or grapefruit, followed by a barely detectable undertone of sweetness.”⁽⁵⁾

To read more about the Tachibana, check out last year’s post. “The Tachibana First Turns Yellow”.

Astronomical Season

December 03, the last day of week 48, is 71 days past the autumn equinox (Sept 23, 2023) and 18 days until the winter solstice (December 21, 2023). This means we are still in astronomical autumn, but we have entered the winter season for both the Solar Terms and 72-season calendars. 

The Beaver Moon

November’s full moon was on November 27.  This full moon is sometimes called The  Beaver Moon.  

Catherine Boeckmann at The Almanac explains the Beaver Moon by saying:

“This is the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter in their lodges, having laid up sufficient food stores for the long winter ahead. During the fur trade in North America, it was also the season to trap beavers for their thick, winter-ready pelts.”   Boekmann also tells us that “each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred and through all of the Moon’s phases—not only the full Moon.”  

Some other names for November’s moon include:

• The Digging (or Scratching) Moon from the Tlingit
• Deer Rutting Moon from the Dakota and Lakota 
• Whitefish Moon from the Algonquin 

The next new moon is on December 12 and the next full moon is on December 26. 

---

Seasonal Haiku 

In The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words as selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto, “north wind” and “first snow” are relevant Winter-Heavens kigo.  “Basho’s Memorial Day” is also a relevant kigo.  

Basho died in 1684, in Osako, Japan. His death occurred on the 12th day of the 10th lunar month, or on November 28th in the Gregorian calendar. Dr. Gabi Greve tells us, “It is said that the first sleet of the season fell on this day” and the “winter drizzle” is kigo associated with November 28.⁽⁶⁾

In Jane Reichhold’s A Dictionary of Haiku. ”snowing” and “new snow” as Winter-Celestials kigo.

Now with all this in mind, let’s read some haiku.

---

Basho

first snow-
the color of the knapsack
of a wandering priest. 
(translated by David Landis Barnhill)

autumn passing now ... 
through the slow drizzling of rain
the shape of the moon 
(translated by Tim Chilcott) 

Issa 

hearing of first snow
a dreadful thing...
old man
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

the year's first snow
all trampled...
by the crows
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

Reichhold

first snow
deep as a fallen leaf
upright

porch light
brilliant with the points
of falling snow

Kerouac

Drizzle–
   Midnight pine,
I sit dry

Bruce Ross

November drizzle–
the squirrel’s head beneath
the wet leaves

---

Haiku invitation

This week’s haiku invitation is to write a haiku or senryu referencing “winter drizzle” or “first snow”.

Share your haiku in the comments below, or post on your own page and link back to this post. I can’t wait to read what you write!  

---

To celebrate all the great haiku written for these prompts, I have started sharing one haiku from the week on my Instagram page. Please include your name as you would like it included in an Instagram post and your Instagram address (if you have one) so I can tag you.  If your haiku is selected for the week, I will let you know via the comments.   

---

Rebranding Update!

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the suggestions for a new domain name that will reflect the site’s focus on haiku and provide a space for sharing updates from my local haiku club.  

Right now, HardwiredHaiku.com (Thanks Angela at LetsWrite. . .) seems to be the front runner with HardwickHaiku.com (Thanks Sunra at SunraRainz for supporting this one) as a close second.

I will keep everyone posted as this unfolds.  As always, thanks for your continued support and engagement in this project!

---

Let’s Spread the Joy of Haiku!

Buy a haiku book for the Woodbury Community Library (Woodbury, VT) and help them spread the joy of haiku! Follow this link to see the wish list and how you can help.

Thank you for your support!

You can also support our work by donating at “Buy Me a Coffee” or shopping at our bookstore.

About the Haiku

Basho’s haiku were retrieved from “Matsuo Bashō’s haiku poems in romanized Japanese with English translations” Editor: Gábor Terebess.  Issa’s haiku were retrieved from David G. Lanoue’s Haiku Guy.  Jane Reichhold’s haiku were retrieved from Dictionary of Haiku.  Jack Kerouac’s haiku were retrieved from Kerouac’s Book of Haiku.  Bruce Ross’s haiku was retrieved from Writing Haiku by Bruce Ross

References

1. “24 Solar Terms”; ChinaHighlights.com
2. “24 Solar Terms: 7 things you may not know about Minor Snow”; ChinaDaily.com
3. “Japan’s 72 Microseasons”; Nippon.com
4. “North Wind”; Wikipedia
5. Leow, Florentyna: “The Quest to Reacquaint Japan With Its Forgotten Native Citrus”: Altas Obscura
6. Dr, Greve, Gabi, “Matsuo Basho”. Daruma Pilgrims in Japan
7. Dr, Greve, Gabi, “shigure winter drizzle”. Matsuo Basho Archives