Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is 一月 (ichi-gatsu, literally “Month one”), February is 二月 (ni-gatsu, “Month two”), etc.
However, before the Meiji Restoration (mid-1800s) it was common to use an older 12-month system. These months’ names referenced the weather and the seasons (similar to the French Revolutionary calendar).
May is called “Satsuki” in this old Japanese calendar. “皐” is a substitute for “早苗”, which refers to young baby seedlings of rice, signifying the beginning of the rice-growing season.
Studio Ghibli fans will recognise “Satsuki” as the name of the older sister in “My Neighbour Totoro”. The younger sister is, of course, called “Mei”.
Calligraphy by Vicky 