Months and Seasons – Page 3 – Calligraphy by Vicky

お盆 (o-bon)

A Japanese calligraphy artwork. The writing means "o-bon".

Every August Japan celebrates o-bon, the time of year when ancestors return to the world of the living. People celebrate by lighting fires, holding special dances in the town square, and visiting their family graves.

葉月 (hazuki) “August” (archaic)

Japanese calligraphy. The writing says "Hazuki", which is an archaic word for August.

Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is literally “Month one”, February is “Month two”, etc: 一月 = January 二月 = February 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 toContinueContinue reading “葉月 (hazuki) “August” (archaic)”

夏雲奇峰 (natsu-gumo-ki-hou) “Summer clouds shaped like strange mountains”

A Japanese calligraphy artwork. The writing means "summer clouds shaped like strange mountains".

Some seasonal calligraphy specially for summertime! The kanji are: 夏 = summer 雲 = cloud(s) 奇 = strange 峰 = peak It references the white fluffy clouds of summer which take many different shapes, including strange mountains! This phrase is a special kind of Japaneses idiom known as a 四字熟語 (よじじゅくご、yo-ji-juku-go), or 4-character idiom. AsContinueContinue reading “夏雲奇峰 (natsu-gumo-ki-hou) “Summer clouds shaped like strange mountains””

文月 (fumizuki) “July” (archaic)

A Japanese calligraphy artwork. The writing says "fumizuki", the archaic name for July.

Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is literally “Month One”, February is “Month Two”, etc: 一月 = January 二月 = February 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 toContinueContinue reading “文月 (fumizuki) “July” (archaic)”

菖蒲華 (Ayame hana saku) “Irises bloom”

A Japanese calligraphy artwork. The writing means "Irises bloom".

In ancient times Japanese people divided the year into 72 “micro-seasons”. These seasons were based on natural events such as the weather and appearance of various flora and fauna. Later this month it will be 菖蒲華, marking period when irises begin to bloom. You can find out more about Japanese micro-seasons here.

水無月 (mi-na-tsuki) “The month of water”

The kanji: 水 = water 無 = none / not any 月 = month 無 means “not any”, not “of”. So why doesn’t this mean “the month with no water”? According to wikipedia, this 無 is used purely as an ateji, which is a kanji used for its pronunciation rather than its meaning. 無 isContinueContinue reading “水無月 (mi-na-tsuki) “The month of water””

皐月 (sa-tsu-ki) “May”

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 FrenchContinueContinue reading “皐月 (sa-tsu-ki) “May””

卯月(uzuki) “April” (archaic)

春分 (shun-bun) “Spring Equinox”

In Japan, 春分 (shun-bun) spring equinox is a national holiday. The week which contains spring equinox is called “o-higan”. This has connections with Buddhism, and on this day many people visit spend time with their families and visit their family grave. “Bota-mochi” (rice cake covered in sweet bean paste) is traditionally eaten on this day.

弥生 (yayoi) “March” (archaic)

Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is literally “Month one”, February is “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). March is:ContinueContinue reading “弥生 (yayoi) “March” (archaic)”