Micro-Season: “The First Lotus Blossoms” (2023)

July 7 to July 13 is the micro-season of “The First Lotus Blossoms”.  This is the second micro-season of the season of Minor Heat.  All the micro-seasons within Minor Heat are:

• Hot Winds Blows (Jul. 7 – Jul. 13)
• The First Lotus Blossoms (Jul 12 – Jul 16)
• The Young Hawk Learns to Fly (Jul 17 – Jul 23)

These seasons were established in 1685 by Japanese astronomer Shibukawa Shunkai. While they are specific to Japan, you can use these seasons as a starting point for your own exploration of the natural world.

To celebrate this season, we will learn about the sacred lotus and then read haiku by Issa, Buson, Basho, and Reichhold.

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Nelumbo nucifera (The Sacred Lotus)

The Nelumbo nucifera, also known as the sacred lotus, is an edible aquatic plant in Asia’s subtropical and tropical regions.  The Nelumbo nucifera is a member of the Nelumbonaceae family of plants.  All plants within the Nelumbonaceae family are aquatic flowering plants.   

Lotus plants have adapted to grow in the flood plains of slow-moving waters. A flowering lotus has large, round leaves that may grow above the water surface.^(1,2)  A typical lotus flower is pink or rose-colored, close to 10 inches in diameter, and grows on stalks that can be close to 6 feet tall.   

The Lotus Life Cycle

A lotus flower typically only blooms for a few days, just enough time for pollination.⁽⁴⁾  Beetles are the preferred pollinators for the lotus.  Because of this, the lotus flower produces a small amount of heat when in full bloom. The lotus flowers bloom in the early morning and close back up in the evening. After the lotus flower is pollinated, it puts its energy into the development of its seeds and its seed pod. 

A lotus seed pod will start off as a small green bud. Then, over several weeks, the pods will grow, turn brown in color, and then split open.  Each seed pod can hold hundreds of lotus seeds.

Since the lotus lives in water, many of its seeds are dispersed through a process known as hydrophily.  Hydrophily is the distribution of seeds (pollen) using the natural movement of water.  For the lotus, this means that seeds that fall into the water will be carried to a new location by the slow-moving stream or the shifting floodplain. 

A lotus seed will germinate in the mud under the water.  The lotus prefers mud that is nutrient-rich and loamy. It can take somewhere between two weeks and two months for the seed to germinate.  

After germination, the lotus begins to sprout into a seedling.  The seedling will continue to grow until it reaches the surface of the water.  A lotus can grow in water up to 8 feet (2.5 meters) deep. 

Once the lotus leaves and its stalk breaks the surface of the water, it begins to put its energy toward flowering and will start the life cycle over. 

Interesting facts about the Lotus

• The seed of the lotus can remain viable for many years.  There is a documented case of a lotus being germinated from a 1,300 years old seed recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China.⁽³⁾
• There are only two known species of lotus in the genus Nelumbo.  One species is the Nelumbo nucifera, or sacred lotus.  The other is Nelumbo lutea, or American Lotus, which is native to North America and the Caribbean.⁽⁵⁾
• The lotus plays an important role in Buddhism.  It is said to represent the purity of an enlightened mind and nonattachment.⁽⁶⁾

If you are interested in reading more about the lotus and its connection to Buddhism, you can read last year’s post where we look at the lotus sutra.

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Seasonal Haiku

According to the World Kigo Database, the lotus can be a summer, autumn, or winter kigo.  “Floating lotus leaves” or just “Lotus leaves” are early summer kigo.  “Viewing lotus” or “Fragrance of lotus” are late summer kigo. “Seeds of lotus” or “Broken lotus” are autumn kigo.  “Dried lotus” or “Lotus roots” are winter kigo.  “Lotus roots” refers to the lotus when it is used as a food source.  

In both The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words as selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto, and A Dictionary of Haiku Jane Reichhold, “Lotus” is listed as a summer kigo. 

Now with all this information about the lotus, let’s read some haiku.

Issa

suddenly
the dog stops barking...
lotus blossoms!
(translated by David Lanoue)

amid the muck
a lotus defiantly
has bloomed
(translated by David Lanoue)

on lotus leaves
this world's dewdrops
are bent
(translated by David Lanoue)

Buson

fragrance of a lotus -
above the water
the stem is two sun
(retrieved from World Kigo Database)

Jane Reichhold

left nor right
all sides open
the lotus

Basho

The lotuses in the pond,
just as they are, unplucked: 
the Festival of the Dead 
(translated by R.H.Blyth)

August 13-August 16 is the Obon festival and it marks the return of deceased ancestors to Earth. This festival is also known as the Festival of the Dead.⁽⁷⁾

offering
a yam on a lotus
because ”they are alike” 
(translated by Jane Reichhold)

All parts of the lotus are edible. The rhizomes, or root stalks, can be eaten fresh, or in soups and added to stir-fry dishes.

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Haiku Invitation

This week’s haiku invitation is to write a haiku or senryu that references a lotus or other water plant such as a water lily or marsh marigold.   

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!  

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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 wishlist and how you can help.

2 out of the 10 books for the library have been purchased and are on their way.

Thank you for your support!

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

Resources

1. “Lotus, plant common name”; Britannica 
2. “Sacred lotus”; Britannica
3. “Nelumbo nucifera”: wikipedia
4. “How Does a Lotus Flower Grow”; Earth.com
5. “Nelumbo”; Wikipedia
6. “What is the meaning of the Lotus in Buddhism”: Lion’s Roar
7. “See Japan’s Beautiful Festival of the Dead’: National Geographic

Basho’s haiku was retrieved from Matsuo Bashō’s haiku poems in romanized Japanese with English translations. Issa’s haiku was retrieved from David G. Lanoue’s HaikuGuy.com.  Buson’s haiku was retrieved from The World Kigo Database. Jane Reichhold’s haiku was retrieved from  A Dictionary of Haiku.