Week 43 – Frost Descent

October 23-29 is the 43rd week of the Gregorian calendar.  Within this week we have the Solar Term of Frost Descent, the micro-seasons of “The First Frost Falls”(Oct 23 – Oct 27) and “Light Rain Showers”(Oct 28 –  Nov 01), and a full moon.  The haiku for this week will focus on atmospheric and celestial events of late autumn. 

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The 24 Solar Terms – Frost Descent

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 about 15 days long and is based on the climate around the city Xi’an, which was the location of the capital of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE). ⁽²⁾

Frost Descent (Oct 24 – Nov 07) is the 18th Solar Term of the year. It is also the last solar term of the season of autumn. An alternative translation of this season is First Frost.⁽³⁾

Foods associated with this time of year are persimmons, apples, pears, and chestnuts.⁽⁴⁾

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 contains the micro-seasons of “The First Frost Falls”(Oct 23 – Oct 27) and “Light Rain Showers”(Oct 28 –  Nov 01). 

After the micro-season of “Light Rain Showers”, is the micro-season of “The Maple and the Ivy Turn Yellow (Nov 02 – Nov 07).  “The Maple and the Ivy Turn Yellow” is the last micro-season of autumn.

Astronomical Season

October 29, the last day of week 43, is 36 days past the autumn equinox (Sept 23, 2023) and 53 days until the winter solstice (December 21, 2023) in the Northern Hemisphere.  By this calculation, we are about half of the way through astronomical autumn, and 142 days away from the vernal equinox (Mar 19, 2024). 

The Hunter’s Moon 

October’s full moon is on October 28, and it is sometimes called the Hunter’s Moon. Catherine Boeckmann writes the following about this month’s moon: 

“It is believed that this name [Hunter’s Moon] originates from the fact that it was a signal for hunters to prepare for the upcoming cold winter by going hunting. This is because animals were beginning to fatten up in preparation for the winter season. Moreover, since fields had recently been cleared out under the Harvest Moon, hunters could easily spot deer and other animals that had come out to search for remaining scraps. Additionally, foxes and wolves would also come out to prey on these animals.”⁽⁶⁾

Other possible names for October’s full moon include:

• Sanguine or Blood Moon
• Falling Leaves Moon (Anishinaabe) 
• Freezing Moon (Ojibwe) 
• Migrating Moon (Cree)

Migrating Moon refers to the birds heading south for the winter.⁽⁶⁾

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Seasonal Haiku 

In The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words as selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto, October is considered late autumn.  Some potential late autumn kigo include “a little cold”, “night chill”, and “fleeting autumn”.  

In A Dictionary of Haiku, Jane Reichhold lists weather-related kigo in the “Celestial” section of her dictionary.  A relevant kigo in this section is “cold”.  Reichhold also lists “Hunter’s Moon” along with many other moon-related phrases as autumn kigo

The World Kigo Database lists “First Frost Of Autumn” or “Frost in Autumn” as potential kigo for late autumn. Dr Greve states that the term “Frost” by itself is considered a winter kigo.  

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

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Basho

the paulownia leaf
moves on the autumn wind
frost in the ivy 
(translated by Jane Reichhold)

deepening autumn: 
the man next door,
what does he do? 
(translated by David Landis Barnhill) 

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

Issa

first frost--
what are you praying for
katydid?
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

first frost--
the smiling face
of the tea master
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

autumn departs
on a palanquin...
new sake in the shop
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

David G. Lanoue writes the following about this haiku. 

“The brewing of new sake (rice wine) is an autumn event; in this case, late autumn. Issa imagines the season being carried off on a litter like some feudal VIP, now that the new sake is available in the sake shop.”

Kaga no Chiyo

the autumn wind
resounds in the mountain
temple bell
(translated by Patricia Donegan and Yoshie Ishabashi)

Jane Reichhold

mountain cold
getting under a blanket
to sleep with me

a hunter's moon
the o's of howling dogs
ring in the mists

Jack Kerouac

Hurrying things along,
 Autumn rain
On my awning

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Haiku invitation

This week’s haiku invitation is to write a haiku or senryu referencing a current weather or celestial event.   Perhaps you have recently experienced the “first frost” or a “cold rain”.  Or perhaps a haiku that features the “hunter’s moon” is more your style.  

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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Thank You!

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 the Dictionary of Haiku. Jack Kerouac’s haiku were retrieved from “Jack Kerouac Collected Haikus”; Terebess Asia Online. Kaga no Chiyo haiku was retrieved from The Classic Tradition of Haiku: An Anthology edited by Faubion Bowers (1996)

References

1. “ISO 8601”; Wikipedia
2. “24 Solar Terms”; ChinaHighlights.com
3. “Glossary (“24 Sekki” or 24 Solar Terms)”
4. “24 Solar Terms: 8 things about Frost’s Descent”. English.Gov.Cn
5. “Japan’s 72 Microseasons”; Nippon.com
6. Boeckmann, Catherine. “Hunter’s Moon. Full Moon in October 2023”; FarmersAlmanac.com