Week 02: “The Springwater Holds Warmth”

January 08 – January 14 is the second week of 2024 in the Gregorian calendar.  The Solar Term for this week is Minor Cold (Jan 05 – Jan 19). The micro-seasons for this week are “The Water Dropwort Flourishes” (Jan 06 – Jan 10) and “The Springwater Holds Warmth” (Jan 11 – Jan 15).

The haiku selected for this week are written by Basho, Issa, Buson, and Reichhold.

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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 Xi’an, which was the capital of the Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE). ⁽¹⁾

This week we are in the Solar term of Minor Cold (Jan 05 – Jan 19). Minor Cold is the 23rd Solar Term of the year.  

Minor Cold

Minor Cold is the beginning of the midwinter for the Solar Terms.  At this time in China, the ground and the rivers have frozen.⁽²⁾  Although Minor Cold proceeds the solar term Major Cold, Minor Cold can be the coldest part of the year.  There is even an old saying that goes, “Freeze in Minor Cold, melt in Major Cold”.⁽³⁾  

Foods for Minor Cold

Since it is so cold outside, the traditional culinary advice is to eat warm foods like pepper, cinnamon, leeks, and dishes such as Laba porridge.  Laba porridge, also known as Laba congee, is made from “20 kinds of nuts, cereals and dried fruits.⁽²⁾  The porridge is made on the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, simmered overnight, and then eaten the next day.  For those who are interested, here is a recipe for Laba porridge from AsianCookingMom.com

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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.”⁽⁴⁾

The micro-seasons for this week are “The Water Dropwort Flourishes (Jan 06 – Jan 10) and “The Springwater Holds Warmth” (Jan 11 – Jan 15).

Hot Springs

A “spring” is a place where underground water emerges into a lake, stream, or other body of water.  

A Thermal Spring, or Hot Spring, is where the spring water temperature is higher than the atmospheric temperature.  The water within the spring becomes hot because it is heated by underground molten rock or through a process known as convective circulation.⁽⁴⁾

Convective circulation refers to the circular movement of water where the cold water descends while the warm water rises.  Surface water is often colder than the water below and will sink.  As it sinks, it gathers the heat from the earth around it.  When the water is hot enough, the water will rise back up to the surface. 

Hot Springs in Japan

In Japan, a naturally occurring hot spring is known as an Onsen.  Because of Japan’s unique geographical location on the Pacific Ring, there are thousands of hot springs throughout the country.⁽⁵⁾   The warm water in these springs has been a therapeutic intervention for centuries, some even say hot springs can “cure every illness but lovesickness”.⁽⁶⁾  

Hot Springs and Ryokan

Many of the hot springs in Japan are paired with traditional inns called ryokan.  Japan Rail Pass describes a ryokan in the following way. 

“The décor in traditional ryokan is sparse and minimalist compared to western hotels. Instead of carpet, the floors are covered in woven, fragrantly scented tatami mats. The only furniture found in many ryokan includes a low table and legless chairs called zaisu. Futon bedding – not the fold-out couches common in Europe and the Americas, but comfortable sleeping mats with thick blankets – will be rolled out for you while you take the evening meal.”⁽⁷⁾

While a traditional ryokan will give a Western traveler a taste of the local culture, some more modern ryokans have platform beds and hot springs located within private rooms.

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Astronomical Season

January 14, the last day of week 02 of 2024.  Jan 14 is 24 days past the winter solstice and 65 days until the spring equinox (March 19, 2024). This means we are still in early astronomical winter.  

January’s New Moon

January’s new moon is on January 11, 2024. A new moon occurs when the moon is directly between the Earth and the sun.  This puts the moon’s shadow side toward the earth making it difficult to see.

If we check in with the field of astrology, we find out that January’s new moon coincides with the astrological sign of Capricorn ( December 21 – January 19).  Jill Wintersteen, a columnist for Yoga Journal, writes the following about this time of year. 

“The start of the year can bring up many emotions, including pressure to declare resolutions. As you work with new Moon in Capricorn energy, know that it is an opportunity to form a lifestyle for yourself that holds space for your visions to evolve. Nothing is carved in stone and you are free to change your intentions at any point. You do not need to have it all figured out right now. Just focus on how you want to feel over the next year, and the details will fall into place.”⁽⁸⁾

Read Winterseen’s full article to learn more about the new Moon in Capricorn. 

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Seasonal haiku

In The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words as selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto, we are still in the season of New Year’s until January 15 and late winter until February.

A potential kigo from The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words for this week could be “porridge”.  Porridge is a winter kigo listed under Humanities and would directly connect to the Solar Term of Minor Cold and the traditional food of Laba porridge.   

From Jane Reichhold’s A Dictionary of Haiku, “hot springs” is listed as a possible winter season word.  “Hot springs” is listed under the winter-terrestrial category of the dictionary.  

When checking the World Kigo Database by Dr. Gabi Greve, “hot springs” is not a seasonal word.  However, “hot springs” are often placed in winter haiku by adding winter kigo such as “snow”, “ice” and “cold”.  

“First bath” is another potential kigo that is somewhat related to the hot springs.  “First Bath” would be related to the New Year.  

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

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Basho

leaving the hot-springs: 
tonight my skin 
will be cool. 
(translated by David Landis Barnhill)

Issa

children eat snow
soaking
in the hot spring
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

bathing in the
New Year's water...
my proxy the sparrow
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

after my hot bath
returning barefoot...
over snow
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

Buson

Closing the fireplace
I slip into a poor
Chinese bath
(translated by Allan Persinger)

Reichhold

ancient earth
tiredness of my old body
in hot springs

winter night
joining us in the bath
foggy stars

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Haiku invitation

Much like the contrast between hot springs and snow, this week’s invitation is to write a haiku or senryu that contrasts hot and cold.  

Share your haiku in the comments below, or post on your page and link back. 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.  Buson’s haiku was retrieved from Foxfire:The Selected Poems of Yosa Buson. Jane Reichhold’s haiku were retrieved from Dictionary of Haiku.  

Resources

1. “24 Solar Terms”; ChinaHighlights.com
2. 24 Solar Terms: 5 things you may not know about Minor Cold; ChinaDaily.com
3. 72 Seasons App
4. “Japan’s 72 Microseasons”; Nippon.com
5. “Onsen: A Culture of Bathing” Toki.com
6. “The 10 best onsen and onsen towns in Japan”; JapanRailPass.com 
7. Staying in a Ryokan, a traditional Japanese guest house; JapanRailPass.com
8. Wintersteen, Jill, “ New Moon in Capricorn”. YogaJournal.com