Week 22: “Safflowers Bloom”

May 27 – June 02 is the 21st week of 2024.  This week, we are in the Solar Term of Grain Buds (May 20 – June 04), and the micro-seasons of “Safflowers Bloom” (May 26 -May 30) and “Wheat Ripens and is Harvested” (May 31 – June 05).

Basho, Issa, Buson, Reichhold, and Kerouac wrote the poems selected for this week.  

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

Grain Buds

Grain Buds is the eighth Solar Term of the year and the second Solar Term of Summer. Xiaoman (小满) is the Chinese name for this season. Xiaoman means “The seeds of summer harvest crops begin to bear fruits and their seeds are full, though they are not ripe yet.”⁽²⁾ Lesser Fullness of Grain is an alternative translation of this solar term 

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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 “Safflowers Bloom” (May 26 -May 30) and “Wheat Ripens and is Harvested” (May 31 – June 05).

The Safflower

The safflower is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family. The flower of the safflower can be red, orange, yellow, or white. Other plants in the Asteraceae family include sunflowers, daisies, and asters. 

The safflowers are a fast-growing plant that thrives in drier climates with predictable seasonal rains. The safflower, which can be grow to over 5 feet tall, has a taproot system that can descend up to six feet into the ground helping it survive in dry conditions.^(6,7)

The safflower is one of the oldest cultivated crops.  Archeologists have found evidence of safflower cultivation going back to 2500 BC in Asia and Africa, including some safflower garlands found in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun.⁽⁷⁾

Safflower As A Dye

Safflower can be used to dye wool, silk, and cotton.  The dried flowers produce red and yellow dyes derived from a compound called carthamin. Carthamin, however, is light-sensitive and prone to fading.

In the 1800s, scientists created synthetic dyes such as fuchsine, replacing safflower dyes in many industrial processes. Today, these synthetic dyes produce many of the colors previously created with safflower.^(8,9)

Safflower As An Oil

The safflower plant produces two types of oil: one that is safe to eat and the other we use in paint.

Unrefined safflower oil is suitable for salad dressings, while high-oleic safflower oil, with its higher monounsaturated fat content, is better for high-temperature cooking like deep frying. Safflower oil may offer health benefits such as lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke because it is rich in omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin E.^(10,11)

The safflower oil used for painting contains linoleic acid and is often a substitute for linseed oil. This safflower oil does not yellow, which makes it particularly useful in white paints and varnishes.^(6,7)

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Astronomical Season

June 02, the last day of week 22.  June 2 is 75 days past the spring equinox and 18 days until the summer solstice (June 20, 2024).  

Moon Phases

On May 30, the Moon will reach its Last Quarter phase. This phase occurs when the Moon is three-quarters of the way through its orbit around the Earth. During the Last Quarter, 50% of the Moon’s surface is illuminated.

Observers in the northern hemisphere will see the Moon’s left side illuminated and the right side dark. While observers in the southern hemisphere will see the opposite, with the right side illuminated and the left side dark. The Moon will continue to lose illumination until it reaches the New Moon phase on June 06.

Before reaching the New Moon, the Moon will be in its Waning Crescent phase. On June 02, the last day of this week, only 19.5% of the Moon’s surface will be illuminated.

Meteorological Summer

June 01 is the beginning of meteorological summer. The meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle and the Gregorian calendar. Each season consists of three months, with summer being June, July, and August.

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Haiku and Kigo 

The kigo, or season word, is one of the key parts of the haiku.  The Yuki Teikei Haiku Society provides us with the following explanation for why we use kigo in haiku. 

“A kigo is a poetic device used in haiku to denote a season; it’s a powerful word or phrase that can conjure up many allusions, historical references, spiritual meanings, and/or cultural traditions. Its use in haiku, a poem of few words, is especially effective because of this power to expand its meaning beyond the literal and to create a larger aura of seasonal mood, historical/ literary context, and/or cultural implications.”⁽⁹⁾

Visit The Haiku Foundation’s “New To Haiku: What is a Kigo?” for more information

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This Week’s Kigo

In The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto “sunflowers”, “cutting grasses”, and “summer meadows” are relevant kigo for this week. 

 In Jane Reichhold’s A Dictionary of Haiku,  “safflower” is a relevant spring kigo.  While “daises” and “sunflowers” are summer kigo. 

Looking at the World Kigo Database by Dr. Gabi Greves, “safflower” (benibana) is a mid-summer kigo. 

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

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Basho

summer grass 
I will go ahead to hunt 
for the snakes 
(translated by Jane Reichhold) 

summer grass - 
all that remains 
of warriors’ dreams 
(translated by David Landis Barnhill)

eye-brow brushes 
come to mind 
safflower blossoms 
(translated by David Landis Barnhill)

Issa

for the second day
the same big snake...
thick summer grasses
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

just one blade
of thick summer grass
works fine
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

grassy meadow--
the flea jumps
to points unknown
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

Buson

Nostalgic — 
from out wild chamomiles
asters
(translated by Allan Persinger)

Reichhold

rain colored
the light circling
a daisy

a field of safflower
there at the top of the hill
leaning on the sky

Kerouac

Morning meadow –
   Catching my eye, 
One weed

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Haiku invitation

This week’s haiku invitation is to write a haiku or senryu about things blooming.

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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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 wish list and how you can help.

Thank you for your support!

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

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, a Translation by Allan Persinger. Jane Reichhold’s haiku were retrieved from the Dictionary of Haiku. Kerouac’s haiku was retrieved from Kerouac’s Book of Haikus.

1. “The 24 Solar Terms”; China Educational Tours
2. “6 Solar Terms of Summer”; China Educational Tours
3. “24 Solar Terms: 6 things you may not know about Grain Buds”; ChinaDaily.com
4. 72 Seasons App
5. “Japan’s 72 Microseasons”; Nippon.com
6. “Safflower”: Britannica.com
7. “Safflower: Wikipedia.com
8. “Dyeing with Safflower”: Wild Colours
9. “Carthamin”; Wikipedia
10. “What Is Safflower Oil?”: MasterClass.com
11. “Safflower – Uses, Side Effects, and More”; WebMD