Week 42: “Chrysanthemums Bloom”

October 14 to October 20 is the 42nd week of the year. The Solar Term for this week is Cold Dew (Oct 08 – Oct. 22) and the micro-season for this week is “Chrysanthemums Bloom” (Oct 13 – Oct 17).

Basho, Issa, Buson, and Reichhold 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⁾

Cold Dew

Cold Dew, the seventeenth Solar Term of the year the fifth Solar Term of Autumn. Hanlu (寒露) is the Chinese name for this season.  Hanlu (寒露) means even lower temperatures should be expected.⁽²⁾

Chrysanthemum liquor is a traditional drink during Cold Dew.⁽²⁾  The chrysanthemum has been used in Chinese Medicine for thousands of years.  When consumed as an herbal tea, it is said to to treat respiratory issues, boost the immune system, reduce blood pressure, and improve sight.⁽³⁾. 

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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-season for this week is “Chrysanthemums Bloom” (Oct 13 – Oct 17).

The Chrysanthemum 

The Chrysanthemum, which is often called “mum”, is a perennial flowering plant belonging to the Asteraceae family and the Chrysanthemum genus. There are about 40 different species of chrysanthemums.⁽⁶⁾

A chrysanthemum flower may vary in color from white to purple. Some of these flowers have both disk and ray florets within their flower heads, other species may have only one type of floret. Disk flowers are small tubular flowers located at the center of a composite flower. Ray flowers are the larger ones around the flower head’s edge.⁽⁶⁾

Chrysanthemums are popular fall-blooming ornamental plants, and they are relatively easy to grow as long as they receive full sun and are in well-drained soil with good air circulation. While the plants thrive in full sun during growth, their flowers last longer if moved to shadier spots after blooming. Chrysanthemums typically bloom from early September until the first frost.⁽⁷⁾

Chrysanthemum’s Cultural Significance

Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in China as a flowering herb around the 15th century B.C. Over time, they became culturally significant, joining the plum blossom, orchid, and bamboo as part of the “Four Gentlemen” in traditional Chinese ink and wash paintings.⁽⁸⁾ These four plants symbolized virtues promoted by Confucianism: the plum represented inner beauty and resilience in adversity; the orchid symbolized grace, beauty, and nobility; the bamboo stood for cultivation and integrity; and the chrysanthemum symbolized “virtue to withstand all adversities.”⁽⁹⁾

Chrysanthemums were introduced to Japan during the Nara period (710–794 AD) and became especially popular in the Edo period (1603–1867). The imperial family embraced the flower, and incorporated it into the emperor’s crest. This led to the term “chrysanthemum throne” being associated with the emperor.⁽¹⁰⁾

Today, the chrysanthemum remains deeply embedded in Japanese culture. Its likeness is found on currency, clothing, and passports, and Japan’s highest honor, the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum.⁽¹⁰⁾

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Haiku, Kigo, and Saijiki

The kigo, or season word, is one of the key parts of the haiku. A kigo “a poetic device used in haiku to denote a season.”⁽⁶⁾ It can “conjure up many allusions, historical references, spiritual meanings, and/or cultural traditions.”⁽¹¹⁾ When used in a haiku, it 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.”⁽¹¹⁾

A saijiki is a dictionary of season words, or kigo, paired with haiku using that season word.  A saijiki is a reference and tool for the poet that is divided into five seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and New Year) and separated into seven categories.

In The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto, each of the five seasons has seven categories of words.

• Seasons
• Heavens
• Earth
• Humanity
• Observances
• Animals
• Plants

While this document doesn’t include haiku for each season word, it is helpful in understanding what words may be kigo.

In  A Dictionary of Haiku, Jane Reichhold’s English language saijiki representing her location and experiences, she follows the five seasons structure with some slight differences in categories.  Reichhold’s categories are:

• Moods
• Occasions
• Celestial 
• Terrestrial
• Livelihood
• Animals 
• Plants

Both Reichhold’s Dictionary and Yamamoto’s Essential Season Words are helpful in understanding the role and use of kigo in haiku.

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This Week’s Kigo and Haiku

In The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words as selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto, “chrysanthemums”, “orchids”  and “morning glory” are relevant kigo for this week. These kigo are found in the Autumn-Plants section of Yamamoto’s list. 

In Jane Reichhold’s A Dictionary of Haiku, “asters”,  “chrysanthemum”, and “heather” are relevant kigo.  These kigo are found in the Autumn-Plants section of Reichhold’s list.

Now, let’s read some haiku. 

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Basho

deep into autumn- 
a butterfly sipping 
chrysanthemum dew. 
(translated by David Landis Barnhill) 

drinking morning tea 
the monk is quiet 
as is the mum flower 
(translated by Jane Reichhold)

Lovely hermitage - 
the moon, chrysanthemums, and 
an acre of rice 
(translated by Sam Hamill) 

Issa

a standing priest
a standing crane...
field chrysanthemums
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

blooming chrysanthemum
like me
a pseudo-hermit
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

grassy thicket--
what karma lets
the chrysanthemum survive?
(translated by David G. Lanoue)

Buson

It’s time then
to throw flowers in a vase —
chrysanthemums
(translated by Allan Persinger)

The candle reveals
a pallid waxy face and
yellow chrysanthemums
(translated by Allan Persinger)

Reichhold

broken by the storm
the asters' fragrance rises
out of damp earth

autumn rain
above the dialysis machine
a withered mum

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Haiku invitation

This week’s haiku invitation is to write a haiku or senryu about chrysanthemums!

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!

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A Local Saijiki Project

The Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, explains that a saijiki is useful for poets, “naturalists, and people interested in the natural and cultural history of an area.”  The saijiki contains seasonal words, plus haiku that demonstrate the poetic qualities of the words.

The creation of a local saijiki, one that represents an individual community, always felt like a big, daunting, and yet worthwhile project.  So, I have decided to try and create my own saijiki. I am not sure how this will turn out, but if you are interested in joining me and creating your own saijiki, I have created a saijiki worksheet to get you started.  If nothing else, this is a good exercise in noticing the natural world and writing haiku. Let’s see where this project takes us! 

• Saijiki Worksheet (PDF file)
• Saijiki Worksheet (Google Doc)

About Today’s 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 was retrieved from the Dictionary of Haiku.

References:

1. “The 24 Solar Terms”; China Educational Tours
2. “6 Solar Terms of Autumn”; China Educational Tours
3. “The History and Healing Power of The Chrysanthemum”. The Qi.com
4. 72 Seasons App
5. “Japan’s 72 Microseasons”; Nippon.com
6. “Chrysanthemum”; Brittanica
7. “Chrysanthemum: Growin, Care, & Design Tips”; Garden Design
8. “The ‘Four Gentlemen’”; Art of the Brush
9. “Four Gentlemen”; Chinaonlinemuseum.com
10. “How Did the Chrysanthemum Become the Symbol of the Japanese Emperor?”; Owlcation
11. New to Haiku: What is a Kigo?; Haiku Foundation