Shichijūni-kō · 七十二候
Published to date
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An index of every letter sent since the first thaw. The year is kept here as it arrives — five days at a time, in four columns, in no particular hurry.
A note on structure
The Japanese year is first divided into twenty-four sekki (節気) — roughly fortnightly "solar terms" that mark the sun's progress around the ecliptic. Each bears a name drawn from weather or agriculture: Risshun (立春, Beginning of Spring), Taisho (大暑, Greater Heat), Sōkō (霜降, Frost Descent).
Every sekki is further split into three kō (候) — the five-day micro-seasons this archive collects. Twenty-four sekki × three kō gives the shichijūni-kō, seventy-two. Below, each sekki groups its three kō together, so you can read the year at either scale.
Risshun → Kokū
Beginning of Spring
East wind melts the ice
08 黄鶯睍睆 Feb 9Bush warblers start singing in the mountains
09 魚上氷 Feb 14Fish emerge from the ice
Rainwater
Rain moistens the soil
11 霞始靆 Feb 24Mist starts to linger
12 草木萌動 Mar 1Plants sprout, trees bud
Awakening of Insects
Hibernating insects emerge
14 桃始笑 Mar 11First peach blossoms open
15 菜虫化蝶 Mar 16Caterpillars become butterflies
Spring Equinox
Sparrows start nesting
17 桜始開 Mar 26First cherry blossoms
18 雷乃発声 Mar 31Distant thunder
Clear and Bright
Swallows arrive
20 鴻雁北 Apr 10Wild geese fly north
21 虹始見 Apr 15First rainbows appear
Grain Rain
First reeds sprout
23 霜止出苗 Apr 25Last frost, rice shoots sprout
24 牡丹華 Apr 30Peonies bloom
Rikka → Taisho
Beginning of Summer
Frogs start calling
26 蚯蚓出 May 11Earthworms emerge
27 竹笋生 May 16Bamboo shoots appear
Lesser Ripening
Silkworms feast on mulberry leaves
29 紅花栄 May 26Safflowers bloom
30 麦秋至 May 31Wheat ripens and harvest begins
Grain Beards
Praying mantises hatch
32 腐草為蛍 Jun 11Decaying grass becomes fireflies
33 梅子黄 Jun 16Plums turn yellow
Summer Solstice
Self-heal withers
35 菖蒲華 Jun 26Irises bloom
36 半夏生 Jul 2Crow-dipper sprouts
Lesser Heat
Warm winds arrive
38 蓮始開 Jul 12Lotus blossoms open
39 鷹乃学習 Jul 17Young hawks learn to fly
Greater Heat
Paulownia trees bear first seeds
41 土潤溽暑 Jul 28Humid heat soaks the earth
42 大雨時行 Aug 2Heavy rains sometimes fall
Risshū → Sōkō
Beginning of Autumn
Cool winds arrive
44 寒蝉鳴 Aug 12Evening cicadas sing
45 蒙霧升降 Aug 17Thick fog descends
Heat Subsides
Cotton flowers open
47 天地始粛 Aug 28Heaven and earth begin to cool
48 禾乃登 Sep 2Rice ripens in the fields
White Dew
Dew glistens white on grass
50 鶺鴒鳴 Sep 13Wagtails start to sing
51 玄鳥去 Sep 18Swallows depart
Autumn Equinox
Thunder falls silent
53 蟄虫坏戸 Sep 28Insects seal their dens
54 水始涸 Oct 3Water begins to dry up
Cold Dew
Wild geese arrive from the north
56 菊花開 Oct 13Chrysanthemums bloom
57 蟋蟀在戸 Oct 18Crickets chirp around the door
Frost Descent
First frost falls
59 霎時施 Oct 28Light rains sometimes fall
60 楓蔦黄 Nov 2Maple and ivy turn yellow
Rittō → Daikan
Minor Cold
Water parsley flourishes
02 水泉動 Jan 10Springs thaw beneath the ice
03 雉始雊 Jan 15Pheasants start to call
Major Cold
Butterburs bud
05 水沢腹堅 Jan 25Ice thickens on streams
06 鶏始乳 Jan 30Hens start laying eggs
Beginning of Winter
Camellias start to bloom
62 地始凍 Nov 12Earth begins to freeze
63 金盞香 Nov 17Daffodils bloom and perfume the air
Minor Snow
Rainbows hide
65 朔風払葉 Nov 27North winds blow away the leaves
66 橘始黄 Dec 2Tachibana citrus starts to ripen
Major Snow
Skies close and winter sets in
68 熊蟄穴 Dec 12Bears retreat to their dens
69 鱖魚群 Dec 17Salmon gather and swim upstream
Winter Solstice
Self-heal sprouts anew
71 麋角解 Dec 27Deer shed their antlers
72 雪下出麦 Jan 1Wheat sprouts under the snow