“Shosho” in 2023 is on August 23 or 24.
According to the fixed-weight method, this is when the solar longitude is at 150 degrees. According to the equilibrium method, it will be on August 23, approximately 243.4906 days after the winter solstice. From there, about 15 days will be known as “Shosho”.
The meaning of “Shosho” is that summer heat stops. It simply means “summer heat still remains during the daytime, but the mornings and evenings are cooler”.
Although this word means the beginning of autumn, it is also the time of year when summer heat still lingers in Japan. The specific dates for the arrival of typhoons are said to be September 1, but in reality, typhoons will not arrive until a little later. However, it is thought that Japanese people in the past began to prepare for typhoons at this season as a guideline for agriculture.
Traditional custom (風習)
Just like the seven spring flowers, there are also seven autumn flowers. They are bush clover, bellflower, “kuzu”, wisteria, “Jorou-bana”, thin, and “nadeko”. They are not for eating as in spring, but for ornamental purposes.
This is also the time of year when sudden rain falls. In Japan, rain is expressed in various ways, such as “oyama-arai” (the closing of Mt. Fuji), “aki-shizuku” (the long, heavy autumn rain), and “aki-shigure” (the rain that falls at the end of autumn), which are representative of the autumn season.
“Jizo-bon” is a children’s festival to celebrate “Jizo”(Stone Statue) in the town, and is held around August 23. It is held in the Kinki, Hokuriku, and Shinshu regions, but is not so common in the Kanto and Tokai regions. Colorful sweets are distributed to the children, creating a wonderful and memorable memory.
Seventy Two Appearances (七十二候)
The 24 seasons each divide three seasons and further express the subtle changes in seasons. These are referred to as the “72 appearances” and were commonly used, especially in agriculture, in ancient Japan and China.
初候 (1st 5days)（Japan） 綿柎開 The wadding (the outer part of the petiole) opens.
（China） 鷹乃祭鳥 Eagles line up and eat the birds they catch.
次候 (2nd 5days) (Japan・China） 天地始粛 The heat finally dies down.
末候 (Last 5days) (Japan・China） 禾乃登 The rice crop yields its harvest
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