October's season words, too, are all words of autumn. From Kanro, the Cold Dew (around 8 October), they turn to the chill of morning and evening, the long nights and the chrysanthemum; after Sōkō, the Descent of Frost (around 23 October), the words of late autumn come to the fore, the autumn leaves and the departing autumn among them.
Our company renku circle (社内連句会) gathered these words month by month, to choose the season word of a renku's opening verse. The old haiku are by poets of the Edo period to the Taishō era; the English versions are ours, kept close to the Japanese.
The season 時候
- 冷やかAutumn
- Chilly hiyayaka Autumn deepens, and a cool chill is felt on the skin.
- 夜長Autumn
- Long nights yonaga After the Autumn Equinox the nights grow steadily longer, a time held to suit reading and quiet thought.
- 秋の暮Autumn
- Autumn dusk aki no kure Dusk on an autumn day, and also the end of autumn; poets have long written of its loneliness. この道や行く人なしに秋の暮BashōThis road — / with no one walking it, / autumn dusk
- 夜寒Autumn
- Night chill yosamu The cold felt with particular keenness on late-autumn nights.
- 秋深しAutumn
- Deep autumn aki fukashi When autumn is past its height and its loneliness deepens. 秋深き隣は何をする人ぞBashōDeep autumn — / my neighbour, / what does he do?
- 行く秋Autumn
- Autumn departing yuku aki Autumn about to end; the word holds the loneliness before winter and a reluctance to let autumn go. 蛤のふたみにわかれ行秋ぞBashōA clam's shell and flesh / parting for Futami — / autumn going
Sky and weather 天文
- 秋晴Autumn
- Clear autumn day akibare Autumn weather in which the air is clear and the sky high and fine all over.
- 霧Autumn
- Mist kiri Fine drops of water hanging white close to the ground; in spring the same is called haze, kasumi, and in autumn mist, kiri.
Land and water 地理
- 刈田Autumn
- Harvested rice field karita A rice field after the harvest; its rows of stubble have the feeling of late autumn.
Daily life 生活
- 秋の灯Autumn
- Autumn lamplight aki no hi The lamp lit on an autumn night, with the settled calm of reading and other quiet pursuits beneath it.
- 稲刈Autumn
- Rice harvest inekari Cutting the ripe rice, the main work of the farming year in autumn.
- 紅葉狩Autumn
- Autumn leaf viewing momijigari Going out into the hills and fields to enjoy the beauty of the autumn leaves.
- 運動会Autumn
- Sports day undōkai A day of races and games held by schools and neighbourhoods, most often in the clear weather of autumn.
Observances 行事
- 時代祭Autumn
- Festival of the Ages jidai matsuri A festival held on 22 October at Heian Shrine in Kyoto, in which a procession in the dress of each period of history passes through the city.
Animals 動物
- 渡り鳥Autumn
- Migrant birds wataridori Birds that come over in flocks from the north in autumn; the word means small birds such as thrushes and siskins.
- 雁Autumn
- Wild geese kari Large birds that come from the north in autumn; their flight in long lines and their calls have been written of for centuries. けふからは日本の雁ぞ楽に寝よIssaFrom today / you are geese of Japan — / sleep at ease
- 鵙Autumn
- Shrike mozu A bird that calls sharply from the tops of tall trees in autumn; its call is known as the shrike's high voice, mozu no takane.
- きりぎりすAutumn
- Cricket kirigirisu An insect that sings in autumn; in the classics, kirigirisu is said to mean the insect called a cricket today. むざんやな甲の下のきりぎりすBashōHow pitiful — / under the helmet / a cricket
Plants 植物
- 菊Autumn
- Chrysanthemum kiku The flower that stands for autumn; its scent is strong, and it has long been a flower of wishes for long life. 菊の香や奈良には古き仏達BashōScent of chrysanthemums — / in Nara / the old Buddhas
- 紅葉Autumn
- Autumn leaves momiji Late in autumn the leaves of the trees turn red and yellow; the colours of the maple are the best known.
- 柿Autumn
- Persimmon kaki A fruit that ripens orange in autumn, the very picture of autumn in a Japanese village. 柿くへば鐘が鳴るなり法隆寺ShikiI eat a persimmon / and a bell rings — / Hōryūji
- 木の実Autumn
- Tree nuts ko no mi The general word for the nuts of trees that ripen and fall in autumn, acorns, chinquapin nuts and the like.
- 栗Autumn
- Chestnut kuri The nut that ripens inside its spiny burr in autumn, eaten in dishes such as chestnut rice.
- 金木犀Autumn
- Sweet osmanthus kinmokusei A tree with small orange flowers in autumn; their sweet scent carries far and tells of the season.
The seasons follow the old calendar, as Japanese books of season words (saijiki) divide them. Around Risshun, Rikka, Risshū and Rittō, the first days of spring, summer, autumn and winter, one month holds the words of two seasons.
To count the sounds of a haiku, try the Haiku Sound Counter.
