Microseason: Mid-Summer Flora Emerge
SUMMER
SUMMER SOLSTICE
MID-SUMMER FLORA EMERGE
1 - 6 July
Appearing shortly after Summer Solstice, Mid-Summer flora emerge. The season when we greet one another not with a simple good morning or good evening, but add that we cannot believe that we are already "circling back".
We actively think of time as cyclical. And New Years Day is arguably the most significant day of the year in Japan. It is our 12 o’clock. As such the first week of July marks that beginning of the year’s return.
Hangé refers to both katasirougusa and karasubishaku. Katasirougusa belongs to the lizard’s tail family and for a brief period during these Mid-summer days, it undergoes a curious transformation. The upper half of its leaves turn a "rice" white. The name hangésho is attributed to this unique half-painted state.
In Kyoto’s entertainment district, hangésho refers to the transitional appearance of geiko who have not fully applied oshiroi foundation. Whether on break or in between performances, she wears a partial face of makeup. The resemblance to the hangésho plant’s two-toned leaves is striking, and the linguistic overlap illustrates how seasonal aesthetics extend from the field into the mirror.
Karasubishaku is a native medicinal plant long used in traditional Japanese remedies. In farming cues of yesteryear, the microseason indicated the last safe period to complete rice planting. It was believed that any planting conducted beyond this point risked a smaller yield. Farmers would aim to finish planting rice by this date and then take time to rest.
Rituals emerged to mark this transition. In parts of Kansai hangésho mochi are prepared and offered as gratitude for the completion of rice planting season and as prayers for a healthy harvest come Autumn. There is also a custom of preparing octopus during this microseason, as a prayer for rice plants to grow strong and spread across the paddies like octopus legs. Octopus is rich in taurine, known to help relieve fatigue and support liver function, which also makes it an ideal food during the Summer months. In Shikoku, once the rush of farmwork had subsided, udon would be prepared using freshly harvested wheat and serve them to neighbors who had helped in the fields.
Photo credit: Momoko Nakamura