Saijiki

Typical bird and flower motifs of the months (insects may also appear)

  • New Year- pine and crane
  • Feb. -plum and uguisu, bush warbler
  • Mar.-peach and butterflies
  • Apr.- cherry blossoms
  • /May – iris and hototogisu

  • June- green maples and ayu; cormorants
  • July- egret and reeds, hotaru- fireflies
  • August- lotus; tombo-dragonflies
  • September – susuki, eulalia and the moon; bush clover and bell crickets
  • October – geese and c’mums; rice and sparrows; colored leaves and deer
  • Nov. – millet and quail; chestnuts and pheasant
  • Dec.-nandina and grosbeak ; mandarin ducks; plovers

Typical scenes or thematic objects for the month

  • New Years
    • toys
    • pine
    • plum and bamboo triad
    • rising sun
    • the wedded rocks at Ise
    • Peng-lai (Hourai) Islands
    • cranes and turtles
    • the year’s Zodiac Animal,

  • Feb.
    • plums and ox
    • ox cart
    • any referencce to Sugawara Michizane

    • learning, esp. calligraphy
    • evicting demons with beans; any (demon) reference
    • Otafuku- the plump-faced goddess of bounty
  • Mar
    • dolls esp court scenes
    • young children
    • beautiful women
    • any Heian court scenes, esp Genji
    • elegant asobi, esp shell matching game, throwing fans, etc.
    • shells, gathering shelfish at neap tide;
  • April
    • cherry blossom viewing parties (outside or night scenes)
    • small grasses
    • butterflies
    • planting rice fields
  • May
    • valiant warriors
    • little boy strongmen- Momotaro, Kintaro
    • carp swimming up waterfalls > dragons

    • tigers, horses
    • armor, swords, bow and arrows
    • eight bridges with iris
    • tea picking at Uji
    • Aoi Matsuri > horse riders (again Genji), ox carts, beautiful Heian men and women, aoi- wild ginger leaves and fllowers

  • June
    • waterfalls without carp
    • fishermen in streams
    • cormorant fishing
    • fireflies
    • green, green leaves and fields
  • July
    • Tanabata > skeins of silk thread in five colors, stars, cow-herding, musical instruments; weaving scenes

    • poem writing and hanging on bamboo tree; poem strips (tanzaku)
  • August
    • Buddhist themes > lotus, sutra strips, Daimonji bonfire

    • clear skies, high clouds, green fields, children playing outside
    • insects- beetles, dragonflies
    • fireworks
  • September
    • moon in clouds;
    • pampas grass fields
    • the seven grasses of autumn
    • harvested vegetables and fruit
    • rabbits
    • mortar and pounder
    • early migratory birds
    • singing insects- bell crickets
    • scarecrows
    • early c’mums / cotton pompoms
  • October
    • mushrooms
    • silk fulling (pounding)
    • V’s of geese flocks over the moon
    • white foxes of Inari shrine , fox impersonating Sotan (Sotan-gitsune),
  • Nov.
    • colored leaves
    • c’mums on a fence
    • persimmons and chestnuts
    • chatsubo gyoretsu- parade carrying the year’s new tea to the Shogun
    • new bamboo fences
  • Dec.
    • old calendars
    • winter in the villages
    • Gishi matsuri- the 47 loyal ronin
    • deep snow/ smoke from hearth scenes
    • arrows (time flies like), closed up in a bag/ tsubo waiting for New Year
    • final preps, getting rid of debts, ordering new things
    • mochi pounding, decorating
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