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