This year in Kanagawa Prefecture we’ve had a super-short monsoon season that ended around June 27th, 3 weeks earlier than the average year. Regular summer high pressure from the Pacific Ocean is receiving help from expediting Tibetan High Pressure and dispelled the monsoon front far earlier. After that, we’ve had more than a week of extremely hot and humid days in Megalopolis Tokyo. Daily commuting and traffic congestion started around 5 o’clock in the morning before the temperature reaches to 30°C. By noon the streets and outdoors become unusually quiet. We’ve stayed inside avoiding the heat wave just like rabbits hiding from predators ... I wonder how do forests and their dwellers deal with such extreme weather … Last weekend, I encountered “So-what?” attitude in Niiharu Citizen Forest 新治市民の森.
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| Niiharu Citizen Forest around 7 o’clock in the morning during the heat wave … I think the color of the sky is strange … |
The ancient Japanese calendar splits a year in 24 divisions and names each with seasonal characteristics of weather or astronomical observation. People then divided each section in 3, i.e. 72 sections in total for 365 days. 365/72=5 roughly, so each division has 15 days more or less. It’s an import from Chinese calendar, but with typically Japanese approach our ancestors adjusted the classification according to Japanese nature. For the time of Summer Solstice, the first 5 days from the solstice is the time when Prunella asiatica ends its flower. The next 5 days is for Siberian Iris opens. The last 5 days which starts roughly 11 days after the solstice is the time when crowdipper opens. Such bricolage of astronomical calendar and botanical observation was important when people depended on agricultural production, they say. The ancient Japanese knowledge dictates that for successful rice cultivation farmers ought to complete transplanting rice seedling before the last 5 days of Summer Solstice, i.e. by the time they found flowers of crowdippers appear. The last 5 days of Summer Solstice is called Hangesho 半夏生.
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| Opened dark purple bract of crowdipper. Its flowers are inside. |
The word itself is directly from ancient Chinese which probably means (Naomi doesn’t speak Chinese) “Half-summer.” Yep, in standard years for Japan 11 days after the Summer Solstice we should be in the middle of monsoon with thick rainy clouds above our head. Not yet full-summer. Japanese regional folklore defines Hangesho is the time for rest after busy rice planting time. Many Japanese villages had taboo to work in their field during Hangesho, otherwise some misfortune happens to the community. It was a short holidays during misty monsoon before harsh summer. Japanese sounds of the word “Hangesho” have a kind of romantic echo … Homomym of Hangesho 半夏生 in Japanese is 半化粧 which means “a touch of makeup.” Not fully completed, but in the middle of something … no direct sunlight but humid atmosphere of cloudy days … It’s not the full make-up to be presented for a paparazzi-filled party of celebrities, but relaxed natural beauty in quiet forest with a light make-up … And there is a plant having “Hangesho” for its name. Its academic name is Saururus chinensis. It’s secretly popular. Sometimes even garden centers sell Saururus chinensis for horticultural purpose.
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| Planted young Saururus chinensis along a pedestrian road in a city garden. |
It is a wild plant mainly found in Southeast Asia. Japan is the northernmost point for their wild population. They like wetland with enough non-direct sun light. They multiply by rhizome and have spike flowers around the time of Hangesho. The reason why they are loved is, at least around me, not for their flowers. “Lysimachia clethroides have larger flower!” We adore Saururus chinensis because of their elongated egg-shaped leaves. Around Hangesho time, the leaves of Hangesho turns its color from simple green to half green and half white, just like a light make-up. Sexy.
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| Flowers of Lysimachia clethroides. Definitely flusher than Saururus chinensis. |
Because of the loss of habitat, Saururus chinensis is endangered species for Tokyo. Fortunately in Kanagawa Prefecture, we still have large wild colonies of Hangesho here and there. Probably the most famous (or exposed to tourists) colony is in Koajiro Forest 小網代の森. Niiharu Forest also has a colony. They appear before Pollia japonica or heartleaf lily flowers, during Hangesho. I simply wonder if they are OK for this year’s non-average climate during Summer Solstice. They have such a period specific name of traditional climate pattern … Then, last weekend roughly 11 days after the Solstice I found they were thriving in their place for Niiharu, just as in the previous years. Phew! I hope they can stay there next year, and next …
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| This year’s Saururus chinensis for Niiharu |
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| A month later, flowers of Pollia japonica should replace Saururus chinensis. Let us see … |
If you find environmental issues in Kanagawa Prefecture, please make a contact with Kanagawa Natural Environment Conservation Center 神奈川県自然環境保全センター
657 Nanasawa, Atsugi City, 243-0121
〒243－0121 厚木市七沢657
Phone: 046-248-0323
You can send an enquiry to them by clicking the bottom line of their homepage at http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/div/1644/
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