Microseason: Flora Bud

SPRING

RAIN WATER

FLORA BUD

28 February - 4 March

As flora of all sorts drink in the moisture from soil and air, the increase of water-based nutrients give way to budding. Under the gentle sunlight of Spring, lime-green buds begin to appear on the ground and along tree branches. The life energy stored over Winter starts to manifest.

The word “moé” which is used to express the budding action of the flora of this season, not only signifies the budding of plants and trees, but also conveys the feeling of something beginning, stirring, emerging. And it is a common sight in Japanese poetry.

Kusamoé The phenomenon of grass buds sprouting together.

Shitamoé Young life breaking through the remnants of Winter, these young shoots emerge beneath the previous year’s dried grass.

Moétatsu The strength of sprouting of grass and trees.

Moéizuru The proactive, forward movement of sprouting of grass and trees.

Moéwataru The abundance of sprouting of grass and trees as far as the eyes can see.

Moégi Young trees just beginning to bud, evoking the sense of new life stirring within them.

Moégiiro Part of the traditional Japanese color palette, this shade of green is similar to newly sprouted onions, somewhere between green and pale blue. The stage curtains in Kabuki theaters, known as Joushikimaku, feature a combination of black, persimmon, and this moegi-iro.

Throughout the 72 microseasons, a wide array of flora mark the ever-evolving seasons. And this microseason is the first of the year when flora take center stage. While I know the microseasons, I am still taken by surprise every single year that there is no microseason dedicated to Plum Blossoms, so take a moment to I pay respect to them during this time. Plum blossoms are the first of the trifecta of tree flowers that mark Spring, and are highly observed across the Japanese countryside. Plum petals range in color from white to magenta, but their petals are uniquely round and cherub. They are the frontiersman of Spring, and blossom viewing that is most commonly reserved for cherry blossoms these days, were originally a past time to celebrate plum blossoms.

Photo credit: Momoko Nakamura