Sky (sora, ten)

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Sky (sora, ten)

***** Location: Japan, worldwide
***** Season: Various, see below
***** Category: Heaven

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Explanation

The word SKY (SORA or TEN) just like that (空, 天） is not a kigo in Japan.

But since the SKY is with us day and night throughout the year, there are many kigo connected with it.
blue sky is also not a kigo, but blue sky in winter is one, see below.

The original meaning of SORA comes from SORU　反る, turn outward, upward, inside out.
This shows the great interest of the Japanese people for the sky and weather patterns.

Let us go through the seasons.

Gabi Greve

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NEW YEAR

First sky, hatsu zora 初空 (はつぞら)


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SPRING

The spring sky is often rather whitish and misty, sometimes even felt as "light green" (asamidori 浅緑). On clear days it is light and bright.


spring sky, haru no sora 春の空 (はるのそら)
... haru zora 春空（はるぞら）
... shunten春天（しゅんてん）


sky full of yellow dust, baiten 霾天（ばいてん）
Yellow Sand (koosa, kosa)(Japan, China)


cloudy sky in the cherry blossom season,
yookaten 養花天（ようかてん）


Aurora Season


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SUMMER

Ths sky is different in early, mid and late summer in Japan, but usually clear, strong and bright with a rather "male" feeling to it.
It is filled with the "billowing clouds" and the long, imressive evening splendour of red and violett sunset colors.
It clearly shows the border of heaven and earth.


summer sky, natsu no sora 夏の空 (なつのそら)
... natsu zora 夏空（なつぞら）,
... natsu no ten夏の天（なつのてん）, katen夏天（かてん）


"blazing sky", enten 炎天 (えんてん)
the burning [blazing] sun, hot weather, scorching sun
sky in a drought, hideri zora 旱空（ひでりぞら）
.... kanten 旱天（かんてん）"dry sky" dry weather


aburaderi 油照 (あぶらでり 脂照) "oily sunshine"
sweltering heat
glühende Hitze


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The only change we have in this special season, usually from June to July.

sky in the rainy season, tsuyu zora 梅雨空 (つゆぞら)
... tsuyu no sora 梅雨の空（つゆのそら）
... baiten 梅天（ばいてん）, satsuki zora 五月空（さつきぞら）
Rainy Season (tsuyu) Japan


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AUTUMN

The clearness of the autumn sky on a fine day is striking. It is so blue and clear that it seems higher than in other seasons. The clouds in the sky seem to float, busily driven by the jet streams, sometimes in different layers in different speeds, as Boncho observed so rightly

上行くと下来る雲や　秋の空
ue yuku to shita kuru kumo ya aki no sora

clouds floating above
and clouds floating below -
autumn sky

Nozawa Boncho　野沢凡兆


An old proverb says: "A man's heart is like the autumn sky" (otokogokoro to aki no sora).
or
女心と秋の空 (onnagokoro to aki no sora) -- (The mind of a woman in autumn sky)



autumn sky, aki no sora 秋の空 (あきのそら)
... akizora 秋空（あきぞら）, shuuten 秋天（しゅうてん）

cold autumn (sky), shuubin 秋旻（しゅうびん）
cold autumn sky, binten 旻天（びんてん）


Clear Autumn Sky (ten takashi, Japan)
... high autumn sky, spacious sky
A favorite autumn sky kigo.


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WINTER



The winter sky in Japan differs on the side of the Japan Sea, where it snows a lot and the Pacific side, where it is usually fine and clear. So the outlook on the sky depends very much on the change of the seasonal wind direction. The high pressure (with cold air) from the North moves down toward the low pressur in the South.
In winter the clear sky of the Pacific side lets us see Mount Fuji in all its splendor, whereas the side of the Sea of Japan is all covered in white and silver.

winter sky, fuyu no sora 冬の空 （ふゆのそら）
... fuyu zora (冬空（ふゆぞら）
..... tooten 冬天（とうてん）


"blue sky in winter", fuyu aozora 冬青空（ふゆあおぞら）
when we can see Mount Fuji


freezing sky, itezora 凍空（いてぞら）
cold sky, kanten寒天（かんてん）, samuzora、寒空（さむぞら）
on the side of the Japan Sea


deep, quiet winter sky, yuuten幽天（ゆうてん）
on the side of the Japan Sea


clear sky after a snowfall, setsugo no ten
雪後の天（せつごのてん）


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kigo for early winter

. koharuzora 小春空（こはるぞら) sky at Indian sumer time 　　


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kigo for mid-winter

nagori no sora 名残の空 (なごりのそら) "remaining sky"
..... toshi no sora 年の空（としのそら）sky of this year

This refers to the days just before the New Year.



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


Names for the color of the sky
some are also used for WATER


. asagi あさぎ - 浅黄 - 浅葱 hues of light yellow, green and blue .

asagiiro, asagi-iro あさぎいろ【浅葱色】pale light blue
#00a3af
slightly green, like a leek (negi 葱 )
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Related
花浅葱はなあさぎ #2a83a2


fukaai, fuka-ai 深藍 dark indigo
almost black
related
ai-iro 藍色あいいろ #165e83
koi-ai 濃藍こいあい #0f2350


gunjo 群青 ぐんじょ ultramarine; sea blue


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hanairo, hana-iro　 はないろ【花色】 "color of blossoms"
#4d5aaf　


The color takes its name from this autumn flowe, tsukikusa つきくさ【月草／　鴨跖草（おうせきそう）鴨跖草】. It is used to color fabric and paper (tsuki kusa 着き草　Commelina communis　）.

. . . . . Related BLOSSOM colors
紅掛花色べにかけはないろ #68699b benikake
薄花色うすはないろ #698aab usu
舛花色ますはないろ #5b7e91 masu
白花色しらはないろ #e8ecef shira
熨斗目花色のしめはないろ #426579 noshime

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hanadairo, hanada-iro はなだいろ【縹色】light blue
#2792c3
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



hisoku ひそく 【秘色】 celadon-blue-green
hisokuiro, hisoku-iro 秘色色 (ひそくいろ)
#abced8
Celadon is an ancient Chinese pottery.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



konpeki こんぺき【紺碧】deep blue
#007bbb
It reminds of the Chinese precious stone japser, hekigyoku へきぎょく【碧玉】
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



ruriiro, ruri-iro 瑠璃色 (るりいろ) lapis lazuli blue
#1e50a2
Sparkles like a precious stone. LAPIS means stone, LAZULI means heavenly blue in latin.
In Japan, this precious stone is mentioned in the Taketori Monogatari, together with Gold and Silver as colors for water coming from the mountains.



　COLORS and HAIKU : blue and green
aoi .... あおい 青　/ midori　ミドリ　緑 　




Japanese Color Codes
CLICK here to see more shades of Japanese BLUE.



天と地の境は浅葱雪の果
ten to chi no sakai wa asagi yuki no hate

the border between
heaven and earth is pale blue -
as far as the snow reaches

Ishijima Gake 石嶌岳
Tr. Gabi Greve

source : HAIKUreikuDB



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HAIKU


ISSA

山紅葉入日を空へ返す哉
yama momiji irihi o sora e kaesu kana

mountain's red leaves
the setting sun returns
to the sky



片枝は都の空よむめの花
kata eda wa miyako no sora yo mume no hana

one branch makes
Kyoto's sky...
plum blossoms



我星は上総の空をうろつくか
waga hoshi wa Kazusa no sora wo urotsuku ka

sky over Kazusa--
is my star up there
prowling?

More of Issa's haiku about SORA, the SKY
　Tr. David Lanoue

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. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 Issa in Edo .

翌からは冬の空ぞよ蝶蜻蛉
asu kara wa fuyu no sora zo yo choo tonboo

hey butterflies,
dragonflies, from tomorrow
winter sky
Tr. Chris Drake

This autumn hokku is from the last day of the 9th month (October 23) in 1813, the year Issa moved back to his hometown. At the time Issa wrote the hokku he was staying at a hot springs spa in Yudanaka run by one of his students. This day is also the last day of lunar fall, and Issa is telling the butterflies and dragonflies that tomorrow will be the first day of winter. Perhaps the weather is still warm, and he thinks the butterflies and dragonflies aren't aware of the fact that winter is so near. Issa knows well that mature dragonflies, at least those that aren't eaten by other species, live only about a month, which is also the life span of small butterflies, so it isn't winter which kills off either species.

It's simply that larvae don't grow into new mature butterflies and dragonflies during winter. On the other hand, some larger butterflies survive the winter by hibernating in protected places like sheds and holes in trees. So perhaps Issa is telling the insects that they'll all soon have to say goodbye until the larger butterflies wake in the spring and new butterflies and dragonflies appear out of the larva that will survive the winter. Perhaps he's telling some of his airborne friends,
"Hey (zo yo), I'm really going to miss you!"
Winter sky also seems to refer to the emptiness Issa knows he'll feel without these small friends.

Chris Drake

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layers of clouds
and yet
the sky stays blue

More SKY haiku by Gabi Greve



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Related words

***** Stars

***** Travel, Traveler's Sky (tabi, tabi no sora)


. SAIJIKI - - HEAVEN in all seasons 　


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