# Japan's 72 micro-seasons: 2026–27 calendar · Angel Step

> All 72 kō of the old Japanese calendar: kanji, readings and meanings, dates from February 2026 to February 2028 in Japan time, and today's micro-season.

Canonical: https://angelstep.app/micro-seasons
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-12
Whole site in one file: https://angelstep.app/llms-full.txt

This file is the markdown twin of the page at the canonical address above: the same words, without markup. Cite the canonical address, not this file.

---

The old Japanese calendar splits the year into 24 solar terms, and each of those into three kō of about five days: 72 micro-seasons, most of them named after something you could see outside. The first, 東風解凍 (the east wind thaws the ice), begins on February 4 in both 2026 and 2027. Below: the micro-season for any date, all 72 with their readings and meanings, and the dates they begin in Japan.

Angel StepCute Pedometer, Daily StepsFree · In-App Purchases · iPhone

Scan with your iPhone camera

### Which micro-season is it today?

Pick a date. The calculator gives the micro-season in Japan on that day, its reading and meaning, which solar term it belongs to, when it runs, and the next one.

雉始雊

Kiji hajimete naku: Pheasants begin to call

next: Fuki no hana saku (Butterbur blooms), from January 20

The date starts at today in Japan; without JavaScript, the example above is January 15, 2027.

### What the 72 micro-seasons are

Each of the 24 solar terms, or sekki, covers 15° of the Sun's yearly path, about 15 days. Each term has a first, second and third kō, which gives 72 periods of about five days. Put the two words together, 気 and 候, and you get 気候, kikō: the Japanese word for climate.

Most names describe weather, plants and animals. The list came from China. The astronomer Shibukawa Shunkai rewrote it in 1685 to fit Japan's own climate, and the Hōreki calendar corrected a few more; that revised list is the one used today. One old line that is not science stayed through every revision: 腐草為蛍, rotting grass turns into fireflies.

### How the dates are worked out

From the Tenpō calendar of 1844, Japan's official calendars stopped giving each kō a date. The one that kept a date is Hangeshō, still on the calendar today, and it falls on the day the Sun reaches 100° of ecliptic longitude. This page uses the same rule for all 72: a new kō begins each time the Sun moves another 5°, and the date is the date in Japan.

Checked against the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan: the 48 solar terms of 2026 and 2027 and every Hangeshō from 2004 to 2027 fall on the same day, within a minute. Hangeshō is on July 2 in both 2026 and 2027.

Most micro-seasons last five days: 63 of the 72 from February 2026 to February 2027. The Sun moves faster in January than in July, so 7 of them last six days and 2 last four. Other lists may differ by a day, and readings differ too; this page uses the observatory's. The observatory itself notes that some names are not science and that none of them can pin down an exact day, so read them as a guide to the season.

### All 72 micro-seasons, 2026–27

Grouped by solar term, from Risshun on February 4, 2026 to the day before Risshun in 2027. Each line gives the kanji, the reading and what it means. The January dates are in 2027.

The 72 micro-seasons, February 4, 2026 to February 3, 2027, dates in Japan

| Dates | Micro-season |
| 立春 Risshun (Start of spring) |
| Feb 4–⁠8 | 東風解凍(氷)Harukaze kōri o tokuThe east wind thaws the ice |
| Feb 9–⁠13 | 黄鶯睍睆Uguisu nakuBush warblers sing |
| Feb 14–⁠18 | 魚上氷Uo kōri o izuruFish rise from under the ice |
| 雨水 Usui (Rain water) |
| Feb 19–⁠22 | 土脉潤起Tsuchi no shō uruoi okoruThe soil grows damp |
| Feb 23–⁠27 | 霞始靆Kasumi hajimete tanabikuHaze begins to drift |
| Feb 28 – Mar 4 | 草木萌動Sōmoku mebae izuruGrass and trees begin to bud |
| 啓蟄 Keichitsu (Insects awaken) |
| Mar 5–⁠9 | 蟄虫啓戸Sugomori mushi to o hirakuWintering insects open their doors |
| Mar 10–⁠14 | 桃始笑Momo hajimete sakuPeach trees begin to bloom |
| Mar 15–⁠19 | 菜虫化蝶Namushi chō to naruCaterpillars become butterflies |
| 春分 Shunbun (Spring equinox) |
| Mar 20–⁠25 | 雀始巣Suzume hajimete sukūSparrows begin to nest |
| Mar 26–⁠30 | 桜始開Sakura hajimete hirakuCherry blossoms begin to open |
| Mar 31 – Apr 4 | 雷乃発声Kaminari sunawachi koe o hassuThunder finds its voice |
| 清明 Seimei (Clear and bright) |
| Apr 5–⁠9 | 玄鳥至Tsubame kitaruSwallows arrive |
| Apr 10–⁠14 | 鴻雁北Kōgan kaeruWild geese head north |
| Apr 15–⁠19 | 虹始見Niji hajimete arawaruRainbows begin to appear |
| 穀雨 Kokuu (Grain rain) |
| Apr 20–⁠24 | 葭始生Ashi hajimete shōzuReeds begin to sprout |
| Apr 25–⁠29 | 霜止出苗Shimo yande nae izuruFrost ends, rice seedlings grow |
| Apr 30 – May 4 | 牡丹華Botan hana sakuPeonies bloom |
| 立夏 Rikka (Start of summer) |
| May 5–⁠10 | 蛙始鳴Kawazu hajimete nakuFrogs begin to sing |
| May 11–⁠15 | 蚯蚓出Mimizu izuruEarthworms come up |
| May 16–⁠20 | 竹笋生Takenoko shōzuBamboo shoots come up |
| 小満 Shōman (Grain fills) |
| May 21–⁠25 | 蚕起食桑Kaiko okite kuwa o hamuSilkworms wake and eat mulberry leaves |
| May 26–⁠30 | 紅花栄Benibana sakauSafflowers flourish |
| May 31 – Jun 5 | 麦秋至Mugi no toki itaruBarley harvest time comes |
| 芒種 Bōshu (Grain in ear) |
| Jun 6–⁠10 | 蟷螂生Kamakiri shōzuPraying mantises hatch |
| Jun 11–⁠15 | 腐草為蛍Kusaretaru kusa hotaru to naruRotting grass turns into fireflies |
| Jun 16–⁠20 | 梅子黄Ume no mi kibamuPlums turn yellow |
| 夏至 Geshi (Summer solstice) |
| Jun 21–⁠25 | 乃東枯Natsukarekusa karuruSelf-heal withers |
| Jun 26 – Jul 1 | 菖蒲華Ayame hana sakuIrises bloom |
| Jul 2–⁠6 | 半夏生Hange shōzuCrow-dipper sprouts |
| 小暑 Shōsho (Lesser heat) |
| Jul 7–⁠11 | 温風至Atsukaze itaruWarm winds arrive |
| Jul 12–⁠16 | 蓮始開Hasu hajimete hirakuLotuses begin to open |
| Jul 17–⁠22 | 鷹乃学習Taka sunawachi waza o narauYoung hawks learn to fly |
| 大暑 Taisho (Greater heat) |
| Jul 23–⁠27 | 桐始結花Kiri hajimete hana o musubuPaulownia trees begin to bear seed |
| Jul 28 – Aug 1 | 土潤溽暑Tsuchi uruōte mushiatsushiDamp earth, humid heat |
| Aug 2–⁠6 | 大雨時行Taiu tokidoki ni furuHeavy rain falls now and then |
| 立秋 Risshū (Start of autumn) |
| Aug 7–⁠12 | 涼風至Suzukaze itaruCool winds arrive |
| Aug 13–⁠17 | 寒蝉鳴Higurashi nakuEvening cicadas sing |
| Aug 18–⁠22 | 蒙霧升降Fukaki kiri matōThick fog settles in |
| 処暑 Shosho (Heat ends) |
| Aug 23–⁠27 | 綿柎開Wata no hanashibe hirakuCotton bolls open |
| Aug 28 – Sep 1 | 天地始粛Tenchi hajimete samushiHeaven and earth begin to cool |
| Sep 2–⁠6 | 禾乃登Kokumono sunawachi minoruThe grain ripens |
| 白露 Hakuro (White dew) |
| Sep 7–⁠12 | 草露白Kusa no tsuyu shiroshiDew shines white on the grass |
| Sep 13–⁠17 | 鶺鴒鳴Sekirei nakuWagtails sing |
| Sep 18–⁠22 | 玄鳥去Tsubame saruSwallows leave |
| 秋分 Shūbun (Autumn equinox) |
| Sep 23–⁠27 | 雷乃収声Kaminari sunawachi koe o osamuThunder falls quiet |
| Sep 28 – Oct 2 | 蟄虫坏戸Mushi kakurete to o fusaguInsects close their doors |
| Oct 3–⁠7 | 水始涸Mizu hajimete karuruWater begins to dry up |
| 寒露 Kanro (Cold dew) |
| Oct 8–⁠12 | 鴻雁来Kōgan kitaruWild geese arrive |
| Oct 13–⁠17 | 菊花開Kiku no hana hirakuChrysanthemums bloom |
| Oct 18–⁠22 | 蟋蟀在戸Kirigirisu to ni ariCrickets chirp by the door |
| 霜降 Sōkō (Frost falls) |
| Oct 23–⁠27 | 霜始降Shimo hajimete furuFirst frost |
| Oct 28 – Nov 1 | 霎時施Kosame tokidoki furuLight rain falls now and then |
| Nov 2–⁠6 | 楓蔦黄Momiji tsuta kibamuMaples and ivy turn yellow |
| 立冬 Rittō (Start of winter) |
| Nov 7–⁠11 | 山茶始開Tsubaki hajimete hirakuCamellias begin to bloom |
| Nov 12–⁠16 | 地始凍Chi hajimete kōruThe ground begins to freeze |
| Nov 17–⁠21 | 金盞香Kinsenka sakuDaffodils bloom |
| 小雪 Shōsetsu (Lesser snow) |
| Nov 22–⁠26 | 虹蔵(蟄)不見Niji kakurete miezuRainbows hide |
| Nov 27 – Dec 1 | 朔風払葉Kitakaze konoha o harauThe north wind sweeps the leaves |
| Dec 2–⁠6 | 橘始黄Tachibana hajimete kibamuTachibana oranges begin to turn yellow |
| 大雪 Taisetsu (Greater snow) |
| Dec 7–⁠11 | 閉塞成冬Sora samuku fuyu to naruCold skies, winter sets in |
| Dec 12–⁠16 | 熊蟄穴Kuma ana ni komoruBears go into their dens |
| Dec 17–⁠21 | 鱖魚群Sake no uo muragaruSalmon gather |
| 冬至 Tōji (Winter solstice) |
| Dec 22–⁠26 | 乃東生Natsukarekusa shōzuSelf-heal sprouts |
| Dec 27–⁠31 | 麋角解Sawashika no tsuno otsuruDeer shed their antlers |
| Jan 1–⁠4 | 雪下出麦Yuki kudarite mugi nobiruWheat sprouts under the snow |
| 小寒 Shōkan (Lesser cold) |
| Jan 5–⁠9 | 芹乃栄Seri sunawachi sakauWater dropwort flourishes |
| Jan 10–⁠14 | 水泉動Shimizu atataka o fukumuSprings hold their warmth |
| Jan 15–⁠19 | 雉始雊Kiji hajimete nakuPheasants begin to call |
| 大寒 Daikan (Greater cold) |
| Jan 20–⁠24 | 款冬華Fuki no hana sakuButterbur blooms |
| Jan 25–⁠29 | 水沢腹堅Sawamizu kōri tsumeruMarsh water freezes solid |
| Jan 30 – Feb 3 | 鶏始乳Niwatori hajimete toya ni tsukuHens begin to sit on their nests |

### Start dates, 2026–27 and 2027–28

The day each micro-season begins. Each runs until the day before the next one begins, and in each column the January dates fall in the following year.

Start dates of the 72 micro-seasons, from Risshun 2026 and Risshun 2027, in Japan

| Micro-season | 2026–27 | 2027–28 |
| Harukaze kōri o toku | Feb 4 | Feb 4 |
| Uguisu naku | Feb 9 | Feb 9 |
| Uo kōri o izuru | Feb 14 | Feb 14 |
| Tsuchi no shō uruoi okoru | Feb 19 | Feb 19 |
| Kasumi hajimete tanabiku | Feb 23 | Feb 24 |
| Sōmoku mebae izuru | Feb 28 | Mar 1 |
| Sugomori mushi to o hiraku | Mar 5 | Mar 6 |
| Momo hajimete saku | Mar 10 | Mar 11 |
| Namushi chō to naru | Mar 15 | Mar 16 |
| Suzume hajimete sukū | Mar 20 | Mar 21 |
| Sakura hajimete hiraku | Mar 26 | Mar 26 |
| Kaminari sunawachi koe o hassu | Mar 31 | Mar 31 |
| Tsubame kitaru | Apr 5 | Apr 5 |
| Kōgan kaeru | Apr 10 | Apr 10 |
| Niji hajimete arawaru | Apr 15 | Apr 15 |
| Ashi hajimete shōzu | Apr 20 | Apr 20 |
| Shimo yande nae izuru | Apr 25 | Apr 25 |
| Botan hana saku | Apr 30 | Apr 30 |
| Kawazu hajimete naku | May 5 | May 6 |
| Mimizu izuru | May 11 | May 11 |
| Takenoko shōzu | May 16 | May 16 |
| Kaiko okite kuwa o hamu | May 21 | May 21 |
| Benibana sakau | May 26 | May 26 |
| Mugi no toki itaru | May 31 | Jun 1 |
| Kamakiri shōzu | Jun 6 | Jun 6 |
| Kusaretaru kusa hotaru to naru | Jun 11 | Jun 11 |
| Ume no mi kibamu | Jun 16 | Jun 16 |
| Natsukarekusa karuru | Jun 21 | Jun 21 |
| Ayame hana saku | Jun 26 | Jun 27 |
| Hange shōzu | Jul 2 | Jul 2 |
| Atsukaze itaru | Jul 7 | Jul 7 |
| Hasu hajimete hiraku | Jul 12 | Jul 12 |
| Taka sunawachi waza o narau | Jul 17 | Jul 18 |
| Kiri hajimete hana o musubu | Jul 23 | Jul 23 |
| Tsuchi uruōte mushiatsushi | Jul 28 | Jul 28 |
| Taiu tokidoki ni furu | Aug 2 | Aug 2 |
| Suzukaze itaru | Aug 7 | Aug 8 |
| Higurashi naku | Aug 13 | Aug 13 |
| Fukaki kiri matō | Aug 18 | Aug 18 |
| Wata no hanashibe hiraku | Aug 23 | Aug 23 |
| Tenchi hajimete samushi | Aug 28 | Aug 28 |
| Kokumono sunawachi minoru | Sep 2 | Sep 3 |
| Kusa no tsuyu shiroshi | Sep 7 | Sep 8 |
| Sekirei naku | Sep 13 | Sep 13 |
| Tsubame saru | Sep 18 | Sep 18 |
| Kaminari sunawachi koe o osamu | Sep 23 | Sep 23 |
| Mushi kakurete to o fusagu | Sep 28 | Sep 28 |
| Mizu hajimete karuru | Oct 3 | Oct 3 |
| Kōgan kitaru | Oct 8 | Oct 8 |
| Kiku no hana hiraku | Oct 13 | Oct 13 |
| Kirigirisu to ni ari | Oct 18 | Oct 18 |
| Shimo hajimete furu | Oct 23 | Oct 24 |
| Kosame tokidoki furu | Oct 28 | Oct 29 |
| Momiji tsuta kibamu | Nov 2 | Nov 3 |
| Tsubaki hajimete hiraku | Nov 7 | Nov 8 |
| Chi hajimete kōru | Nov 12 | Nov 13 |
| Kinsenka saku | Nov 17 | Nov 17 |
| Niji kakurete miezu | Nov 22 | Nov 22 |
| Kitakaze konoha o harau | Nov 27 | Nov 27 |
| Tachibana hajimete kibamu | Dec 2 | Dec 2 |
| Sora samuku fuyu to naru | Dec 7 | Dec 7 |
| Kuma ana ni komoru | Dec 12 | Dec 12 |
| Sake no uo muragaru | Dec 17 | Dec 17 |
| Natsukarekusa shōzu | Dec 22 | Dec 22 |
| Sawashika no tsuno otsuru | Dec 27 | Dec 27 |
| Yuki kudarite mugi nobiru | Jan 1 | Jan 1 |
| Seri sunawachi sakau | Jan 5 | Jan 6 |
| Shimizu atataka o fukumu | Jan 10 | Jan 11 |
| Kiji hajimete naku | Jan 15 | Jan 16 |
| Fuki no hana saku | Jan 20 | Jan 20 |
| Sawamizu kōri tsumeru | Jan 25 | Jan 25 |
| Niwatori hajimete toya ni tsuku | Jan 30 | Jan 30 |

### Where Angel Step fits

Angel Step reads only your step count from Apple Health and shows it as one number on a living sky. It does not keep track of the seasons; that is this page's job. Five days is long enough to notice a change on the same walk.

### Sources

- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Koyomi Wiki — 七十二候: the names and readings used here (the Hōreki list), Shibukawa Shunkai's revision, the end of daily dates with the Tenpō calendar, and Hangeshō at 100° of ecliptic longitude. NAOJ
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan — 暦要項, the official dates and times of the solar terms. NAOJ
- Nippon.com — Japan's 72 microseasons: rewritten in 1685 by Shibukawa Shunkai; readings vary between sources. Nippon.com
- Wikipedia — Solar term: 24 terms, each divided into three pentads, 72 in a year. Wikipedia

Updated 12 October 2026

the year outside, five days at a time, and a walk to see it.

Angel Step reads only your steps from Apple Health and shows them as one number on a living sky.