Seasonal Weather: "Nowaki" (Typhoon)
October 04, 2015Seasonal Weather: The wind which blows the field apart: "Nowaki"
Here is a Japanese traditional poem, tanka, sung by Matsuo Basho.
"Hukitobasu Ishi wa asama no Nowaki kana"
Interpretation: How dreary the Asama Mountain's scenery is when the
storm blows off stones.
In Japan, once the Nihyaku toka (One of the days signifying the
change of the seasons, which is on the 210th day from the first day
of spring) passed, it is said that the weather tends to be bad
because of typhoons. The storm around this season used to be called
"Nowaki".
Nowaki has often been used as the season word for autumn in haiku
since the Edo period (17-19c). "Nowaki Ato" means the dreary scene
after a typhoon has passed. "Nowaki Bare" means dry and bright autumn
weather after a typhoon has passed. Whether during a typhoon or after
a typhoon passed, Nowaki scenes were described in Haiku.
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