Japan’s 72 Microseasons

七十二候 … 旧暦で1年を72に分けた5日または6日間を1候とし　その時候の変化を示したもの。旧暦のもっている太陽暦の要素である。Source：広辞苑第六版
Shichiju-ni Ko … Seventy two divisions of the Traditional Japanese calendar - Kyureki.

Spring -春-

#1 East wind melts the ice 東風解凍
#2 Bush warblers start singing in the mountains 黄鶯睍睆
#3 Fish emerge from the ice 魚上氷
#4 Rain moistens the soil 土脉潤起
#5 Mist starts to linger 霞始靆
#6 Grass sprouts, trees bud 草木萌動
#7 Hibernating insects surface 蟄虫啓戸
#8 First peach blossoms 桃始笑
#9 Caterpillars become butterflies 菜虫化蝶
#10 Sparrows start to nest 雀始巣
#11 First cherry blossoms 櫻始開
#12 Distant thunder 雷乃発声
#13 Swallows return 玄鳥至
#14 Wild geese fly north 鴻雁北
#15 First rainbows 虹始見
#16 First reeds sprout 葭始生
#17 Last frost, rice seedlings grow 霜止出苗
#18 Peonies bloom 牡丹華

Summer -夏-

#19 Frogs start singing 蛙始鳴
#20 Worms surface 蚯蚓出
#21 Bamboo shoots sprout 竹笋生
#22 Silkworms start feasting on mulberry leaves 蚕起食桑
#23 Safflowers bloom 紅花栄
#24 Wheat ripens and is harvested 麦秋至
#25 Praying mantises hatch 螳螂生
#26 Rotten grass becomes fireflies 腐草為蛍
#27 Plums turn yellow 梅子黄
#28 Self-heal withers 乃東枯
#29 Irises bloom 菖蒲華
#30 Crow-dipper sprouts 半夏生
#31 Warm winds blow 温風至
#32 First lotus blossoms 蓮始開
#33 Hawks learn to fly 鷹乃学習
#34 Paulownia trees produce seeds 桐始結花
#35 Earth is damp, air is humid 土潤溽暑
#36 Great rains sometimes fall 大雨時行

Autumn -秋-

#37 Cool winds blow 涼風至
#38 Evening cicadas sing 寒蝉鳴
#39 Thick fog descends 蒙霧升降
#40 Cotton flowers bloom 綿柎開
#41 Heat starts to die down 天地始粛
#42 Rice ripens 禾乃登
#43 Dew glistens white on grass 草露白
#44 Wagtails sing 鶺鴒鳴
#45 Swallows leave 玄鳥去
#46 Thunder ceases 雷乃収声
#47 Insects hole up underground 蟄虫坏戸
#48 Farmers drain fields 水始涸
#49 Wild geese return 鴻雁来
#50 Chrysanthemums bloom 菊花開
#51 Crickets chirp around the door 蟋蟀在戸
#52 First frost 霜始降
#53 Light rains sometimes fall 霎時施
#54 Maple leaves and ivy turn yellow 楓蔦黄

Winter -冬-

#55 Camellias bloom 山茶始開
#56 Land starts to freeze 地始凍
#57 Daffodils bloom 金盞香
#58 Rainbows hide 虹蔵不見
#59 North wind blows the leaves from the trees 朔風払葉
#60 Tachibana citrus tree leaves start to turn yellow 橘始黄
#61 Cold sets in, winter begins 閉塞成冬
#62 Bears start hibernating in their dens 熊蟄穴
#63 Salmon gather and swim upstream 鮭魚群
#64 Self-heal sprouts 乃東生
#65 Deer shed antlers 麋角解
#66 Wheat sprouts under snow 雪下出麦
#67 Parsley flourishes 芹乃栄
#68 Springs thaw 水泉動
#69 Pheasants start to call 雉始雊
#70 Butterburs bud 款冬華
#71 Ice thickens on streams 水沢腹堅
#72 Hens start laying eggs 鶏始乳