Photo/Illutration People enjoy the view of the full moon at Moerenuma Park in Sapporo on Sept. 10. (The Asahi Shimbun)

“Are we looking at a summer sky or a clear autumn sky today?” a radio announcer asked on Sept. 10 with apparent bewilderment.

As I looked up at the sky, towering cumulonimbus clouds in the morning gave way to a skyscape that could be described as “sheep clouds” or a “mackerel sky” by around noon.

According to “Saijiki,” a list of “kigo” haiku season phrases, “aki atsushi” (autumn is hot) generally indicates the lingering summer heat in August.

My impression, however, is that in recent years we have experienced more and more mid-September days where we feel “autumn is hot.”

It was so hot in central Tokyo on Sept. 10 that I regretted wearing a long-sleeved shirt.

A haiku poem by Toshio Mitsuhashi goes: “Taiyo wa itsumo manmaru aki atsushi.” (The sun is always round/ autumn is hot)

The poet apparently compared the round sun with the moon, which waxes and wanes.

Even if we are baffled by unseasonably hot weather during the day, the night is certainly becoming longer. Longer nights allow the moon to shine more fully.

Many people could probably view the full moon on Sept. 10, which corresponded to Aug. 15 on the lunar calendar this year.

But a moon that has slightly waned has its own unique beauty.

The moon that appears on Aug. 16 on the lunar calendar is called “izayoi no tsuki,” or a 16-day-old moon. It has been a beloved theme of poems from ancient times.

“Shochusho,” a book on tanka poetics written during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), said “isayou tsuki” meant “yasurau tsuki.”

The words “isayou” and “yasurau” both meant “to hesitate” and were suitable for describing a waning gibbous moon that comes out just after Aug. 15 on the lunar calendar.

Yasurau also means “to take a rest” and is reminiscent of the contemporary word “yasuragu” (to have peace of mind).

A waning moon seems to be filled with the calmness of a quiet decline.

Novelist Roka Tokutomi (1868-1927) noticed the beauty of clouds when he looked up at a 16-day-old moon.

“Round white clouds close to the moon shine like silver, while those far from the moon appear as soft as cotton,” he wrote.

The moon generously gives the light it receives from the sun to others.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 11

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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