＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・「高西風」「青北風」「秋渇き」「うらなり」などの面白い季語
This time, I’d like to introduce some interesting autumn seasonal words such as “Takanishi-kaze” (high west wind), “Aokita-kaze” (blue north wind), “Akigawawaki” (autumn rising), “Uranari” (southern breeze), and “Mozu no Kusaguki” (shrike’s grass stem).
1. Takanishi-kaze (high west wind)
高西風（たかにし）
“Takanishi-kaze” refers to “a strong northwesterly wind that mainly blows in the San’in and Kyushu regions around the time of the rice harvest.” It is disliked and feared by fishermen because it can flatten rice crops and damage fishing boats.
“Sub-seasonal words” include “Doyōjike（「土用時化（どようじけ）」）” (a storm during the summer solstice), “Momiotoshi（「籾落し（もみおとし）」）” (a wind that causes rice grains to fall), and “Ōnishi-kaze（「大西風（おおにしかぜ）」）” (a strong westerly wind).
Example haiku include the following:
* Takanishi-kaze, as autumn deepens, the rapids roar (Iida Dakotsu)
* Takanishi-kaze, today too, I fear the sailing boat (Seishin)
* Takanishi-kaze, the color of the sea has changed from yesterday (Atsuko)
・高西風に 秋たけぬれば 鳴る瀬かな（飯田蛇笏）
・高西風を けふもおそるる 舟出かな（静心）
・高西風や きのふにかはる 海の色（亜津子）
2. Aogita (Blue North Wind)
青北風（あおぎた）
“Aokita-kaze” (青北風) is a term used by sailors in western Japan to refer to a strong northerly wind that blows around October. The character “ao” (青) is included because it blows on clear days.
After typhoon season, autumn arrives quickly. The seasonal winds change, and a cool, northerly wind begins to blow.
Both “Takanishi-kaze” (高西風) and “Aokita-kaze” (青北風) are terms born from the unavoidable necessities of fishermen living in dire circumstances, where “one plank separates them from hell.” They are by no means “leisurely and elegant seasonal words.”
There are no “sub-seasonal words.”
Examples of haiku are as follows:
* The blue north wind blows, making the Goto beef even more lustrous (Hiroshi Shimomura)
* The blue north wind blows, and when my eyes wander, all I see are rocks (Chigyo Kishida)
* The blue north wind carries news of a good day (Kazutoyo Kubota)
* The blue north wind blows, and an old boat dreams of the open sea (Katsumi Ozawa)
・青北風が 吹いて艶増す 五島牛（下村ひろし）
・青北風や 目のさまよへば 巌ばかり（岸田稚魚）
・青北風や 佳き日の便り 運び来て（久保田一豊）
・青北風の 沖を夢見る 古舟かな（小澤克己）
3. Akigawaki（Autumn Thirst）
秋渇き（あきがわき）
“Autumn thirst” refers to “an increase in appetite in autumn.” By extension, it also refers to “an increase in sexual desire in autumn.” It can also be written as “autumn hunger（「秋飢き」）.”
There are no “sub-seasonal words” associated with autumn.
Examples of poems include the following:
* Spilling tea, people’s autumn thirst (Matsuyoshi)
* A gathering of strong men, autumn hunger (Saito Haikosei)
* Autumn begins, thirst starts before Tanabata (Yanagidaru)
・汲みこぼす 茶や人々の 秋がはき（松欣）
・屈強の 男揃ひや 秋飢き（斎藤俳小星）
・秋がわき 先七夕に かわきそめ（柳多留）
4. Uranari（end-season crop）
うらなり
“Uranari” refers to “fruit that grows late in the season, at the end of the vine; also, the fruit itself.” The fruit is small and inferior in taste. It can also be written as “末生り” or “末成.”
It can also refer to “a person who is pale, weak, and lacking energy” or “the youngest child.”
Incidentally, “ura” here doesn’t refer to the inside or outside of something, but rather to the end of the vine.
There are no “sub-seasonal words” associated with this term.
An example haiku is as follows:
* “Uranari no ko o ba korogashi sodatenari” (Yanagidaru)
・うらなりの 子をばころがし 育てなり（柳多留）
As an aside, “Uranari” reminds me of the pale, swollen-faced teacher nicknamed “Uranari” in Natsume Soseki’s “Botchan.”
The maid, Kiyo, told Botchan, “If you only eat Uranari eggplants, you’ll end up with a face like that.”
By the way, “tonasu（「唐茄子（とうなす）」）” means pumpkin.
5. Shrike’s grass stem
鵙の草茎（もずのくさぐき）
“Shrike’s grass stems” refers to the shrike’s migration to the mountains in spring, disappearing from human settlements, and is likened to the bird hiding in the grass. It can also be written as “Shrike’s grass hiding.”
As autumn deepens, shrikes begin to emit sharp, high-pitched calls from within the trees.
Similar seasonal words include “shrike’s early edible prey（「鵙の早贄（はやにえ）」）” and “shrike’s edible bait（「鵙の贄刺（にえざし）」）.”
Originally, “shrike’s grass stems” refers to the spring appearance of a shrike, but perhaps because shrikes are associated with autumn, it has come to be mistakenly used with the same meaning as “shrike’s early offering” or “shrike’s sacrificial offering.”
The following waka poem by Fujiwara no Shunzei (1114-1204) can be found in the Senzaishu anthology.
I rely on the grassy path in the fields; summer deepens; where will the shrike’s grass stems go?
たのめこし 野べの道芝 夏ふかし いづくなるらむ 鵙の草ぐき
Both are the original uses of the phrase “shrike’s grass stems.”
However, the following poem by Jien (1155-1225) is an example of a mistaken use of the phrase “shrike’s early sacrifice.”
It was frustrating to let them take it, the falconry, the autumn leaves of the wax tree, the shrike’s grass stalks
取らせては くやしかりけり 小鷹狩 櫨（はじ）の紅葉の 鵙の草くき
Furthermore, Kamo no Chōmei (1155-1216), in his “Mumyōshō,” also interpreted “shrike’s grass stem” as referring to the “crucifixion bait” of a shrike.
It seems that the “Haikai Saijiki” and haiku poets simply followed these misuses by other poets.
Examples of haiku using “shrike’s grass stem” and “shrike’s early sacrifice” include the following:
* The shrike loses its grass stem, its high-pitched cry (Yosa Buson)
* The shrike’s sacrifice, not even a single wild rose leaf remains (Fukuda Ryōtei)
* Already, the waterwheel’s empty hum, the shrike’s sacrifice (Ishikawa Keirō)
・草茎を 失ふ百舌鳥（もず）の 高音（たかね）かな（与謝蕪村）
・鵙の贄 野茨（のばら）は一葉 だにとどめず（福田寥汀）
・既にして 水車の空音 鵙の贄（石川桂郎）