July 17th – July 21st, 2024 is Summer – SHOSHO (Lesser heat)-33rd KOU “Hawks learn to fly.”
It’s just the time when young hawks learn to fly. This is the season when not only hawks but all living creatures prepare to leave the nest, so why are only hawks picked in the lunisolar calendar?
Hawks have been loved by Japanese since ancient times. They appear in many proverbs and legends such as “Mount FUJI is the first, a hawk the second, and an eggplant the third” which means if you have them in your first dream of the new year, you will be happy in the year.
SAMURAI lords in the EDO era in Japan or kings around the world enjoyed falconry. At the time, falconry was more of a form of political entertainment or sport than a means of securing food.
The lord of the MASTUSHIRO Domain (present MATSUSHIRO Town, NAGANO City), SANADA NOBUYUKI, was also fond of falconry. To commemorate this, a falconry event is held almost every year at MATSUSHIRO Castle (the photo is a little old in 2019).
Speaking of eggplants, they’ve started to be harvested in my kitchen garden too 😉
