June 5th- June 10th, 2025 is Summer – Start of BOSHU (Grain beards and seeds)-25th KOU “KAMAKIRI (mantises) hatch.”
We have entered the BOSHU on the 24 major divisions of the year. BO refers to the thorns on the husks of rice and wheat. It means the time to sow seeds, especially in Japan, of rice. Around our neighborhood field, farmers are busy planting rice seedlings.
Rice planting around here (southern part of Nagano City) began at the end of May and is nearing completion.
The 25th KOU celebrates KAMAKIRI’s birth.
They are beneficial insects that eat aphids and other pests. That’s why they appeared in the SHICHIJYUNIKOU calendar, especially during the crop growing season of BOSHU. Farmers must have fervently hoped that their rice and wheat would grow in abundance without being damaged by pests.
I found several egg sacs of KAMAKIRI in early April. It’s been exactly two months, but there’s still no sign of any babies emerging.
The earliest I found them in the last four years was April 25, 2023. Baby mantises, just hatched! Their translucent yellowish-flesh-tones were full of vitality! The next earliest day was June 1, 2022. The baby’s body color had turned brown and it looked like it was already many days old.
Today is June 5th. They may have already hatched and gone…
