Kanro (寒露): Cold Dew
Cold dew settles on plants, and autumn deepens.
| Year | Date and time (Japan Standard Time) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Oct 8, 2025 (Wed) 9:41 |
| 2026 | Oct 8, 2026 (Thu) 15:29 |
| 2027 | Oct 8, 2027 (Fri) 21:17 |
Times are found from the sun's apparent longitude (Japan Standard Time).
What Kanro means
Kanro is a setsu (節, “joint”) term: in the eto calendar the Dog month begins on this day. In Four Pillars and Nine Star Ki, the month's eto and star change at Kanro.
Customs and seasonal food around Kanro
Chrysanthemums bloom and the leaves start to turn. In season: matsutake mushrooms and new rice.
The 72 kō of Kanro
Each solar term is divided again into three periods of about five days, the 72 kō (七十二候, “microseasons”). The names here follow the 1874 Ryakuhon-reki almanac. The first person to adapt the Chinese names to Japan's own climate was the astronomer Shibukawa Harumi, in the Jōkyō calendar of 1685.
| Kō | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 鴻雁来 | Wild geese arrive |
| 2nd | 菊花開 | Chrysanthemums bloom |
| 3rd | 蟋蟀在戸 | Crickets chirp at the door |
1st kō: Wild geese arrive (鴻雁来)
Wild geese arrive from the north, the pair of “wild geese fly north” in Seimei. The first geese of the year are called hatsukari. Autumn deepens and news of autumn colors starts to arrive from the north.
2nd kō: Chrysanthemums bloom (菊花開)
Chrysanthemums begin to bloom. In the old lunar calendar the Chrysanthemum Festival (9th day of the 9th month) sometimes fell now, and people drank sake with petals floating in it for long life. Chrysanthemum shows are held and edible chrysanthemums are in season.
3rd kō: Crickets chirp at the door (蟋蟀在戸)
Crickets sing right by the door; the old word kirigirisu here is thought to mean today's crickets. The evenings turn chilly, and it is time to swap summer clothes for winter ones.