Taisetsu (大雪): Major Snow
Snow begins to fall not only in the mountains but on the plains.
| Year | Date and time (Japan Standard Time) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Dec 7, 2025 (Sun) 6:04 |
| 2026 | Dec 7, 2026 (Mon) 11:52 |
| 2027 | Dec 7, 2027 (Tue) 17:37 |
Times are found from the sun's apparent longitude (Japan Standard Time).
What Taisetsu means
Taisetsu is a setsu (節, “joint”) term: in the eto calendar the Rat month begins on this day. In Four Pillars and Nine Star Ki, the month's eto and star change at Taisetsu.
Customs and seasonal food around Taisetsu
Shōgatsu kotohajime, the start of New Year preparations and the year-end soot sweeping. In season: daikon radish and leeks.
The 72 kō of Taisetsu
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 | 閉塞成冬 | Cold sets in, winter begins |
| 2nd | 熊蟄穴 | Bears start hibernating |
| 3rd | 鱖魚群 | Salmon gather and swim upstream |
1st kō: Cold sets in, winter begins (閉塞成冬)
The energy of heaven and earth closes up and true winter arrives. The Senmyō calendar placed this at the end of Shōsetsu; Japan made it the first kō of Taisetsu. Heavy clouds cover the sky and snow piles up in the north.
2nd kō: Bears start hibernating (熊蟄穴)
Bears retreat into their dens for the winter, a kō found only in Japan. Mother bears give birth in the den and raise their cubs there until spring. 13 December is Shōgatsu kotohajime, the start of New Year preparations.
3rd kō: Salmon gather and swim upstream (鱖魚群)
Salmon crowd together and swim up the rivers. The character 鱖 means a different fish in China, but in Japan it has long meant salmon. A kō found only in Japan. Salted salmon (aramaki-zake) is a popular year-end gift.