How to Read “Rain on the ninth day of the cold season”
Kanku no ame
Meaning of “Rain on the ninth day of the cold season”
“Rain on the ninth day of the cold season” is a proverb that means rain falling on the ninth day after the start of the cold period is a good sign for a bountiful harvest that year.
This isn’t just superstition. It represents weather observation wisdom based on years of farming experience.
This proverb was mainly used among farmers when predicting that year’s crop yields. When rain fell on the ninth day, people would say with hope, “This year looks like it will be a good harvest.”
Rain during the harsh winter period was believed to supply proper moisture to the soil. It created favorable conditions for farm work starting in spring.
Fewer people farm today, but this proverb shows the delicate observation skills Japanese people had for reading nature’s signs.
The sincere attitude of ancestors who tried to understand the relationship between weather and crops is condensed in these few words.
Origin and Etymology
“Rain on the ninth day of the cold season” is a proverb based on weather observation that developed within Japanese agricultural culture.
“Kan” refers to “kannoiri,” the start of the cold period. This is the roughly 30-day cold season beginning with Shokan, one of the 24 solar terms.
The ninth day counted from this start of the cold period is called “kanku.” The belief that rain on this day brings a good harvest is the core of this proverb.
Why was rain on the ninth day considered a sign of good harvest? This wisdom came from years of farming experience.
The cold period falls between early January and early February, right in the middle of deep winter. Moderate rain during this time meant the soil stored sufficient moisture.
It signaled that preparations were complete for spring farm work. Winter rain was also said to wash away insect eggs and disease-causing germs.
There’s also a theory that rain on the ninth day indicated climate stability. Rain during this period meant extreme cold waves and dryness were avoided.
Ancestors knew from experience that this suggested the year’s climate would likely remain mild. Specifying the number “nine” was probably a device to make it memorable and easier to observe by linking it to the calendar.
Interesting Facts
Like “Rain on the ninth day of the cold season,” there are other expressions for observing weather during the cold period, such as “Kanshiro” and “Kankuro.”
Kanshiro refers to the weather on the fourth day after the start of the cold period. Kankuro refers to the ninth day.
Each was used as a measure to predict that year’s climate and crop yields. This shows how carefully Japanese people observed seasonal changes and applied them to agriculture.
Shokan, one of the 24 solar terms, falls around January 5th each year. The ninth day after that would be around January 13th or 14th.
This period is right in the middle of “kan no uchi,” the coldest time of year. The fact that rain falls instead of snow could itself be interpreted as a sign of relatively warm weather.
Usage Examples
- Today is rain on the ninth day of the cold season, so we can expect good rice farming this year
- I remember my grandfather being happy when rain on the ninth day of the cold season fell
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “Rain on the ninth day of the cold season” reveals a universal human attitude. It shows how people face nature and try to read the future from its subtle changes.
Why did people try to predict a year’s abundance or scarcity from just one day of rain? This expresses humanity’s fundamental anxiety about an uncertain future.
It also shows the strong will to find hope despite that uncertainty.
Farming was always a battle with the uncertain element of weather. No matter how carefully people plowed fields and planted seeds, the final harvest was left to heaven’s decision.
In this instability, people found meaning in small signs from nature. They used these as grounds for hope.
Rain on the ninth day wasn’t just a weather phenomenon. It was emotional support for believing “this year will surely be okay.”
This proverb has been passed down not just for its value as farming technique. It’s also wisdom for living with uncertainty.
In situations we can’t completely control, we can keep moving forward by catching small signs and giving them meaning.
Ancestors knew how to find light of hope within nature while respecting it. This attitude is the human wisdom that should be passed to us across time.
When AI Hears This
Rain falling in mid-January during deep winter is actually an important sign showing the atmosphere is in an unusual state.
This period normally has a strong winter pressure pattern with high pressure in the west and low in the east. Dry, clear weather should continue on the Pacific side.
Rain falling means warm air from the south is moving north.
Meteorologically, this is a sign that the meandering pattern of the jet stream is changing. The jet stream is a strong wind blowing from west to east in the upper atmosphere.
When this flow meanders greatly north and south, warm air normally in the south is easily carried north. When this meandering occurs during the ninth day period, the same pressure pattern tends to repeat through early spring.
In other words, mid-January rain acts like a forecaster telling whether spring will arrive early that year.
Even more interesting is that this winter pressure pattern may influence weather through summer. Weather research points to a correlation between winter jet stream patterns and summer rainy season front positions.
Years with rain on the ninth day tend to have more active overall atmospheric flow than average. As a result, summer rainfall also tends to be stable.
Ancient farmers read weather months ahead from these small weather changes. They adjusted crop types and planting times accordingly.
Lessons for Today
“Rain on the ninth day of the cold season” teaches modern people the importance of observation skills that don’t miss small signs.
We live in an age of information overload. But aren’t we overlooking truly important signals?
Ancestors had the sensitivity to read a year’s fate in the small event of one day’s rain.
Modern society has a strong tendency to manage everything with data and seek certainty. However, life has many unpredictable things.
Perfect certainty doesn’t exist. What matters in such situations is the ability to find positive signs in uncertainty and transform them into hope.
In work and relationships alike, noticing small positive changes and carefully nurturing them may eventually bring great rewards.
This proverb also teaches wisdom about living in harmony with nature. Rather than trying to control everything, we can sense nature’s rhythms and live alongside them.
There may be richness in this way of life that modern people are forgetting.
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