How to Read “Running rice ears on the two hundred tenth day”
Nihyakutōka no hashiriho
Meaning of “Running rice ears on the two hundred tenth day”
This proverb describes the time when rice begins to ripen during typhoon season. Farmers must stay alert for potential damage to their crops.
The two hundred tenth day after the start of spring falls in early September. This is when typhoons frequently occur in Japan.
It’s also when rice plants start producing ears. The harvest is within sight, but natural disaster risks are at their highest.
For farmers, this is the most nerve-wracking time of the year.
This expression warns that things going smoothly can face crisis right before completion. It teaches that you shouldn’t let your guard down when results start showing.
You must stay vigilant until the very end. Today, people use this proverb beyond farming.
It applies to project final stages, exam preparation, or any situation where success is near. The message is to prepare for unexpected troubles when victory seems close.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb comes from the relationship between Japan’s agricultural calendar and weather patterns. The “two hundred tenth day” means 210 days after the start of spring.
In the modern calendar, this falls around September 1st. Typhoons often approach Japan during this period.
Farmers have long known to be cautious at this time.
“Running rice ears” refers to rice plants just beginning to produce grain heads. Rice grows through summer and starts producing ears around the two hundred tenth day.
For farmers, this is when a year’s work begins to bear fruit. But it’s also the most dangerous time for typhoon damage.
This expression was born from Japanese farmers’ years of experience and observation. Ancestors noticed that typhoon season overlapped with rice development stages.
They connected this timing to the calendar and passed down warnings. Using the specific number “two hundred ten” clearly shows when to be alert.
The phrase “running rice ears” describes the rice condition and explains why caution is needed. This expression concentrates practical wisdom unique to Japan as an agricultural nation.
Interesting Facts
The two hundred tenth day is one of the special calendar days called “zassetsu.” Zassetsu are uniquely Japanese calendar divisions.
They were created to track seasonal changes more accurately than the 24 solar terms or five seasonal festivals. Other zassetsu include the 88th night and doyō.
All were valued as guides for farming and daily life.
The period when rice produces ears is called “heading stage.” This is when rice needs the most water in its growth cycle.
Strong winds or heavy rain during this time can knock down the ears or prevent grain formation. This greatly affects harvest yields.
Weather around the two hundred tenth day was a decisive factor for that year’s rice harvest.
Usage Examples
- The project is in its final stage, but like running rice ears on the two hundred tenth day, now is when we must be most focused
- Exam preparation has entered the finishing period, but as they say about running rice ears on the two hundred tenth day, we can’t relax until the end
Universal Wisdom
This proverb contains a deep paradox about life. The most hopeful moment can also be the most dangerous moment.
Rice producing ears means a year of effort is starting to bear fruit. For farmers, no moment could be happier.
Yet precisely at this joyful moment, the typhoon threat approaches. This cruel timing symbolizes the relationship between human endeavors and nature’s laws.
When people see the goal ahead, they naturally tend to relax. When success seems near, they feel as if they’ve already succeeded.
This is an unavoidable human psychology. But our ancestors knew better.
The moment just before completion is the most fragile time. One instant of carelessness can ruin everything.
This proverb has been passed down not just as agricultural wisdom. It contains universal lessons that apply to all life situations.
When effort starts bearing fruit, when results begin showing, that very moment is the critical point. The importance of holding contradictory feelings simultaneously—joy and caution, hope and tension.
This proverb teaches us this essential truth.
When AI Hears This
The moment rice produces ears is botanically an “irreversible phase transition from vegetative to reproductive growth.” During this period, rice concentrates all energy on ear formation.
It has almost zero capacity to strengthen roots or stems. In other words, resistance to external forces like typhoons reaches its minimum value—a critical state.
In complexity science, the moment a system shifts from one stable state to another is called a “phase transition point.” Like water freezing at 0°C or boiling at 100°C, small disturbances at these transition points trigger massive changes.
Catastrophe theory compares this to “a stone just before falling off a cliff.” Wind that’s normally tolerable becomes fatal at the cliff’s edge.
What’s interesting is that this vulnerability is the “cost of growth.” Rice chooses to produce ears to leave offspring, but embraces maximum risk at that decision moment.
The same structure appears when companies invest in new businesses or nations reform systems. Transition periods when resources concentrate in new directions leave systems most defenseless against unexpected crises.
The overlap of the two hundred tenth day and heading stage isn’t coincidence. It’s a synchronization phenomenon between Japan’s climate and rice cultivation.
This proverb is wisdom extracted from farming that captures a complex systems truth. Systems are most fragile precisely when they’re changing most.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern you is the true meaning of “staying focused until the end.” This isn’t just about willpower.
Rather, it’s wisdom about calmly reassessing risks when success becomes visible.
In modern society, there are many moments when the goal is near. Project final stages, exam eve, contract signing moments.
At such times, we tend to think “it’s okay now.” But this proverb teaches us otherwise.
The moment before completion is when you should be most careful.
What matters is balance—maintaining hope while staying alert. You don’t need to be pessimistic.
Just proceed carefully, reliably, step by step until the very end. This accumulation ensures your efforts truly bear fruit.
When the goal comes into view, that’s something to celebrate. But simultaneously, it’s a signal to refocus.
Only those who run to the finish line truly reap the harvest.
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