The seventy two microseasons (shichijūni kō, 七十二候) are an ancient, nature based system that divides the year into five or six day intervals. Originating from the Chinese lunisolar calendar more than 2,500 years ago and later refined in 17th century Kyoto, they record what is almost imperceptible: a rainbow after rain, the faint song of insects, a shift in wind, the return of migrating birds, the first frost. These fleeting observations cultivate an awareness of impermanence and reveal the delicate patterns of the natural world. For the past several years, I have created printed annual Microseasons Calendars as an ongoing exploration of time, seasonality, and transience. Each edition translates the seventy two microseasons through a distinct visual language. The 2024 24 & 72 Seasons Blue Sky Calendar pairs the ancient seasonal intervals with photographs of the sky, capturing moments of light and atmosphere that mirror the fleeting nature of each microseason. In contrast, the 2025 72 Seasons in Paintings Calendar reinterprets the cycle through painted color fields, each microseason represented by two traditional Japanese colors historically tied to that time of year and resonating with kigo, the seasonal words used in classical Japanese poetry. Both calendars follow the same structure: seventy two pages, each with a title in English, romaji, and kanji, a Gregorian calendar grid marking the microseason’s five or six day span, moon phases, and a highlighted date range in faint yellow. Beneath the grid, the season number and context, such as “Season 19 of 72 • Early Summer,” indicate its place within the cycle. Continuing my exploration of mono no aware, the recognition of beauty in transience, these calendars invite you to witness subtle seasonal rhythms and experience time as cyclical, alive, and deeply interconnected.
