The Japanese Seasons: March

March (sangatsu) is also called Yayoi, meaning "plants grow luxuriantly." Plum blossoms are in full bloom and so are yellow rape flowers. Green plants also grow abundantly. The weather is getting warmer and a bit more spring-like. As cherry blossoms are seen later in the month, March is also called Sakurazuki, Kagetsu or Hanamizuki.

In the beginning of the month, on March 3, Hina Matsuri or the Doll's Festival is celebrated (also called Momo no Sekku or Joshi no Sekku). This day of praying for the growth and future happiness of young girls was originally a purification ritual. Dolls functioned as substitutes (katashiro) used to draw away impurities and malevolent spirits from people, and they were floated away in rivers and streams, or otherwise destroyed, taking human pollutants with them. Called Hina-nagashi, this custom is still observed in some regions of Japan, most famously Tottori Prefecture. Since the Muromachi period, this has changed into the custom to decorate sets of Hina dolls in the home, and enjoy certain foods as hishimochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes, colored red, white and green) and shirozake (sweet white sake).

Hina dolls are not ordinary dolls, but ceremonial dolls, a heritage of the family, sometimes handed down for generations. They are only taken out for the Doll's Festival and carefully kept in boxes during the rest of the year. They are usually put out in the second or third week of February and immediately taken away again the day after the Hina Matsuri. The classical way of display is on five or more tiered steps covered with bright red cloth. The dolls represent the imperial court, with the emperor and empress (dairi-sama) on the top row, ministers, court ladies and musicians. Around the dolls, several intricately made miniature household articles are placed. Not surprisingly, a whole classical set of hina dolls is very expensive.

In March, several museums in Japan hold hina doll exhibitions. The Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya, for example, brings out the Hina doll collection of the Owari Tokugawa family, and this is a very gorgeous set. The Kyoto National Museum also holds a smaller Hina doll exhibition, as does the Yodoko Guest House (Yamamura Residence) near Kobe. But the most attractive display is always in the Hokyoji Temple in Kyoto, where dolls originally belonging to imperial princesses are exhibited.

From March 1 to 14 the Omizutori festival is held at Nara's Todaiji Temple, part of an annual rite called shunie. The highlight falls on the evening of March 12 (at 19:00) , when monks light large torches made from pine branches and bamboo (taimatsu) and wave them around from the outer gallery of Nigatsudo, showering the spectators with sparks (this dance and waving of torches is called "dattan no mai"). After that, a water-drawing ceremony is performed at the well in front of the temple hall (on March 2, this water has been "sent" here in the Omizu-okuri ceremony held at the Jinguji Temple in Obama, Fukui). The Omizutori festival announces the beginning of spring. Note that the pine torches can also be seen on March 1-7 (also 19:00), when the crowds are considerably smaller. Read Basho's haiku about the Omizutori festival.

Feb. 15 in the lunar calendar is the day the Buddha passed on into Nirvana (Nehan), so temples usually commemorate this occasion in March. Several temples in Kyoto display large, colorful paintings called Nehan-zu in which the scene of Buddha's passage into Nirvana is depicted. Examples are Shinnyodo (3/1-31), Sennyuji (3/14-16), Tofukuji (3/14-16) and Honpoji (3/15-4/15).

[Botamochi]

On approximately March 21 falls Shunbun, Vernal Equinox or Spring Higan-e. This day, on which daytime and nighttime are of equal length, is thought of as the end of the cold weather and is also the Buddhist holiday Higan-e. On or close to this day, the Japanese usually visit the graves of their ancestors to clean the tomb and offer incense and flowers (ohaka-mairi). From the old ritual of offering food to the ancestors developed the custom of eating botamochi, a ball of soft rice covered with sweetened bean paste. This day is a National Holiday.

Also around March 21 usually falls the start of the Hanami or the flower viewing season. This is the time to go out and enjoy cherry blossoms. Originally it was a time to pray for an abundant harvest. People intently follow the news to see when the "sakura front" (sakura zensen) will roll over their heads. This is such an important event that there are many specific terms related to Hanami.

[Sakura in Ninnaji, Kyoto]

There are two more March flowers: Nananohana are the cruciferous yellow flowers of rape, which cover the fields in this season; and Mokuren, the lily flowered magnolia, which has large upright chalices for flowers, either light-red or white. It flowers just before the cherry blossoms start.

As regards foods that are in season, in March shells are delicious, for example hamaguri (Venus clams) or akagai (blood clams). Karei (flatfish) is also in season around the Doll's festival. Various sansai (mountain vegetables) can be plucked in the spring mountains (haru no yama) in this season, such as zenmai (royal fern) and seri (water dropwort). In the fields of spring (haru no no) also yomogi (mugwort) and warabi (bracken) are found.

The weather in March becomes more "spring-like" (haru meku) and light mists (usugasumi) may veil the hills. Note that early March is still the season of plum blossoms, until the cherry blossom takes over after Shunbun no Hi. Harusame is the word for a soft spring rain. Although there still are some cold days, nodoka (balmy) is the word for springtime.