[Uzuki]

Spring has arrived. In Japan, April marks the beginning of the new fiscal and academic year. Historically, this month was called “Uzuki.” A widely accepted theory suggests that the name is derived from the “u-no-hana” (Deutzia) flowers that bloom around the fourth month of the lunar calendar. On the modern calendar, the lunar fourth month corresponds to the period from late April to mid-June, a season of transition from spring to early summer.

The “utsugi” (Deutzia crenata) is a deciduous shrub in the hydrangea family that produces numerous small white flowers in early summer. Often seen as a garden plant or in public parks, it is written with the characters for “hollow tree” (空木) because the inside of its branches is hollow. As one of the plants featured in the “Man'yoshu” (the oldest collection of Japanese poetry), it has been cherished since ancient times.

As seen in the lyrics of the nursery rhyme “Natsu wa Kinu” (Summer Has Come)—“By the hedge where the u-no-hana is fragrant, the lesser cuckoo (hototogisu) has already come to sing”—u-no-hana is deeply intertwined with the Japanese sense of the seasons. Its appearance blooming along hedges has been regarded as a classic symbol of early summer since the Heian period.

The primary theory regarding the etymology of “Uzuki” is that it is a shortening of “U-no-hanazuki,” the month of the Deutzia blossoms. Other theories include “utsuki” (planting month) representing the time for rice planting, or the “u” prefix signifying birth or the beginning (ubu, hatsu, or san). The folklorist Kunio Yanagita also noted that “Uzuki is related to the concepts of 'beginning' or 'birth',” though several theories exist. Perhaps the Japanese view of life—a season when life emerges and a new generation fills the world or universe (“u”)—is reflected in the name Uzuki.

In folk beliefs, hollow branches such as those of bamboo or Deutzia were sometimes considered “pathways for the gods” and served as “yorishiro,” objects where divine spirits reside. The sound of the wind passing through the hollow stems was interpreted as “divine speech,” symbolizing the boundary between the physical and spiritual worlds. Some even suggest a connection to the myth of Princess Kaguya. Similarly, the Deutzia is said to be used in Shinto rituals, with special meaning found in its hollow structure.

The name “u-no-hana” refers not only to the Deutzia plant but is also a pseudonym for “okara,” the byproduct of making tofu. Originally written as “o-kara” (御殻), it came to be associated with the word for “empty” (kara), which was considered unlucky. To avoid this, it was renamed “u-no-hana” after the small white flowers of the Deutzia. This reflects the characteristic wisdom of the Japanese people, who have long cherished the auspiciousness of words.

Through these words, one can sense the transitions of Japanese nature and the seasons. After the cherry blossoms have fallen, why not welcome the Deutzia's “u-no-hana” as a way to savor the changing season?

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References
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/4%E6%9C%88
https://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/cont/articles/3302718/
https://tenki.jp/suppl/kous4/2020/04/01/29764.html