Persimmon Day

Persimmon Day | October 26th

Did you know there is a Persimmon Day in Japan? Itโ€™s October 26th.

So, why this specific date?

While visiting a temple, the famous haiku poet Shiki Matsuoka ate his favorite fruit, persimmon. He thenย wrote his world-renowned haiku about persimmon. All this happened on October 26th, 1895.

Persimmon Day in Japan- October 26th

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Later, the temple was declared a World Heritage site.

Temple was declared a World Heritage site

A haiku poem is a traditional form of Japanese poetry that consists of 3 lines. The first and last lines of a haiku have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables.

Here is an example of a haiku in English, from Art of Haiku.

east(โ€”) or(-) west(-)
the same(โ€”-) elegance(โ€”)
in autumn(โ€”) winds(โ€“)

If we translate Shiki Matsuokaโ€™s persimmon poem, it is something like this.

ho-ru(โ€“) temple(โ€”)
persimmon(โ€”-) taste(โ€”)
here(โ€“) comes(โ€“) fall(โ€”)

Itโ€™s recommended to use seasonal words in haikus and persimmon was used to imply fall. At that time, Shiki Matsuoka was very sick from a war, but managed to visit the temple. Itโ€™s said that this haiku was created to show his appreciation for his friendโ€™s support. His friend had written a similar poem to help Shiki Matsuoka heal from his illness.

As a persimmon ambassador, itโ€™s time for us to appreciate the persimmon harvest. So, October 26th is like Thanksgiving for Mirai Clinical!

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