The 15th Day of the 8th Month of the Lunar Calendar: The Harvest Moon

The "Harvest Moon" (Chushu no Meigetsu) falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. In 2025, this is October 6th. The custom of admiring the Harvest Moon was introduced from China during the Heian period, and it is said that what began as an elegant banquet enjoyed by aristocrats later spread to the common people.

Come to think of it, when the Heian period aristocrat Fujiwara no Michinaga made his third daughter an Empress to the Emperor, at the mid-autumn banquet, he...

This world, I think, is truly my world. Like the full moon,
I think there is nothing that is lacking.

It is a famous story that he recited this poem. "There is nothing in this world that does not go as I wish. Just as the full moon lacks nothing, everything is perfectly satisfied." Generally, this is considered a poem recited by Michinaga, who was full of pride at this point, having successively made three of his daughters Empresses to the Emperor or Crown Prince.

However, there seem to be alternative theories. If you interpret "this world" in the first line as "this night" and "my world" as "my life," then "This world, I think, is truly my world" is not boasting about ruling the world, but merely expressing a sense of satisfaction, saying, "Tonight is the best it has ever been."

Regarding the second part of the poem, if "moon" is a metaphor for "Empress," then "full moon" means that all the Empresses have become Michinaga's daughters. However, if "moon" is a play on words with "sake cup," then "full moon" is said to mean "the cups exchanged by the court nobles (who support Michinaga's administration) without a single one missing."

In other words, the poem of the full moon was entrusted with the sense of fulfillment that his daughter had monopolized the position of Empress, as well as the hope for the stability of his son Yorimichi's administration with the cooperation of the court nobles. And it is said that interpreting it this way makes sense of why Fujiwara no Sanesuke later declined to recite a return poem and instead had everyone chant it in unison.

If that is the case, I admire the daily discipline and intelligence of Michinaga, who could compose such a complex poem, and Sanesuke, who understood it immediately and handled the situation. However, the moon is something that wanes after it is full. The "poem of the full moon" was also a poem that indicated the peak of Michinaga's power.
If you would like to know more about the alternative theories of the full moon poem, please see the following article.

By the way, while a full moon is a "mochizuki," did you know that the Harvest Moon is not necessarily a full moon? In 2025, the Harvest Moon is October 6th, and the full moon is the next day, the 7th, so the dates are off by one day. Incidentally, it is said that we will have to wait until 2030 for the Harvest Moon and the full moon to fall on the same date.

Since the Meiji era, the current calendar based on the movement of the sun has been used, but until then, the calendar was based on the phases of the moon. People in the past used to check the passage of time while looking at the moon every day. Compared to modern people who act as if they are being chased by clocks, I feel a richness of heart.

Thank you for watching until the end.

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