Micro season: Praying Mantises Emerge

Praying Mantises Emerge 蟷螂生 (kamakiri shōzu) is the first micro season of the ninth solar term "Planting Seeds". The Japanese for a praying mantis is "Kamakiri". I love this micro season, despite the heat, because I admire praying mantises and it gives me great joy to see them emerge. And, as the name of the micro season suggests, this is the period when I start to see them annually in Japan.

In 2026, the micro season "Praying Mantises Emerge (or Hatch)" is from June 6th to June 10th, but sometimes it starts on June 5th. The dates can shift slightly from year to year. Have you ever seen a baby mantis? They are adorable. I couldn't find any of the photos of them that I have, despite the many I have taken over the years, so I have used an adult mantis for the photo in this post. 

The tiny mantises that overwintered as eggs finally break free. They spill out of their foam-like oothecae in delicate clusters, each no bigger than a grain of rice, yet already perfectly formed. Their presence signals that the world has shifted into true early summer. 

Rice fields deepen to a richer green, barley heads sway with golden awns, and hydrangeas begin to glow in temple gardens.