"Shūbun", Autumn Equinox Solar Term

Shūbun (秋分) is the sixteenth of the twenty-four solar terms and is on from September 23rd to October 7th in 2026. Defined astronomically, it begins when the sun reaches an ecliptic longitude of 180 degrees, marking the point known as the autumnal equinox. At this time, day and night are nearly equal in length, and the sun rises almost due east and sets almost due west. 

The name Shūbun, meaning "autumn divided," a time when yin and yang are in balance, with neither day nor night dominating the other. In Japan, Shūbun also coincides with the middle day of Autumn Higan, a Buddhist observance during which many people visit family graves and pay respects to their ancestors.

For farmers of the past, Shūbun marked an important period in the agricultural calendar. During the final microseason of the solar term, Mizu Hajimete Karuru ("Farmers Drain the Fields"), water was released from paddies to dry the soil before rice cutting began. In modern times, rice harvesting has already started in many areas, but will continue through this Solar Term too.

Nature offers plenty to appreciate during Shūbun. Clusters of vivid higanbana (red spider lilies) bloom along riverbanks and rice field edges. The flower has many names in both English and Japanese of which one is "Equinox Flower", so named because they come into full bloom just as the Autumn Equinox arrives. The photo in this post was taken today. The striking flowers along with increasingly golden landscapes make Shūbun one of the most beautiful periods of the Japanese year.