Microseason: Silkworms wake to eat mulberry leaves

Currently, we are in the first microseason of the solar term "Shoman" or "Approaching Fullness". It is called Silkworms wake to eat mulberry leaves 蚕起食桑 Kaiko okite kuwa o hamu. Some people refer to it as "Silkworms start feasting on mulberry leaves" in English. In 2026 it is on for five days from May 21st to 25th. 

As the name suggests, this micro season (one of 72 micro seasons in a year in Japan)  is when typically silkworms feed on mulberry leaves. As temperatures rise and early summer approaches, silkworms stir from their stillness and begin feeding on newly emerged mulberry leaves. This moment signals the start of Japan’s historic sericulture cycle, a practice that once shaped entire rural economies. Mulberry leaves had to be harvested at precise stages: soft and delicate for young larvae, firmer and more fibrous as the silkworms grew.

Historically, during this microseason, households worked tirelessly to gather enough leaves to satisfy the silkworms’ intense appetite, sometimes enlisting neighbors to keep up with the demand. Though large‑scale sericulture has declined since the early twentieth century, the mulberry tree remains a symbol of continuity. It reflects a long‑standing relationship between people, land, and the small creatures whose silk once connected Japan to the wider world.