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炎天、陽の光のもとに立つとその圧倒的な強さに、なす術を失ってしまいます。これから、まさに暑さの峠に駆け上がっていきます。「大暑」とは本当によく言ったものです。

古の人々は「大暑」の次を「立秋」としました。暑さも峠を越えれば、徐々に緩みはじめます。この折り返し点をもって秋の始まりとしたところに、古の人々の季節の捉え方がうかがえます。

木々の緑の蒸せ返るような青々しさも、やがて勢いをしずめ穏やかさを取り戻すでしょう。そうして次の季節迎える準備を静かに始めていきます。その木陰に立つと、吹く風はすでに真夏のそれではなくなっていることでしょう。

あきかぜの　ふきにしひより　ひさかたの
あまのかわらに　たたぬひはなし
（古今集）

秋風が吹いた日から
天の川の河原に立ってあなたを待たない日はない

この歌からも七夕の季節が秋であることがわかります。今日「七夕」は夏を代表する行事の一つのようになりました。しかし本来「七夕」は旧暦七月七日、ちょうど立秋のころにあたり、夏と秋の夊合(ゆきあい)の行事です。

今回、立秋を挟むお料理は、王朝の「七夕」に倣い梶の葉、五色の糸に見立てた飾りを添えます。暑さの峠に秋の訪れを喜んだ王朝人の雅を感じていただければ幸いに思います。

Standing beneath the blazing midsummer sun, one cannot help but feel overwhelmed by its relentless intensity. We are now approaching the very peak of the year’s heat. The term Taisho (“Great Heat”) could hardly be more fitting.

The people of ancient Japan placed Risshū (“Start of Autumn”) immediately after Taisho in the traditional calendar. Once the heat has reached its summit, it gradually begins to soften. It is in recognizing this turning point that we glimpse the way our ancestors understood the changing seasons.

The lush green foliage, vibrant and almost steaming with the fullness of summer, will in time lose its intensity and return to a quieter calm. Little by little, nature begins its silent preparations for the season to come. If you stand beneath the shade of the trees, you may notice that the breeze is already no longer that of high summer.

 Akikaze no  Fukinishi hi yori   Hisakata no
Ama no kawara ni  Tatanu hi wa nashi 　 (Kokin Wakashū)

 Meaning: Since the day the autumn wind began to blow, There has not been a single day. That I have not stood upon the banks of the Heavenly River, Waiting for you.

This poem reminds us that Tanabata originally belonged to autumn. Today, Tanabata is widely regarded as one of Japan’s quintessential summer festivals. Traditionally, however, it was celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar—around the time of Risshū, the Start of Autumn. It was a festival that marked the meeting of summer and autumn.

For the menu served around Risshū, we have drawn inspiration from the elegant Tanabata celebrations of the imperial court. Each course is adorned with kaji leaves and decorations representing the five-colored threads traditionally associated with the festival. We hope these touches will allow you to experience the refined sensibilities of the courtly aristocracy, who welcomed the first signs of autumn with quiet delight as the summer heat reached its peak.

* From Great Heat to Start of Autumn to end of heat：The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms. “Taisho (Great heat)” is the 12th solar term and starts on July 23th. “Risshu (Start of Autumn)” is the 13th solar term and starts on August 7th.  “Shosho (End of heat)” is the 14th solar term and starts on August 23th