Hazuki (August)
The Fifteenth Night
The fifteenth night of the eighth month of the lunar calendar is said to feature the brightest and most beautiful full moon of the year. The tradition of holding moon-viewing parties originated in China. During the Nara and Heian periods (710-1185) it was an event for the nobility but later spread to the general public. It is a time to celebrate and give thanks for a bountiful harvest.
A taste of autumn
When autumn comes, the evenings are often filled with the sound of insects, and the seven autumnal flowers add color to the scenery. Around the equinox, the heat of the day is gradually displaced by cooler air, and people begin to feel the coming of autumn.
The NDL Image Bank is a public-domain digital gallery of the National Diet Library, the national library in Japan. Our website has thousands of out-of-copyright Japanese artworks and images from our library’s extensive collection!
The NDL Gallery is online content that you can enjoy using the digitized materials of the National Diet Library. It also provides information on exhibitions in the National Diet Library.
The NDL Digital Exhibitions features the NDL’s unique collections with explanations covering various themes such as nishiki-e, landscape photographs and historical materials. Discover your favorites!