{"id":3775,"date":"2025-11-20T21:20:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T12:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/?page_id=3775"},"modified":"2025-12-27T22:08:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T13:08:48","slug":"the-old-japanese-name-for-december","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/?page_id=3775","title":{"rendered":"The Old Japanese Name for December"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In ancient Japan, every month had a poetic name connected to nature, rituals, and seasonal life.<br><br><strong>December was called <em>Shiwasu<\/em> (\u3057\u308f\u3059 \/ \u5e2b\u8d70)<\/strong> \u2014 and unlike most old month names, <strong>this one is still commonly used today in modern Japanese<\/strong>, especially to describe the busy feeling of the year\u2019s end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can still find this old name printed on traditional calendars, business notices, and even everyday conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Meaning of Shiwasu (\u3057\u308f\u3059 \/ \u5e2b\u8d70)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The word breaks down as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u5e2b (<em>shi<\/em>)<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cteacher,\u201d \u201cmaster,\u201d or \u201cpriest\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>\u8d70 (<em>wasu \/ hashiru<\/em>)<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cto run\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Together, <em>Shiwasu<\/em> is often interpreted as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cThe month when even the teachers (or priests) run.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, <strong>a month so busy that even calm, respected figures have to rush around<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/december_1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3776\" srcset=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/december_1.png 320w, https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/december_1-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/december_1-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why is December called \u201cthe month when teachers run\u201d?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are several theories, but the most famous one is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Priests rushing to perform year-end rituals<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of the year, Buddhist priests would visit many households to chant sutras, pray, and perform purification rituals.<br>Because of this, they were constantly traveling \u2014 literally <strong>running around<\/strong> to complete all the requests before the year ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/december_2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3777\" srcset=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/december_2.png 320w, https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/december_2-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/december_2-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. A symbol of universal year-end busyness<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Over time, the meaning expanded.<br>December became known as a month when:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>everyone is busy finishing work<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>families prepare for New Year\u2019s<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>shops become crowded<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>people rush to clean their homes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/december_3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/december_3.png 320w, https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/december_3-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/december_3-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Even today, Japanese people use <em><strong>Shiwasu<\/strong><\/em> to express the special chaos and excitement of December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cultural Meaning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Shiwasu carries a unique feeling in the Japanese year. It symbolizes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Year-end rush and responsibilities<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Final efforts before the new year begins<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cleaning and purification<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reflection on the past year<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Warm anticipation of New Year\u2019s traditions<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The word blends both nostalgia and motion \u2014 a sense that time suddenly speeds up as the year closes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Originally inspired by Chinese traditions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As with other traditional month names, <em>Shiwasu<\/em> was originally influenced by ancient Chinese calendar traditions.<br>But over centuries, Japan gave the name:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>a uniquely Japanese interpretation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>strong cultural meaning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>emotional nuance still felt today<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This makes <em><strong>Shiwasu<\/strong><\/em> one of the most familiar and beloved traditional month names, even in the modern era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"swell-block-capbox cap_box is-style-intext\"><div class=\"cap_box_ttl\"><span>Japanese Month Library<\/span><\/div><div class=\"cap_box_content\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/?page_id=2088\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/month_library_3.png\"\n       alt=\"Japanese Month Library\"\n       class=\"puni-top-image\"\n       style=\"border-radius: 15px;\">\n<\/a>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"swell-block-button is-style-btn_normal\"><a href=\"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\" class=\"swell-block-button__link\"><span>Home<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In ancient Japan, every month had a poetic name connected to nature, rituals, and seasonal life. December was called Shiwasu (\u3057\u308f\u3059 \/ \u5e2b\u8d70) \u2014 and unlike most old month names, this one is still commonly used today in modern Japanese, especially to describe the busy feeling of the year\u2019s end. You can still find this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3777,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"swell_btn_cv_data":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3775","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3775"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4687,"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3775\/revisions\/4687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/punipunidictionary.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}