noun
cold wind at Lake Biwa around late March
A local term for a cold wind that blows at Lake Biwa around the 24th day of the second month of the old lunisolar calendar (roughly late March). Associated with the Hokke Hakko Buddhist ceremony.
See also: 法華八講
比良八荒が吹くと、琵琶湖の水温が下がる。
When the Hira Hakko wind blows, the water temperature of Lake Biwa drops.
地元の人は、比良八荒の季節になると厚着をする。
Local people dress warmly when the Hira Hakko season arrives.
A Buddhist ceremony held around the same time; the wind name 比良八荒 is said to be derived from this event.
The name combines 比良 (Hira, the mountain range west of Lake Biwa) and 八荒 (hakko, from 法華八講, a Buddhist ceremony). The wind is traditionally associated with the Hokke Hakko ritual period.