卯うの花腐はなくたし

also: うのはなくだし

Meanings

long early-summer rains

poetical term

Poetic seasonal term (kigo) for the prolonged rain that falls around the time deutzia flowers bloom, typically in early summer (June). Used mainly in haiku and classical poetry.

卯うの花はな腐くたしの季き節せつになると、毎まい日にちしとしとと雨あめが降ふり続つづく。
When the season of unohana-kutashi arrives, a gentle rain falls day after day.
この句くは卯うの花はな腐くたしを詠よんだものだ。
This haiku is about the long early-summer rains.

Kanji

卯sign of the hare or rabbit, fourth sign of Chinese zodiac, 5-7AM
花flower
腐rot, decay, sour

Related words

卯うの花はな
卯の花 refers to the deutzia flower itself, while 卯の花腐し is the rain that falls when those flowers bloom.
五月雨さみだれ
五月雨 is another poetic term for early-summer rain, but it specifically refers to the intermittent rains of the fifth lunar month (around June), while 卯の花腐し emphasizes the long, continuous nature of the rain.

Written forms

卯うの花腐はなくたし
Standard kanji spelling for this poetic seasonal term.
卯うの花はなくたし
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; the verb part is written in kana.

Etymology

Literally 'deutzia-flower rotter'. The name comes from the idea that the long rain causes the deutzia flowers to rot. The reading くたし is from the verb 腐る (くたる, 'to rot') in its classical form.