rising sea waves in early summer (late May to early June)
A seasonal word (kigo) used in haiku and traditional poetry to evoke early summer. Refers to the characteristic swell of the sea during the transition from spring to summer, around the time of the Rabbit (卯) month in the old lunar calendar.
I walked along the shore where the early-summer waves were rising.
In haiku, 'unami' is used as a seasonal word for early summer.
Standard kanji spelling; 卯 refers to the fourth sign of the Chinese zodiac (the Rabbit) and the fourth month of the lunar calendar, corresponding roughly to May–June.
Variant spelling using 浪 (waves); less common than 卯波.
Compound of 卯 (u, 'the Rabbit, the fourth sign of the Chinese zodiac; the fourth month of the lunar calendar') + 波 (nami, 'wave'). The name refers to the seasonal waves that appear around the fourth month of the old calendar (late May to early June).