In Japan, every season is a special time in its own way. One way that autumn is special is that it is a time of change--especially colorful change. Some early change can be seen in this photo of Lake Ashi and Mt. Fuji.

The withering heat of the summer fades away in the autumn. The harvest is in, and it is a time of festivals, feasting, drinking, gatherings with friends, and viewing new colors emerging in the landscape. The herb kochia which is normally green ...

... turns a brilliant scarlet in the fall as can be seen in this scene in Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki Prefecture.

A few weeks ago, we had red spider lilies as a painting subject. They, too, are a red sign of autumn as shown in this forest photo taken in Kinchakuda Park in Saitama Prefecture.

Cherry trees in bloom are prized emblems of spring. Plum blossoms are similarly regarded. Emblematic of the fall season are red Japanese maples, even if they are located in Seattle, Washington like this one.

While red dominates these pictures, it isn't the only fall color. Genkgo tree leaves turn yellow ...

... and carpet the ground with leaves.

Autumn finds forest paths covered with leaves, too.

The Japanese word for autumn foliage is kōyō. Its appreciation extends to wherever autumn colors are found. It could be in rugged mountainous areas ...

... in urban settings .

... or in parks.

The appreciation of autumn isn't limited to plants. It extends to certain animals like this sika deer, too, an animal that Japanese associate with autumn.

Sika deer live in the wild, but sometimes they live inside cities like Nara, its parks, and its Shinto temples. They are tolerated because they are regarded as the messengers of the Shinto Gods.

Sika (pronounced "shi·ka" in Japan) Deer (Cervus nippon)

The only deer native to Japan are sika deer, otherwise known as northern spotted deer or Japanese deer. They used to be common in much of east Asia, but Japan is the only place in their original territory in which they still exist in large numbers. They are overabundant in Japan. Sika deer have become established in a few other places around the world, primarily by escaping from menageries. Most are located in Europe and the United States which have well established sika populations.

Sika deer are one of the few deer species that never loses its spots. In certain times of the year, the spots fade, especially in males in the winter, but they never completely disappear. 

Much of the year, sika are either alone or found in small herds. Individual behaviors vary.  When autumn comes, larger herds form. Dominant males form harems, giving them reproductive advantage. Male's antlers are fully grown then, too, and are used in fights with other males.

Females form small single-sex herds during birthing periods, typically between May and June. Gestation lasts seven months, and nursing continues for 10 months.

Males lose their antlers in the spring, but new ones begin to grow immediately. Fallen antlers (bone) are a rich source of calcium for rodents.

In areas with multiple types of deer, sika are easily recognized by the white patch surrounded in black on their rear ends.

In Nara where sika are plentiful, people can offer deer special shika senbei (deer cookies). The deer bow on receiving the offer (they're sometimes called bowing deer), but be careful about bowing back. Deer can see that as a challenge, and you may be on the receiving end of a misunderstanding.

Artwork

Tawaraya Sōtatsu (1570 – 1640) & Hon’ami Kōetsu (1558 – 1637)

Sōtatsu along with his partner, Kōetsu, is credited for having begun the Rinpa school of art, though the school is named after a later artist, Ogata Kōrin (1658 – 1716). On works in which the two collaborated, Kōetsu did calligraphy and Sōtatsu did the artwork. One of their most famous works was a poetry anthology scroll with cranes painted in the background. The work below, painted in the 1610s, is similar except that Sōtatsu painted deer in the background of this one.

Maruyama Ōkyo (1733 – 1795)

Ōkyo initially studied with the Kanō school but began to forge his own style after studying Chinese art. When he saw western art for the first time, he became fascinated with western perspective. He was ahead of his times and was criticized by other artists for putting too much realism into his paintings, but his style was popular with laypeople. He eventually acquired commissions from temples and the aristocracy. Ōkyo founded the influential Maruyama school of art. His Two Deer beneath Maple Trees was painted in 1787.

Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831 – 1889)

Kyōsai's career bridged the end of the Edo period through the early years of Japan's modern period. He trained with the Kanō school, but soon abandoned its formal approach for popular art. He became known for his caricatures, some of which got him into political trouble. Besides caricatures, Kyōsai produced many paintings, often using Japanese folklore for inspiration. His Deer and Monkeys painting on silk below was done in 1887.

Ohara Koson (1877 – 1945)

Koson was a master of woodblock prints. He produced some illustrations of the Russo-Japanese War, but he primarily specialized in kachō-ga (birds and flowers pictures). The print below--Moon, Deer, and Miyajima (referring to the torii gate at Miyajima), produced in 1910--is loaded with Shinto and Buddhist religious symbolism