Rokuyō

友引 – Tomobiki

Lucky all day, except at noon
友 (tomo) means 'friend'
引 (biki) means 'pull'

The Rokuyō meaning of those two kanji together is good luck all day, except at noon, with the idea that you may pull or involve a friend (or friends) into whatever activity you're doing.

Tomobiki used to have a somewhat different meaning - whatever you were doing on that day would not end successfully. Therefore, it wasn't considered a good day for winning at a sports match or game, since they are best enjoyed when playing with friends. In the spirit of sportsmanship, a player wants their opponent to enjoy the game, even if that means letting the opponent win. The idea is sharing happiness. In the past, Tomobiki was called 'Tobiki' and originally used in competitions to mean a tied score, a stalemate or a mutually agreed draw.

Now, Tomobiki is considered a good day for weddings, as it's believed to pull friends into the spirit of love. However, Tomobiki days are avoided for funerals, as it's thought that the deceased might pull their friends to the 'other side'. Traditionally, crematoria closed on Tomobiki days due to a lack of funeral services, though this practice has become less strict in recent years.

If a funeral really must take place on a Tomobiki day, folklore says that a doll is placed in the coffin so that it, and not a friend, is dragged to the next life.

Of course, that's 100% codswallop. If a supernatural entity were powerful enough to pull someone into death, it should also be able to differentiate between a doll and a human corpse. That said, superstitions are rarely logical.

I've attended a Japanese funeral on a Tomobiki day and can confirm that the family didn't consider Rokuyō at all; neither did any particular bad luck follow the event. No doll was placed in the coffin and the funeral proceeded with decorum. As with most deaths, the emotional weight of the moment left no room to consider superstitions.

There are a few other supposed consequences of Tomobiki:

  • Samurai warfare

    During the Edo period, it's been claimed that some samurai refused to go into battle on Tomobiki, believing they might "pull" their comrades into death. On the flip side, some generals deliberately launched attacks on Tomobiki, hoping that their enemies’ hesitation due to superstition would give them an advantage.

    I've seen no historical evidence to confirm these claims, but given how seriously many people took Rokuyō in the past, it’s not impossible that some warriors considered it.

  • Gambling

    Most gambling is illegal in Japan, but in older gambling circles, some believed that Tomobiki was the best day to bet big because luck (and winnings) would be "pulled along" for their friends. Others avoided it, fearing that their bad luck might spread to their friends, or that they might drag their friends into financial ruin.

    Again, I've no data comparing Rokuyō days and gambling success, but it's prudent to avoid gambling altogether, whatever the Rokuyō day is.

  • Ghosts

    Some Japanese ghost stories claim that spirits or curses are more likely to "cling" to the living on Tomobiki. Because of this belief, exorcisms and spirit-banishing rituals were more common Tomobiki, especially in rural areas. Some people avoid visiting hospitals on Tomobiki, worried that bad luck or illness might "pull" them, and/or their friends, into extended sickness.

    Of course, ignoring medical care due to superstition is unwise. If you need a doctor, go, regardless of the Rokuyō day.

  • Love

    Some couples avoid breaking up on Tomobiki, fearing they might "pull" their ex-partner’s emotions along, making it harder to move on. In contrast, matchmakers sometimes saw Tomobiki as a good day to introduce people, hoping that the connection would stick.

    Of course, "breaking up" can be a gradual or sudden, so scheduling one around Rokuyō is not practical. For matchmaking, the most convenient day for both parties is probably more important than any superstition.

  • Theatre

    Traditional Kabuki and Noh theatre troupes sometimes avoided performing on Tomobiki if their play had tragic themes, fearing that the misfortune in the story might transfer to the audience. Conversely, comedy performances thrived on Tomobiki, as laughter and joy were believed to spread just as easily as bad luck.

    As with the samurai superstition mentioned above, there might be some truth about deciding whether or not to stage those performances - or it may be just one of many other weird and wonderful superstitions that actors follow. (See theatrical superstitions,)

  • Today's social media

    I'm told that some social media users in Japan joke that posts made on Tomobiki "pull" engagement along, making it a good day for viral content.

    Some businesses strategically schedule product launches or PR campaigns on Tomobiki, hoping that the news will gain traction and be "pulled along" to a wider audience.

So that's Tomobiki, which literally means "pull your friend". Whatever Rokuyō day it is today, make sure you pull your friend into something nice!

See other Rokuyō days