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Japanese people are perhaps not as superstitious as many other Easterners, and no more than Westerners. In fact some Western superstitions are so strong that they've been exported to other cultures. Take for example 7 years' bad luck if you break a mirror and Friday 13th.
For the Japanese, Friday 13th is just one of several unlucky days. The number 4 is unlucky because a Japanese pronunciation of 4 is similar to the word for 'death'. Therefore 4 April is unlucky (4th day of 4th month).
On the other hand, just as seven is considered a lucky number in most cultures, in Japan both 7 July (7/7) and 8 August (8/8) are considered lucky. In fact for Japanese, every single day is associated with luck, misfortune or something in between. Delicate planning is required to make sure important occasions happen on the 'best' day.
This page explains Rokuyō – the lucky and unlucky days of the Japanese Calendar.
To help understand where all this came from, see a brief guide of Rokuyō's history.
Each Rokuyō day has a specific period of good luck and bad luck:
| Morning | Noon | Afternoon | ||
| Senshō | ||||
| Tomobiki | ||||
| Sakimake | ||||
| Butsumetsu | ||||
| Taian | ||||
| Shakku | ||||
You'll notice that Rokuyō has an equilibrium (Yin-Yang) of good and bad luck.
It's fitting that this, the first day of the Rokuyō cycle, aligns with the commonly accepted concept of "first come, first served."
In the Rokuyō system, these two kanji together suggest that one should act quickly to secure victory before the opportunity disappears.
However, "first" doesn't necessarily refer to the earliest minutes or hours of the morning. Generally, Senshō is understood to mean that luck is on your side in the first half of the day, but misfortune follows in the afternoon. (See how Rokuyō defines the "second half" of the day.)
An alternative interpretation suggests that the whole day is favourable for starting new ventures or handling urgent matters.
In practice, the concept of "first" or "early" depends on context.
Senshō suggests that taking action quickly and decisively leads to success, while hesitation may result in missed opportunities. This aligns with the traditional Japanese emphasis on preparedness, timing and initiative.
Whilst not as influential as in the past, Senshō still plays a role in Japanese superstitions and cultural practices, especially in areas where fortune-telling is considered important.
While most modern teams don't officially follow Rokuyō, some individual athletes use it for mental preparation.
Some athletes, particularly in martial arts, baseball and horse racing, believe Senshō plays a part in their performance. They may feel a psychological boost when competing on a Senshō morning, especially in sports like sumo or kendo, where mental state plays a crucial role.
If their opponent has less interest in Senshō, they will miss the same psychological boost, though their mental state may be influenced by other beliefs.
Pachinko parlours and casinos don't officially acknowledge or promote Rokuyō-based superstitions, but superstitious gamblers might prefer to start playing in the morning on a Senshō day.
If attendance at such establishments increases on those days, then the placement of bets and payments for balls will most likely increase the earnings of the venues.
For connoisseurs of less addictive and financially risky interests than gambling, some kabuki theatres, Noh performances and other traditional Japanese concerts, may still consider Senshō when scheduling matinee shows.
Movie studios and record labels in Japan traditionally chose Senshō mornings for premieres or album releases. However, this practice is less common today, with companies focusing more on market trends and online streaming schedules.
For weddings and other celebratory ceremonies, though Taian is the most popular day in Japan, Senshō mornings are sometimes chosen as a second-best option if a Taian day is unavailable. Shinto rituals and important ceremonies may also be held in the morning on a Senshō day.
Both wedding halls and Shinto shrines might offer lower rates for Senshō days compared to Taian.
Some company managers and stock traders believe it's auspicious to start new projects, sign contracts or launch products in the morning on a Senshō day. Business meetings and deals may be scheduled before noon to avoid potential misfortune in the afternoon.
Where modern business relies on factual data and other considerations, some decision-makers still factor in lucky days, particularly in older or family-run businesses, conservative businesses and government offices.
Paradoxically, such adherents of "acting decisively and without hesitation" appear to be slow in adopting modern business practices.
Some people prefer to start a journey in the morning on Senshō, believing that early departures bring safety and success. Moving house in Japan is often scheduled around lucky days, and Senshō mornings are considered a decent alternative if Taian is unavailable.
However, since both travel and relocating home can experience delays, it makes sense to set off early, irrespective of the Rokuyō day.
Older generations sometimes prefer to schedule important surgeries or medical treatments in the morning on a Senshō day.
That said, busy hospitals and surgeries generally do not follow Rokuyō when scheduling procedures. Patients have less choice of when an appointment can be made.
Despite the increasing scepticism of Rokuyō, calendars in Japan still include Rokuyō dates, and some people check them out of curiosity or habit.
The Rokuyō system dates back centuries, and the original interpretation of "early" has long since faded. Today, the most widely accepted meaning is "Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon."
(For the reversed meaning (bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon) see Sakimake.)
Also known as
Senshin, Sen'nin, Senkachi, Sakigachi and Sakikachi
The Rokuyō meaning of those two kanji together is good luck all day, except at noon, to pull or involve a friend (or friends) into whatever activity you are doing.
It 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. It has the meaning of sharing happiness. In the past, Tomobiki was called 'Tobiki' and originally used in competitions to mean a tied score, a stalemate or when a draw is agreed.
Now, Tomobiki is considered a good day for a wedding, where you can pull your friends into the spirit of love. However, Tomobiki days are avoided for funerals, where your friends might be pulled to the 'other side'. Crematoria traditionally closed on such days due to lack of business, though that tradition has changed in recent years.
If a funeral really must take place on that day, folklore tells of a doll placed in the coffin so that it, and not a friend, is dragged to the next life.
That's 100% codswallop, of course. If a supernatural entity could be powerful enough to pull somebody into death, it should also be able to differentiate between a doll and a human corpse.
This page's author has 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, no emotional capacity remained to consider superstitions.
Pull your friend into something nice, whatever day it might be.
Tomobiki is the only Rokuyō day without any alias name.
The Rokuyō meaning of those two kanji together is bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon. (See what Rokuyō considers to be 'the afternoon'.)
An alternative meaning: If you set off too quickly, then you'll lose; just as Aesop says in the Hare and Tortoise. We should be modest and calm in everything we do.
You'll notice that the first kanji (先) is the same for this Sakimake day (先負) and the Senshō day (先勝). For the Sakimake day, 先 is read as "Saki", but for the Senshō day 先 is read as "Sen". Just as the English words are riddled with homonyms, homographs, homophones and heteronyms, Japanese is blessed with 'on' readings (imported Chinese) and 'kun' readings (native Japanese), and most kanji have both on-readings and kun-readings.
In this example, 'Sen' is the on-reading and 'Saki' is the kun-reading. Adding to the fun is that 先 also means previous or prior, which is a wider meaning of 'early'.
But don't worry. None of that is of interest to Rokuyō.
Just remember that the early bird gets the worm (Senshō), but the second mouse gets the cheese (Sakimake).
Also known as
Senmake, Sakeke, Senbu, Senpu
The Rokuyō meaning of those two kanji together is 'unlucky all day'. But what does that have to do with the Buddha?
Well, many English websites erroneously state - or at least imply - that Butsumetsu is the day Buddha died, but that's not an accurate translation from Japanese.
Either 8 or 15 February (on the old lunisolar calendar) is considered to have been the day of Buddha's death but the actual date is uncertain. In Japan, a widely accepted year for Buddha's death is 949 BCE.1 Other Buddhist traditions have dates which differ by centuries, making it impossible to pinpoint the exact day.
However, let's be clear; Butsumetsu is NOT a day for remembering Buddha's death. The critical root of the word 'Butsumetsu' is 'metsu' which means annihilation, the emptiness following the total destruction of everything. It represents a calamity so great that even the Buddha would be unable to counter it and would perish.
It's as bad as the worst thing imaginable.
No wait - it's even worse than that!
Originally, the Rokuyō day was called 'kumo' or 'kyōmo', meaning 'the existence of something that doesn't exist.' This was later interpreted as 'the emptiness of everything' and called 'the death of everything'. Eventually, the kanji for 'everything' was replaced with the kanji for 'Buddha' to emphasise the enormity of the destruction—even the Buddha himself could not overcome it.
So, the meaning of Butsumetsu in the Rokuyō calendar is 'bad luck all day', making it unwise to do anything important. Life is full of important events, some of which cannot be rescheduled. However, activities such as moving house, opening a new shop, having a wedding ceremony, undergoing non-urgent medical check-ups, etc., can often be deferred for a day.
Some people believe that if they become ill on a Butsumetsu day, the illness will last a long time. Of course, the same can happen due to a psychosomatic effect.
As a final point of interest regarding the concept of the complete collapse of everything: life as we know it continues, and new things begin. Therefore, an alternative interpretation of Butsumetsu is that it's a great day for starting fresh. No need to wait for the next Rokuyō day, Taian.
An associated kun-reading for 安 (yasu) is 'cheap', giving no cause for concern. Therefore Taian is a day of great peace, the finest for wedding ceremonies, starting new business ventures, having success with love, exams, etc.
Also a good day for surgery, to start building projects, move house, travel, etc. A notably apparent endorsement is that the Japanese Prime Minister invariably chooses Taian as the day for selecting ministers for the Cabinet.
During the Meiji period, fortune-telling annotations (rekichu) on official calendars was regarded as a superstition and banned by the government, and although Rokuyō was not officially advocated, it was permitted.
As a pictograph, the first kanji 大 is of a person standing with arms and legs outstretched, looking as large as possible.
The second kanji 安 is in two parts; the upper representing a roof, and by extension, a building or home, and the lower part represents a kneeling woman. She's at rest in her home. An earlier pictograph for woman referred to a woman sitting on a thin item; a cloth during menstruation, resting quietly.
As mentioned, the first kanji also indicates a person, and therefore attaches Taian to the good fortune in a personal sense rather than just an event.
A cynical naysayer might say that personal fortune shouldn't be sought on Taian, and compare the day to the Sabbath in Christianity or Judaism. (See Is Rokuyō a Religion?)
Also known as
Daian
The Rokuyō meaning of those two kanji together is bad luck all day except at noon. Not a good day to do anything important, except perhaps memorial services and events suitable at midday. Registering your wedding at the city hall at midday sounds a good idea, though some offices might close at that time for lunch.
The name is derived from the eight demon gods under Akakuchigami, the guardian deity of the east gate of the royal capital of Tai Sui.1
Hence Shakku days cause trouble to people and creatures. The Rokuyō day originates from 'shakuzetsunichi' (赤舌日: red tongue day).
The colour red has a long wavelength and the second most visible colour in the colour spectrum. It therefore catches people's attention and a good choice to warn us of danger. God (or 'nature', if you prefer) knew this when deciding on what colour blood should be. (Yellow similarly has a long wavelength; a good choice for the colour of potential danger from fire.)
So the 'red' in Shakku can represent blood, and 'mouth' can represent speaking.
Together, these words caution tailors, carpenters, chefs, butchers, farmers, etc., who use knives and other sharp-edged implements.
Fire-eaters also should take care!
Also known as
Akakuchi, Sekiguchi, Shakkan'yō, Shakkō and Jakkō
See the 200-year Rokuyō Calendar
See Rokuyō's essence
See brief overview of Rokuyō's history, when and where it comes from and how it's changed.
