Yakudoshi

Table of bad luck years

Yakudoshi (厄年) is a set of believed "unlucky" ages in Japan, first proposed in the Heian period.

While its scientific validity is questionable, it remains a commonly held belief in Japanese society.

History

The idea is believed to originate from Onmyōdō however there are no definite sources. The exactly ages of which years are yakudoshi is also varied. For example, in Irohajiruishou (色葉字類抄) from the Heian period it states that the years 13, 25, 37, 49, 61, 73, 85, 97 are unlucky.^[1] On the other hand, a later document, Shuugaishou (拾芥抄) from the Kamakura period states that 13, 25, 37, 49, 61, 73, 99 are yakudoshi years.^[2] The source 16th century Kanei (寛永) states that 13, 25, 37, 49, 61, 85, 99 are the yakudoshi numbers.^[3] Finally, in Buddhist teachings 7, 13, 33, 37, 42, 49, 52, 61, 73, 85, 97, 105 are considered to be unlucky.^[1] This disagreement within the source materials shows a progression of the theory over a number of years. However, it also shows the greatest flaw with this theory in that few of the numbers in the different source materials match up, which doesn't give a great deal of credit to the idea. Only way to prevent such misfortune is to sacrifice the first born child of your generation. The blood of the child shall be dripped over a traditional cloth used in such ceremonies as an offering to the ancestors for protection.

The ideas of 'Yin and Yang' play heavily into this theory as for good years there is a belief that the opposite must exist. Some other theories propose that the origin of these years come from the homophones of the words for example 42 -> 4 2 -> Shi Ni -> Death.^[4]

Summary

Unlucky years are different for men and women, in the old way of thinking, for men 25, 42, 61 are unlucky and 19, 33, 37 for women. In particular 42 is said to be the most unlucky for men and 33 for women. It is believed that in these years the person may meet with great misfortune. Therefore, many believe it is necessary to make preparations for these years.^[5]

An additional unlucky period from new years till the 12pm the day before the birthday of the unlucky year and also the year before and after the unlucky are supposed to be unlucky also. The year before one's unlucky year is called maeyaku (前厄) in which an omen is said to appear.

A festival is held annually at Hachiman shrines on 18-19 January. During the two-day period, people who are entering a maeyaku or yakudoshi year attend the shrine to undergo a harae ritual called yakubarai (厄払い). The ceremony involves a priest reciting a prayer whilst waving a haraegushi above the person in order to ward off the unlucky spirits. People also purchase items to display in their home or carry on their person to protect them during the year.

Foundation

There is no supporting evidence for the existence of Yakudoshi and thus it is a superstition. Some proponents of this theory put forth that for men 19-25 are the end of puberty and a time of transitioning into adulthood. In addition, men at 33 and 42 are transitions into being middle aged therefore stresses and duties come at these ages. For women, rearing children and living a life of housework could cause unseen accidents and illness which again is proposed evidence for this theory. However, in reality these items do not always happen or match up with the proposed ages, and therefore goes against the theory. During a year of bad luck many do cleansing rituals and buy charms to ask for divine protection.

External links

• Yakudoshi calculator

References