Japanese culture Rokuyou (六曜: Six type of days)
Posted by Mia Azuma on
Do you want to know which are the very luckiest days and the worst days in a month???
Every day has a fixed fortune connected to it, which is called Rokuyou (六曜), meaning “Six Types of Days”.
Especially in the old days, these fortunes were used as guidance on bets, gambling and succeeding in general.
Today, it is used to schedule ceremonies, avoiding days with bad fortunes.
- 大安 (Taian): The most lucky day. The best day to do anything; everything can succeed. Also the best day to have a wedding party.
- 先勝 (Sensho/Sakigachi): Good luck in the morning, but bad luck in the afternoon (2pm-6pm). On this day you should be more active and impatient; then you will succeed!!!
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友引 (Tomobiki): Literally means “take one’s friends”.
Used to be an average day; you neither win nor lose. A "draw" day.
Today, funerals are not held on this day; for the rumour goes that if you have funerals on this day, your friends might be taken as well. - 先負 (Senbu/Sakimake): Opposite of the day of 先勝 (Sensho). Bad luck in the morning but good luck in the evening. You should be moderate. Avoid urgent business and gambling on this day.
- 赤口 (Shakkou/Sekiguchi): Good luck only between 11am and 1pm, terrible luck in the morning and evening. Especially on this day, it is not a good idea to celebrate anything.
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仏滅 (Butsumetsu): Literally means “Buddha is destroyed”.
The worst day. On this day everything is bad. It is recommended to stay far away from gambling, games and doing business. Similarly, do not get married, open a new shop or move in/out on this day.
Please do not take all of this too seriously. Apart from the ceremony scheduling, Japanese people do not take it that seriously either.
Below is May’s (2017) Rokuyou calendar. Were any of these days particularly good or bad for you?