Japanese calendar customer
Japanese calendar science ( Japanese 暦 学 , rekigaku , 歴 道 , rekidō ) on the one hand put together astronomical data such as moon phases for the year. In addition, it indicates the combinations of heavenly trunks and branches of the earth ( 干支 , kanshi ) and other astrological sequences adopted from China , from which the favor or disadvantage ( 吉凶 , kitsukyō ) of days and hours can be found. The simplest form of publication is a leaflet, but there are also calendar books ( 歴 本 , rekihon , goyomi-hon ). This calendar customer has been very popular since the middle of the Edo period , but is still consulted today.
Calendar books
Ise goyomi-hon
In the Edo period that was Ise goyomi-hon ( 伊勢暦本 ) particularly widespread. It was worked out by special priests ( 御 師 , oshi ). These were originally the Tsuchimikado family ( 土 御 門 ) in Kyoto, which goes back to Abe no Seimei and which specializes in Ommyōdō mysticism (including astrology) .
The beginning of the month at the new moon was particularly important among the astronomical data. Since this is done irregularly because of the changing orbital speed of the moon, sometimes after 28, sometimes after 29 days, these details of the short and long months were particularly useful for making appointments, etc. To keep up with the solar year, a leap month ( 売 る 月 曜 ) had to be inserted in the right place after two years . Color woodcuts in which the short and long months were hidden as numbers in the picture, the so-called e-goyomi ( 絵 暦 ), were also popular. For more recent editions of such books, the astronomical basis has been provided by the Kyoto observatory since 1888.
Jingūkan katei goyomi
A modern goyomihon is published by the Tōkyō Jingūkan. It contains information for the current year as well as for each month, which serve the correct spatial and temporal orientation. In addition, the calendar also contains information on fortune-telling using facial features ( 人 相 , ninsō ) or using hand lines ( 手相 , tesō ), it gives advice on weddings, funerals and health.
Six day episode
Among the information that characterize a calendar day, the Rokuyō ( 六 曜 ), also Rokki ( 六 輝 ) or Sukuyō ( 宿 曜 ) are still used today and are listed in many Japanese calendars. The Rokuyō are a sequence of six days and their times of day, which were taken over from China in the middle of the 14th century and also observed in Japan. Originally they were called Taian ( 大安 ), Ryūren ( 留連 ), Sokuki ( 速 喜 ), Shakkō ( 赤 口 ), Shōkitsu ( 将 吉 ) and Kūbō ( 空 亡 ). The names and the order were later changed until the current form (see below) was established in the Tempō period (1830-1844). That was also the time from which general dissemination began.
- Senshō ( 先 勝 ) - "First profit". Inexpensive in the morning, unfavorable in the afternoon. Everything should be done quickly in the morning.
- Tomobiki ( 友 引 ) - "drawing friend". In the morning and in the evening cheap, the lunchtime is bad. No funerals should take place on these days.
- Sempu ( 先 負 ) - "First loss". Inconvenient in the morning, cheap in the afternoon. No urgent or difficult business should be carried out on these days. The afternoon is a little better.
- Butsumetsu ( 仏 滅 ) - "Buddha's downfall". A bad day for any kind of activity. Unfavorable for business openings.
- Taian, also Daian ( 大安 ) - "Great Peace". A good day for all kinds of activities, for celebrations, especially for weddings, shrine visits ( 宮 参 り , miyamairi ).
- Shakkō, also Shakku ( 赤 口 ) - "red mouth". A bad day in every way except noon.
The days follow one another as indicated. However, following the Japanese lunar calendar , the current sequence is restarted on the 1st day of the lunar month as follows:
On the first day of the 1st and 7th month, the sequence begins with Sensho
on the 1st day of the 2nd and 8th month begins the sequence with Tomobiki
on the 1st day of the 3rd and 9th month, the sequence begins with Sempu
on 1 Day of the 4th and 10th month the episode begins with Butsumetsu
On the 1st day of the 5th and 11th month the episode begins with Taian
On the 1st day of the 6th and 12th month the episode begins with Shakkō
Weddings, in particular, are celebrated on a day that is declared a Taian.
Nine star episode
The nine-star sequence ( 九星 , kyūsei , kusei ) comes from Chinese popular belief. It includes an abbreviated name consisting of the numbers 1 to 9 and one of seven colors: one-white ( 一 白 Ippaku ), two-black ( 二 黒 , Jikoku ), three-blue ( 三 碧 , Sampeki ), four-green ( 四 緑 , Shiroku ), five-yellow ( 五 黄 , Goō ), six-white ( 六 白 , Roppaku ), seven-red ( 七 赤 , Shichiseki ), eight-white ( 八 白 , Happaku ), nine-purple ( 九 紫 , Kyushika ). The stars are arranged in the form of a magic square . Yellow is excellent as the color of the middle.
The nine stars can be assigned to months, days, hours and also the cardinal points. The assignment to the days follows the following rule: After the winter solstice the nine stars are counted upwards, after the summer solstice downwards. With the help of the Chinese divination book "Qi Men Dun Jia" good and bad days for business and other activities follow one another.
Calendar entries in May 2011
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火 = 火曜日 = Tuesday |
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木 = 木 曜 日 = Thursday |
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火 = 火曜日 = Tuesday |
Further information in the calendar books:
Nine day episode
The nine-day sequence Kuyō ( 九 曜 ), also read Kyūyō, is a fortune-telling art adopted from the Buddhist calendar art of ancient India. The then known "wandering stars" were extended by two and connected in different ways with Buddhist saints, one of which is shown here. This method adapted from the fortune tellers of Ommyōdō.
- Saturday ( 土 曜 ) with Saint Kannon ( 聖 観 音 )
- Wednesday ( 水 曜 ) with Miroku bosatsu ( 弥勒 菩薩 )
- Thursday ( 木 曜 ) with Yakushi ( 薬 師 )
- Tuesday ( 火 曜 ) with Kokūzō bosatsu ( 虚空 蔵 菩薩 )
- Friday ( 金 曜 ) with Amida ( 阿 弥陀 )
- Monday ( 月 曜 ) with Seishi bosatsu ( 勢 至 菩薩 )
- Sunday ( 日 曜 ) with a thousand-armed Kannon ( 千手 観 音 )
- Star Keito ( 計 都 ) with Shaka ( 釈 迦 )
- Star Rago ( 羅睺 ) with Fudō myōō ( 不 動 明王 )
Twenty-eight House Series Nijūhasshuku
Twenty-eight houses sequence ( 二十八宿 , nijūhasshuku ) is the "28 houses" on the celestial equator that the moon ( 大 陰 , tai-in ) traverses. There are various explanations as to the origin of this system. It is assumed, however, that this assignment was established a few centuries before the calendar. All houses are defined by a constellation ( 距 星 , kyosei ), but the latitude of the same is not precisely determined. With the moon are traversed
- in the east: Kaku ( 角 ), Kō ( 亢 ), Tei ( 氐 ), Bō ( 房 ), Shin ( 心 ), Bi ( 尾 ), Ki ( 箕 ),
- in the north: To ( 斗 ), Gyū ( 牛 ), Jo ( 女 ), Kyo ( 虚 ), Ki ( 危 ), Shitsu ( 室 ), Heki ( 壁 ),
- in the west: Kei ( 奎 ), Rō ( 婁 ), I ( 胃 ), Bō ( 昂 ), Hitsu ( 畢 ), Shi ( 觜 ), Shin ( 参 ),
- in the south: Sei ( 井 ), Ki ( 鬼 ), Ryū ( 柳 ), Sei ( 星 ), Chō ( 張 ), Yoku ( 翼 ), Shin ( 軫 ).
Remarks
- ↑ Ommyōdō ( 陰陽 道 ) is the doctrine of the duality of the feminine (here called on ) and the masculine (here called myō ) adopted from China, which underlies all phenomena in the world, combined with the doctrine of the five elements Gogyō and Other.
- ↑ See e.g. B. Suzuki Harunobu .
- ↑ The following information is taken from the Kōjien, 3rd edition.
literature
- S. Noma (Ed.): Japan. An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Kodansha, 1993, ISBN 4-06-205938-X , pp. 318-319.
- Suzuki, Toshihiko (Ed.): Nihon daihyakka zensho. Denshibukku-han Shogakukan 1996.
- Y. Hirakoba (Ed.): 2000. Heisei juninen jingukan katei reki. Jingukan, 1999, ISBN 4-915261-85-9 .
- Reinhard Zöllner: Japanese calendar. A manual. (= Erfurt series on the history of Asia. Volume 4). Iudicium, 2003, ISBN 3-89129-783-1 .