On January 29th 2009, we have entered into the Year of the Earth Ox considered as being favourable for field work according to the traditional Chinese calendar. If custom can be believed, nature ought to be mild this year!
This method of time sharing combining elements and animals date back to the Shang dynasty (1570 to 1045 B.C.). It involves a sexagenary system associating the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Twelve Earthly Branches. The Ten Heavenly Stems are composed of five elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water - linked to the yang/masculine/positive and yin/feminine/negative principles. The Twelve Earthly Branches are represented by twelve animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. These animals are identical in Korea. In Japan, however, the Pig was replaced by the Wild Boar, and in Vietnam, the Ox, Rabbit and Sheep were respectively replaced by the Water Buffalo, Cat and Goat.
Junishi : Table of the old system of division of time in Japan.
When they were created, the signs of the Earthly Branches described different stages of plant life. They were replaced by animals to make it easy for memorisation. A fable is popularly recounted explaining the order of succession of animals. There are several versions of it, one of them is as follows:
One day, the Emperor of Jade, the God of the heaven, declared to all the animals that he was going to choose twelve of them to name the years. The first twelve who honour the appointment fixed at his palace would each have the task of protecting mankind for one year. All the animals wanted to participate. Alas, the cat, too excited, forgot the date. He asked the rat who was his friend at the time. But the latter, very cunning, saw an opportunity to oust an enemy, and gave the date of the next day of the appointment. The day before the big day, the robust ox, knowing that he walked slowly, decided to leave early. The rat jumped onto the ox to take advantage of the transport. Thus the ox thought of coming first, but just before crossing the doors of the Heavenly Palace, the rat jumped off the ox’s head, coming first. It was followed by the ox. The spirited tiger, the king of the animals reached next. Then followed the placid rabbit, the powerful dragon, the soft and intelligent snake, the dynamic horse, the peaceful sheep, the clever monkey, the methodical rooster, the loyal and faithful dog and finally the stubborn pig. The next morning, the cat showed up at the gates of the heavenly palace, happy to note that it was the first. The guard sent it back home advising it to wake up earlier and wash its face. Since then, the cat and the rat are irreconcilable enemies.
In fact the traditional Chinese calendar incorporates elements of a solar calendar with those of a lunar calendar. In addition to being divided into twelve months, the year was also divided into twenty-four solar periods based on solstices and equinoxes. Thus in Japan, the reference days like the setsubun (the eve of the start of spring), the higan (period of seven days at equinox), the nyûbai (start of the rainy season), the doyô (period of major heat at the end of July) indicating changes in the seasons. In addition there is the hachijûhachi-ya (the 88th day of spring, around three days preceding summer), and the nihyakutô-ka (the 210th day after the beginning of summer that indicates the arrival of typhoons) which compensate the climate difference with China.
This sexagenary system applies to years, months, days and even hours. For example, at 6 p.m., on the 1st of March 2009, we are at the hour of the Wood Rooster, day of the Wood Snake, month of the Fire Tiger and year of the Earth Ox.
In normal circumstances, the hours and months follow rather a simpler duodecimal cycle. In fact, the sexagenary system does not take into account the intercalary month added every two or three years to the lunar year in order to maintain the calendar in line with the sun. In this case, the months are named only by their animal, and the intercalary month is named by the animal of the month that precedes it.
On the other hand, a new cycle begins every sixty years, like every sixty days. Each animal is associated with an element of its own. Thus, each year is characterised by its animal, itself linked to an intrinsic element, but also by its element. Some years therefore depend on two different elements, while others incorporate double the effect of the same element. The Horse for example, is a sign of Fire. The years when the Horse is combined with the Fire element in addition are considered as being favourable to fire accidents. But the combination of Branches and Stems does not serve only to predict natural conditions. It also serves to cast horoscopes. Consequently, persons born during the years of the Fire Horse (Hinoe-Uma), would be linked to the yang principle, and would show male virtues and shortcomings. Women born in these years would be assertive powerful women. In Japan, it is even estimated that their husbands would be inclined to meet premature death, unless those wives are the cause of their deaths? The Fire Horse young women therefore encounter all obstructions to get themselves married, to the great displeasure of their parents. It is even said that these women would become hinoenma after their deaths, female vampires, with divine beauty, luring men in order to wallow in their blood and vital energy even more.
Month repartition in the Japanese civil year
Note that equinoxes and solstices occur during the second month of their season,
as opposed to the first month for western calendars
When the system was created, it was decided that the month of the Rat would be the month of the winter solstice, the first of the solar year. On the other hand, traditionally, the first month of the civil year – the month of the Tiger – marks the beginning of spring. The sexagenary system punctuates the dates of festivals and ceremonies, placed under the sign of the animal that governs over a month, a day, even both of them…
In Japan, every month, the first day of the Tiger was dedicated to Bishamon, a divinity worshiped by the warriors; the first day of the Horse to Inari[1], God of rice ; the first day of the Wild Boar to Marishi-ten, Goddess of heavenly light…
Even today, the Inoko-matsuri (the festival of the Young Wild Boar) takes place on the day of the Wild Boar of the tenth month (month of the Wild Boar), where one prays for the eradication of diseases and prosperity of one’s descendants. On the same day, in the middle of the hour of the Boar (10 p.m.), Young Wild Boar's mochi are served (glutinous rice cakes).
The fox, Inari's messenger
Every twelve days, the day of the Dog is favoured for the obi-iwai (sash-tying ceremony). As dogs have a lot of pups, they symbolise painless births. Therefore, the day of the sign of the Dog of the fifth month of pregnancy, a sash is tied around the future mother’s belly to ensure easy delivery.
Following the sexagenary cycle, some festivals were organised every sixty days. All the days of the Wood Rat, the festival of Daikoku, God of happiness whose messenger animal is the rat, is celebrated. Every day of the Earth Snake is the festival of Benten[2], who is the Goddess of eloquence and music. And every day of the Metal Monkey, the festival of Kôshin-sama, who protects against diseases.
Today, although our watches and clocks do not mention animals anymore, some traces of this custom can still be found. For example, in Japanese, the sign of the Horse is said uma but also go in its Sino-Japanese reading, the hour of the Horse being situated between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. In the current language, when you tell the time, you can specify a.m. (gozen) or p.m. (gogo). Gozen and gogo respectively happen to mean "before the Horse" and "after the Horse". To a lesser extent, the indications shôgo – "right Horse" – and shôshi – "right Rat" – for noon and midnight are also found.
Ushi no koku mairi: pilgrimage at the hour of the Ox
It is also estimated that the hour of the Ox (from 1a.m. to 3 a.m.) is the hour in which even plants doze, and where ghosts and goblins appear to scare men away. It is at this time that, when a person wants to magically take revenge against someone, he or she can make a ushi no koku mairi: a "visit at the hour of the Ox". It is a magical ritual that consists in entering a sanctuary at night, with the head covered with three candles, and a mirror hung over the chest, to nail down on tree trunks, figurines made of straw or wood representing the person to be cursed, and this is done several nights in a row.
If this hour of the Ox is devoted to spirits, it might be linked to the fact that the direction of the Ox and the Tiger is also called Kimon "the Gate of the Demons". In fact, in geomancy, the Earthly Branches are also used to name the cardinal points. This direction, which corresponds to the North-East, and designated by the pair of signs Ox and Tiger – ushi-tora –, is considered as being the origin of bad influences. That is why in the North-East of the capitals, a temple was built to protect them, like Enryaku-ji near Kyôto, or Kan’ei-ji at Edo (Tokyo). Besides, the horns of the Ox and the loincloth out of tiger skin are attributes of the terrifying oni – ogres or hell-gaolers – in their traditional representation.
Oni (ogre or hell-gaoler)
In Japan, in the past, it was up to the onmyôji, the "yin yang masters", simultaneously astrologers, geomancers and exorcists employed by the imperial court, to set the dates of different events or works to be carried out. Likewise, it was their duty to determine, according to the day, from which direction a procession had to come, the way in which the rooms of the building have to be located etc.…
On the 3rd day of the 12th month of the 5th year of the Meiji Era, Japan officially switched over to the Gregorian calendar. This day has become the 1st of January of the 6th year of the Meiji Era (1873). But even after that, people have relentlessly continued to use the lunar calendar and the sexagenary cycle. According to a survey conducted a little after the end of World War II, in more than 60% of cities and villages, the traditional calendar was still greatly the reference. It especially involved fishing and farmers’ villages for whom the rhythm of the tides and agricultural seasons mattered more. The use of the Gregorian calendar was generalised only later, gradually, with urban development.
Of course, the switch over from the lunar calendar to the solar calendar created some disorder in the annual festival. The Dolls Festival, for instance, was adapted just as it was from the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month to the 3rd March of the Gregorian calendar. But in some cities, it was celebrated one month later, in the month of April, which corresponds more to the 3rd lunar month.
Thus, even after adopting the solar calendar, superstitions linked with the Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches that figured in the traditional Chinese calendar are largely prevalent today, in addition to western astrology.
Sylvain JOLIVALT, author and illustrator of the book Spirits and Fabulous Creatures of Japan: Encounters at the Hour of the Ox, 2007 Ed.You Feng.
Illustrations © Sylvain Jolivalt
Sources :
- 日本風俗史辞典、日本風俗史学会、1979 弘文堂 (Dictionary of the History of Customs of Japan, Institute of the History and Customs of Japan, 1979 Kôbundô).
- 柳田國男監修・民俗学事典、民俗学研究所、1951 東京堂出版 (Dictionary of Folkloristics – editor YANAGITA Kunio, Institute of Folkloristics, 1951 Tôkyôdô).
- French dictionary of the Chinese language, Institute Ricci, 1990 Kuangchi Press.
[1] The messenger animal of Inari is in fact the fox. But the horse also being used for field works, it represents the divinity of rice for this festival.
[2] Originally, Benten – or Benzaiten – was also the goddess of the streams. As such, her messenger animal is the snake. She can also be found represented with ten arms and three snake heads.
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