What Is a Yakudoshi Year?
Yakudoshi (厄年) literally translates to "calamity year" or "unlucky year" in Japanese. These are specific ages in a person's life believed to bring heightened risk of misfortune, illness, or hardship. The tradition has roots stretching back over a thousand years in Japan, blending Shinto spirituality, Buddhist thought, and ancient Chinese numerology.
Unlike a simple superstition, yakudoshi is taken seriously by many Japanese people today — prompting shrine visits, lifestyle caution, and ritual purification during these designated years.
How Age Is Counted in Yakudoshi
One important detail: yakudoshi ages are traditionally calculated using the kazoedoshi (数え年) system — the traditional Japanese way of counting age. In kazoedoshi, you are considered 1 year old at birth, and gain a year every New Year's Day (January 1st), not on your birthday.
This means your kazoedoshi age is typically 1 or 2 years older than your Western age. To calculate it simply:
- If you have already had your birthday this calendar year: kazoedoshi = your Western age + 1
- If you have not yet had your birthday this year: kazoedoshi = your Western age + 2
Some modern observers use Western age for simplicity, but traditional shrine practice still references kazoedoshi.
The Main Yakudoshi Ages
| Gender | Yakudoshi Ages (Kazoedoshi) | Taiaku (Worst Year) |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 25, 42, 61 | 42 (shiyaku / 四十二) |
| Women | 19, 33, 37 | 33 (sanzan / 三十三) |
Each yakudoshi year also has a maeyaku (前厄) — the year before — and a atoyaku (後厄) — the year after — which are also considered mildly unlucky and worth observing with care.
How to Look Up Your Yakudoshi by Birth Year
To find out if you are in a yakudoshi period, follow these steps:
- Determine your current kazoedoshi age (Western age + 1 or + 2, as described above).
- Check whether your kazoedoshi age matches 19, 25, 33, 37, 42, or 61.
- Also check if you are one year before or after any of those ages (maeyaku or atoyaku).
- If yes, you are in a yakudoshi period and may wish to take precautions.
Why These Specific Ages?
The origins of the chosen ages are debated by scholars, but several explanations are commonly given:
- Numerological unluckiness: The number 42 in Japanese can be read as shi-ni (死に), meaning "to die." The number 33 can be read as san-zan (散々), meaning "miserable" or "terrible."
- Life transition points: These ages historically corresponded to major physical and social changes — entering new roles in the family, community, or workplace — times of increased stress and vulnerability.
- Traditional Chinese influence: The concept draws on Chinese cosmological ideas about auspicious and inauspicious numbers that filtered into Japan centuries ago.
What to Do During Your Yakudoshi Year
Awareness is the first step. Many people observe yakudoshi by:
- Visiting a Shinto shrine for a yakuyoke (厄除け) or yakubarai (厄払い) purification ceremony
- Avoiding major life decisions (moving house, starting a new business) during the peak year
- Being more attentive to health checkups and self-care
- Giving away items or sharing gifts to "spread" and disperse the bad luck
The goal is not to live in fear, but to move through the year with mindfulness and spiritual preparation.