Rokuyo and Chinese almanac classifications
The six labels
Rokuyo is a sequence of six traditional day labels printed in Japanese calendars. The system reached Japan from China around the fourteenth century, but its names and interpretations changed over time. It became widely familiar in Japan from the late Edo period.
The labels combine general judgements about a day with preferences for particular activities or times of day.
| Label | Lunar months beginning with this label | Common traditional interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Sensho | 1 and 7 | Favourable morning, unfavourable afternoon; prompt action favoured |
| Tomobiki | 2 and 8 | Celebrations favoured, funerals avoided; noon sometimes unfavourable |
| Senbu | 3 and 9 | Restraint favoured; morning unfavourable, afternoon favourable |
| Butsumetsu | 4 and 10 | Generally unfavourable, though funerals and memorial rites are not excluded |
| Taian | 5 and 11 | Generally favourable, especially for weddings |
| Shakku | 6 and 12 | Generally unfavourable, with a favourable period around noon |
These interpretations vary between almanacs and customary explanations. Alternative readings include Sakikachi for Sensho, Senpu for Senbu and Shakko for Shakku.
Within a lunar month, the sequence proceeds through the six labels in the order shown and repeats. Each new lunar month starts from the label assigned to its month number. Rokuyo is therefore not an uninterrupted six-day week. Its sequence can appear to jump when printed on a Gregorian calendar because the reset follows the lunar month boundary, which usually falls partway through a Gregorian month.
Calendar associations
Rokuyo is especially familiar in the scheduling of weddings and funerals. A family may favour Taian for a wedding or avoid Tomobiki for a funeral. These preferences can influence arrangements through family expectations and the customary practices of ceremony providers, even among people who do not personally believe the labels predict fortune.
The rule assigning a label and the meaning attached to it are separate. The month-and-day rule is a calculation. A claim that a date favours marriage or discourages another activity is a traditional judgement, not a prediction derived from the motions of the Sun and Moon.
Chinese almanacs also place several kinds of information together: civil and lunar dates, solar terms, festivals and advice about activities. The astronomical information establishes where a day falls in the calendar. The traditional advice gives the day additional associations without changing its lunar date.
Different systems
Yi (宜) means suitable activities, and Ji (忌) means activities to avoid. These Chinese almanac entries concern specific actions, such as holding a wedding, travelling or moving house. A single date may favour some activities and discourage others.
Rokuyo instead supplies one of six labels, interpreted through its own customary meanings. Taian cannot be translated into a complete Yi list, and Butsumetsu does not mean that every activity must appear under Ji. Chinese almanacs can also include other day cycles and directional advice that have no equivalent in the six-label sequence.
A comparison therefore needs both the classification and the activity. Two pages may agree on the lunar date while giving different advice because they apply different almanac systems. A general favourable-day label and an activity-specific recommendation are different kinds of answer.