Did you ever hopscotch around sidewalk cracks because you heard, “step on a crack, break your mother’s back”?
Who thinks this stuff up? There’s no denying that our superstitions are ridiculous.
But don’t laugh too soon.
Japan, known for its fascination with the supernatural and the occult, takes superstitions to a new level.
In Japan, you’ll hear superstitions like “your parents will die young if you don’t hide your thumbs!”
It all looks ridiculous until you learn that violating many Japanese traditions results in a horrible curse or a frightening, long-haired ghost coming on you and stealing your soul.
You know better than tangle with angry Japanese ghosts if you’ve been watching Japanese films or anime shows to enhance your Japanese. To learn Japanese fluently, you should enroll in the best Japanese language classes.
Continue reading to learn about the dangers of exposed thumbs and other topics!
7 Strange Japanese Superstitions That Will Completely Terrify You
Looking to empower yourself against evil spirits finally? Here are 10 of Japan’s most acceptable and most bizarre superstitions:
ten strange Japanese beliefs
- Avoid cutting your nails at night
夜に爪を切っては行けない/よるにつめをきってはいけない
In the past, there was no power to illuminate the streets or your house at night. When dusk neared, people believed demonic spirits, akuryou (悪霊/あくりょう), would appear.
Cutting instruments (such as fingernail clippers) were thought to have spiritual power, known as reiryoku (霊力/れいりょく) in Japanese, that might avert evil. Simultaneously, cutting devices produced a space in whatever they sliced, allowing evil spirits to enter via the gap if used at night. Although this isn’t a common phrase nowadays, it would be a good idea to keep the light on the next time you trim your nails.
- Keep Your Thumbs Away from Funeral Cars
reikyuusha kara oyayubi wo kakus
霊柩車から親指を隠す/れいきゅしゃからおやゆびをかくす
The Japanese term for “thumb” is oyayubi (親指/おやゆび), which means “parent finger.” You could hear something like, “If you don’t cover your thumbs, your parents will die early!” It is thought that the ghosts of the deceased, whether spiteful or not, follow the funeral car carrying their casket. If you don’t cover your thumbs while a funeral car drives by, the ghost will enter your body from beneath your thumbnail! Some people will even cover their fingers when passing by a cemetery or a funeral.
- You Shouldn’t Whistle at Night,
yoru no fue subeki de nai
夜の笛すべきでない／よるのふえすべきでない
Thieves and other criminals once used whistling to communicate with one another. In Japanese, a “night burglar” is referred to by the term you (夜盗/やとう).
The first kanji character (pronounced “ya”) signifies “night,” while the second kanji character (pronounced “t”) means “steal” or “rob.” Whistling became synonymous with invaders, robbers, and other crooks. Whistling at night was thought to draw these crooks — or a snake — into your house.
- Go to a Shrine to Cast a Curse
ushi no kokumairi
丑の刻参り／うしのこくまいり
Some Japanese horror film and anime enthusiasts may be familiar with this curse. The ceremony is known as ushi no koku Mairi (丑の刻参り／うしのこくまいり), and it involves individuals visiting a shrine at the “hour of the ox” (1:00 – 3:00 AM).
They carry a straw doll known as a waranigyou (藁人形／わらにんぎょう) that depicts the person who will be cursed and use a long nail known as a gosunkugi (五寸釘／ごすんくぎ) to fasten the doll to the shrine’s sacred tree. Wherever the pin strikes, the beauty is intended to cause agony in the cursed person’s body.
The hate someone has felt will leave their body seven days after the nailing. Still, if the person making the curse is seen while performing it, the affliction will reverse itself, and bad luck will fall upon the curser instead.
- Make a Wish at a Shrine
shakudo Mairi
御百度参り／おひゃくどまいり
If you’re going to make a big wish, consider doing it in a shrine/jinja (/) or temple/opera (/). This event is known as shakudo Mairi (神社／じんじゃ), which translates as “the one hundred times pilgrimage.” To achieve this, walk one hundred times from a shrine’s gate to its altar (or from a temple’s gate to its main hall) while praying for your desire to come true. Walk barefoot to boost the chances of your wish coming true. Alternatively, you can go to the shrine and pray for your desire to come true once a day for a hundred days.
This practice is performed when a prayer or a special request needs to be granted. If the desire is granted, the wisher will repay the shrine or temple with money or regular visits to express gratitude.
Unlucky Numbers and Dates
Imagine if every Friday the 13th was Friday the 13th… for a year! People are said to have their unluckiest years when they reach a particular age. The unfortunate years, known as yakudoshi (厄年／やくどし), differ between men and women. Today, the most regrettable years, known as honyaku (本厄/ほんやく), are the ages of 25, 42, and 61 for males, and 19, 33, and 37 for women.
The years preceding (maeyaku 前厄／まえやき) and following (at otaku 後厄/あとやき) the significant unfortunate years are also considered unlucky. Those entering their bad years will be cleaned at a temple or shrine to avoid three years of misery.
In addition to unfortunate years, there are also unlucky numbers in Japan. The number four is considered flawed because the word for four, shi (四/し), is similar to the word for death, shi (四/し). Similarly, the word for nine Ku (/) sounds like the word for pain and suffering Ku (苦/く). This is why presents should never be given in groups of four, but rather in groups of three or five.
- Do not step on a Tatami Mat’s border.
tatami no heri funde wa ikenai
(畳のへり踏んではいけない/たたみのへりふんではいけない)
Tatami mats are the most common type of flooring seen in traditional Japanese households. Tatami mats may be used in various rooms of modern residences. One thing you should never do is tread on the border of a tatami mat known as tatami no heri (畳のへり/たたみのへり) since this brings bad luck.
Some tatami borders have a family logo etched on them, so walking on the boundary is considered stepping on your parents’ head.’ Still, there’s another reason why stepping on the borders is frowned upon: it’s claimed that these borders became a no-no since they weren’t part of a particular location.
