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kabutoki
3rd July 2002, 04:45
Superstition in Japan
i am doing a little bit of research on this topic.
Unlikely most parts of Europe, superstition plays an important role in the daily life of many Japanese. There are still many people believing in all kinds of ghosts or the power of a talisman. Superstition in Japan (jap.: –À?M, meishin) as well as in many other parts of the world has also become part of the tradition and so it is sometimes hard to tell, whether somebody might be considered to be superstitious or just following certain inherited rules of behaviour. In Europe some people say, black cats, crows or walking under a ladder means bad luck. Similar thoughts exist in Japan. It is for example sure for many japanese that cutting your finger and toenails in the evening brings bad luck. others would never fail to hide their thumb in their hand when a hearse passes or they see a funeral by accident.
another thing is everything bad connected to the numbers 4 "shi" and 7 "shichi", as both content one way to read the character for death. superstitious japanese, or those following traditions based on this superstition would never do important things like a marriage or a big buisiness deal on a 4th, needless to say that 4th of april is the worst day...


do you know other superstitions or s. based traditions of japan ? if yes, please try to explain the thoughts behind it.

thank you
karsten

ps. please excuse the capital/not capital letter chaos. i copied the upper part from my paper

kabutoki
3rd July 2002, 11:26
hi !
talking with some japanese i found some more things. the number seven might be considered to be either good or bad. it depends on the region your are in. the bad thing baout the seven (shichi) was stated above. the good thing is that there are the "seven gods of luck" (shichi fukujin) derived from ancient china. one ay find displays in the local chinese restaurant. they are quite different from each other. there are the fat guy, a woman (i think) and a fisherman in the group.

i hope to find some more things, maybe with your help.

karsten