What Time Is the Hour of the Rabbit or the Ox? Edo-Era Zodiac Hour Converter
Convert modern time free into Edo-period Japanese zodiac hours — the Hour of the Rat, the third quarter of the Ox, the Hour of the Rabbit, the Hour of the Snake, the Hour of the Sheep, and noon as nine bells. Includes a full reverse lookup table for every hour and bell count.
Edo-Era Time Reference Table (Modern Time → Old Names)
| Order | Hour name | Bell count | Approximate modern time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hour of the Rat (子の刻) | Nine bells (九つ) | 23:00 – 01:00 |
| 2 |
Hour of the Ox (丑の刻)
The "third quarter of the Ox" (丑三つ時, ushimitsu-doki) is the famously eerie hour said to be haunted by ghosts, around 2:00–2:30 a.m. |
Eight bells (八つ) | 01:00 – 03:00 |
| 3 | Hour of the Tiger (寅の刻) | Seven bells (七つ) | 03:00 – 05:00 |
| 4 | Hour of the Rabbit (卯の刻) | Six bells (六つ) | 05:00 – 07:00 |
| 5 | Hour of the Dragon (辰の刻) | Five bells (五つ) | 07:00 – 09:00 |
| 6 | Hour of the Snake (巳の刻) | Four bells (四つ) | 09:00 – 11:00 |
| 7 | Hour of the Horse (午の刻) | Nine bells (九つ) | 11:00 – 13:00 |
| 8 | Hour of the Goat (未の刻) | Eight bells (八つ) | 13:00 – 15:00 |
| 9 | Hour of the Monkey (申の刻) | Seven bells (七つ) | 15:00 – 17:00 |
| 10 | Hour of the Rooster (酉の刻) | Six bells (六つ) | 17:00 – 19:00 |
| 11 | Hour of the Dog (戌の刻) | Five bells (五つ) | 19:00 – 21:00 |
| 12 | Hour of the Boar (亥の刻) | Four bells (四つ) | 21:00 – 23:00 |
The twelve zodiac hours, from the Rat to the Boar
Edo-period Japan told time by dividing a full day into twelve blocks, each named after one of the twelve zodiac animals: the Hour of the Rat (子の刻, ne no koku), Ox (丑の刻, ushi no koku), Tiger (寅の刻, tora no koku), Rabbit (卯の刻, u no koku), Dragon (辰の刻, tatsu no koku), Snake (巳の刻, mi no koku), Horse (午の刻, uma no koku), Goat (未の刻, hitsuji no koku), Monkey (申の刻, saru no koku), Rooster (酉の刻, tori no koku), Dog (戌の刻, inu no koku) and Boar (亥の刻, i no koku). Each of these twelve hours spans roughly two modern hours, and every hour is further split into four quarters, so a phrase like "ushimitsu-doki" (丑三つ時) refers specifically to the third quarter of the Ox hour, around 2:00–2:30 a.m.
This tool converts any modern time you enter into its matching zodiac hour, bell count and quarter, and it also works in reverse: use the lookup table below to find out what a name like "Hour of the Tiger" or "seven bells" corresponds to today. It covers the full set of twelve hours, not only the famously eerie Ox hour, so you can look up the Rat, Rabbit, Dragon or any other hour just as easily.
How to convert a time to Edo-era hours
- Enter a modern time Type in the time you want to convert, and the matching zodiac hour and bell count appear instantly.
- Check which quarter it falls in The result also shows which of the four quarters (1st–4th) the time falls in, so you can identify names like "ushimitsu-doki" precisely.
- Look up an old name in reverse If you already know a historical name, such as "Hour of the Rabbit" or "nine bells," scan the reference table below for the row that matches it.
- Compare it with the zodiac animal Each hour is paired with one of the twelve zodiac animals, the same set used for years and directions in East Asian tradition.
Tips for getting more out of it
- This tool uses a simplified fixed-hour model (2 hours per period) for clarity. In reality, Edo-period Japan used a variable-hour system where the length of each period shifted with the seasons, so a period was longer in summer daytime and shorter in winter.
- "Shōgo" (正午, noon) literally means "the true middle of the Horse hour," and it's the direct origin of the modern word for noon.
- The famously spooky phrase "even the trees and grass sleep at ushimitsu-doki" — often heard in period dramas and ghost stories — refers to the time this tool displays as roughly 2:00–2:30 a.m.
- "Akemutsu" (明六つ, dawn's six) and "kuremutsu" (暮六つ, dusk's six) referred to the "six bells" of the Rabbit and Rooster hours, and were used as rough markers for sunrise and sunset.
Ways to use the Edo-era time converter
Reading historical fiction and period dramas
Figure out roughly what modern time a phrase like "the Hour of the Dragon" or "six bells at dusk" refers to when it appears in a novel or film.
Writing historically grounded fiction
When writing period fiction or a screenplay, use the correct traditional name and bell count for any scene's time of day.
Interpreting old diaries and documents
Translate the zodiac-hour notation found in historical records or diaries into modern time to help reconstruct the sequence of events.
Learning how the zodiac maps onto time
See concretely how each of the twelve zodiac animals — also used for compass directions — lines up with a specific two-hour block of the day.
Glossary of Edo-era time terms
- Koku (刻)
- A unit that divides a full day into twelve equal blocks. Each koku is named after a zodiac animal and spans roughly two modern hours.
- Ushimitsu-doki (丑三つ時)
- The third of the four quarters within the Ox hour. It corresponds to roughly 2:00–2:30 a.m. and is famous as the "haunted hour."
- Fujōjihō (不定時法)
- The variable-hour system, which divided daylight and nighttime into six equal parts each based on sunrise and sunset. The length of an hour shifted with the seasons.
- Teijihō (定時法)
- The fixed-hour system, which divides the day evenly regardless of season — the same idea a modern clock uses, and the model this tool calculates with.
- Akemutsu / Kuremutsu (明六つ・暮六つ)
- Names referring to sunrise and sunset respectively, used in everyday life to mark the boundaries between day and night.
- Toki no kane (時の鐘)
- The "bell of the hours," rung to announce the time. The number of strikes counted down from nine to four as the day progressed.
- Jūnishi (十二支)
- The twelve zodiac signs — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar — used in Edo-era Japan for both hours and directions.
Frequently asked questions
Side Note — the "Bell of the Hours" and Edo's sense of time
In the Edo period, ordinary people learned the time from the "bell of the hours" (時の鐘), rung at temples and around castle towns. The bell struck a count of nine, eight, seven, six, five or four, decreasing by one every two periods — an unusual counting system. It's widely believed that the word "oyatsu" (おやつ, meaning an afternoon snack today) comes from the custom of eating a snack around the "eight bells" period, roughly 2 p.m.
The fixed "2 hours per period" model used by this tool is called the "teijihō" (定時法, fixed-hour system), a simplified model favored for its clarity in education. In everyday Edo-period life, the dominant system was actually the "fujōjihō" (不定時法, variable-hour system), which divided daylight hours into six equal periods and nighttime hours into a separate six. As a result, a daytime period was longer in summer and a nighttime period was longer in winter — a sense of time fundamentally different from a modern clock.
The shift from the variable-hour system to the fixed-hour system (today's 24-hour clock) happened alongside the calendar reform of 1872 (Meiji 5). The unit of "koku" (刻), which had stretched and shrunk with the seasons until then, was replaced by the uniform unit of the "hour." This change went far beyond a simple calendar reform — it's said to have transformed the very rhythm of ordinary people's daily lives.