Date/Time
Yakudoshi & Happosagari Checker
Enter your birth year and gender to check Japanese unlucky years (yakudoshi: pre-, main, post-, and great-unlucky) and happosagari. Covers up to 30 years ahead.
Upcoming Yakudoshi & Happosagari
| Year | Kazoe Age | Yakudoshi | Happosagari (八方塞がり) |
|---|---|---|---|
| [[ row.year ]][[ labels.year_suffix ]] This Year | [[ row.kazoe ]][[ labels.kazoe_unit ]] | [[ yakuLabel(row.yaku) ]] — | [[ row.happosagari ? '●' : '' ]] |
2026 Yakudoshi Birth Years
Male
| Birth Year | Kazoe Age | Type | Happosagari (八方塞がり) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 平成15年 |
24 | Pre-unlucky (前厄) | |
| 2002 平成14年 |
25 | Main unlucky (本厄) | |
| 2001 平成13年 |
26 | Post-unlucky (後厄) | |
| 1986 昭和61年 |
41 | Great unlucky – Pre (大厄・前厄) | |
| 1985 昭和60年 |
42 | Great unlucky – Main (大厄・本厄) | |
| 1984 昭和59年 |
43 | Great unlucky – Post (大厄・後厄) | |
| 1967 昭和42年 |
60 | Pre-unlucky (前厄) | |
| 1966 昭和41年 |
61 | Main unlucky (本厄) | |
| 1965 昭和40年 |
62 | Post-unlucky (後厄) |
Female
| Birth Year | Kazoe Age | Type | Happosagari (八方塞がり) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 平成21年 |
18 | Pre-unlucky (前厄) | |
| 2008 平成20年 |
19 | Main unlucky (本厄) | ● |
| 2007 平成19年 |
20 | Post-unlucky (後厄) | |
| 1995 平成7年 |
32 | Great unlucky – Pre (大厄・前厄) | |
| 1994 平成6年 |
33 | Great unlucky – Main (大厄・本厄) | |
| 1993 平成5年 |
34 | Great unlucky – Post (大厄・後厄) | |
| 1991 平成3年 |
36 | Pre-unlucky (前厄) | |
| 1990 平成2年 |
37 | Main unlucky (本厄) | ● |
| 1989 平成元年 |
38 | Post-unlucky (後厄) | |
| 1967 昭和42年 |
60 | Pre-unlucky (前厄) | |
| 1966 昭和41年 |
61 | Main unlucky (本厄) | |
| 1965 昭和40年 |
62 | Post-unlucky (後厄) |
Tips on Yakudoshi
- Yakudoshi uses kazoe-doshi (counting age), where you are 1 year old at birth and gain a year every New Year's Day. Kazoe age = current year − birth year + 1.
- The most significant yakudoshi are the great unlucky year (大厄): age 42 for men and age 33 for women. Many people visit shrines for purification rituals during these years.
- Happosagari (八方塞がり) occurs once every 9 years, when your natal nine-star occupies the central palace in the year chart (based on the Japanese nine-star ki cycle).
- Yakudoshi and happosagari have no scientific basis, but many Japanese people use them as reminders to take extra care of their health and lifestyle during these transitional years.
FAQ
Side Note — The Surprising Origin of Yakudoshi
One theory holds that the character 厄 (yaku, "unlucky") was originally 役 (yaku, "duty"), referring to the ages at which people took on significant social roles. Shouldering such responsibilities was considered physically and mentally taxing — hence the association with difficult years.
The male great-unlucky age of 42 sounds like 死に (shini, "death") in Japanese, and the female age of 33 sounds like 散々 (sanzan, "terrible"). While lacking scientific backing, wordplay like this may have reinforced the superstition over centuries.
During the Edo period (1603–1868), many books on yakudoshi were published and purification rituals became widely practiced among commoners. Today, millions of Japanese people still visit shrines during the New Year period to seek protection from unlucky years.