| The Number Seven | |
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Lucky Seven
It seems that every culture has lucky numbers and unlucky numbers. In Japan, four and nine are considered as unlucky numbers because of their pronunciation. Four is pronounced "shi" which is the same pronunciation as death. Nine is pronounced "ku" which has the same pronunciation as agony or torture. Click here to read more about unlucky Japanese numbers. If you are not familiar with Japanese numbers, click here to learn about them.
Seven appears to be a universally lucky or holy number. There are many terms that include the number seven: seven wonders of the world, seven deadly sins, seven virtues, the seven seas, seven days of the week, seven colors of the spectrum, the seven dwarfs, and so on. "Seven Samurai (Shichi-nin no Samurai)" is a classic Japanese movie directed by Akira Kurosawa, which was remade into "The Magnificent Seven." Buddhists believe in seven reincarnations. The Japanese celebrate the seventh day after a baby's birth, and mourn the seventh day and seventh week following a death.
Shichi-fuku-jin
The Shichi-fuku-jin (七福神） is the Seven Gods of Luck in Japanese folklore. They are comical deities often portrayed together riding on a treasure ship (takarabune). They carry various magical items such as an invisible hat, rolls of brocade, an inexhaustible purse, a lucky rain hat, robes of feathers, keys to the divine treasure house and important books and scrolls. Here are the names and the features of the Shichi-fuku-jin. Click here to learn more about them.
| Daikoku 大黒 |
The god of wealth and farmers. He holds a big bag filled with treasures on his shoulder and an uchideno-kozuchi (lucky mallet) in his hand. |
| Bishamon 毘沙門 |
The god of war and warriors. He wears a suit of armor, a helmet and is armed with a sword. |
| Ebisu 恵比寿 |
The god of fishermen and wealth. He holds a large, red tai (sea bream) and a fishing rod. |
| Fukurokuju 福禄寿 |
The god of longevity. He has an elongated bald head and a white beard. |
| Juroujin 寿老人 |
Another god of longevity. He wears a long white beard and a scholar's cap, and is often accompanied by a stag which is his messenger. |
| Hotei 布袋 |
The god of happiness. He has a jolly face and a big fat belly. |
| Benzaiten 弁財天 |
The goddess of music. She carries a biwa (Japanese mandolin). |
Nanakusa
Nanakusa (七草） means "seven herbs." In Japan, there is a custom to eat nanakusa-gayu (seven herb rice porridge) on January 7th. These seven herbs are called "haru no nanakusa (seven herbs of spring)." It is said that these herbs will remove evil from the body and prevent illness. Also, people tend to eat and drink too much on New Year's Day, therefore it is a ideal light and healthy meal with a lot of vitamins. There are also "aki no nanakusa (seven herbs of autumn)," but they are usually not eaten, and used for decorations to celebrate the autumn equinox week or the full moon in September.
| Haru no nanakusa 春の七草 |
Seri (Japanese parsley), Nazuna (shepherd's purse), Gogyou, Hakobera (chickweed), Hotokenoza, Suzuna, Suzushiro |
| Aki no nanakusa 秋の七草 |
Hagi (bush clover), Kikyou (Chinese bellflower), Ominaeshi, Fujibakama, Nadeshiko (pink), Obana (Japanese pampas grass), Kuzu (arrowroot) |
Proverbs Including Seven
"Nana-korobi Ya-oki (七転び八起き）" literally means, "seven falls, eight getting up." Life has its ups and downs, therefore it is an encouragement to keep going no matter how tough it is. "Shichiten-hakki (七転八起）" is one of the yoji-jukugo (four character kanji compounds) with same meaning.
Seven Deadly Sins/Seven Virtues
Click here to learn the kanji characters for seven deadly sins. To learn about the kanji characters for seven virtues, click here.
