Popular Japanese folklore and superstitions
DISMDRIVE Research released their 81st Ranking Research results, and one of these was a look at what folklore or superstitions people worry about. 4,597 people replied with the single (I think) superstition that they pay most attention to. 2,383 of the respondents, or 51.8%, were male.
This is a fun one for me, as the folk traditions here are often very different from home; I have never heard here of walking under a ladder being unlucky (probably because all ladders get coned off and have two guys waving batons to steer you round the obstacle), urinating on a bee sting seems a very popular (but totally ineffective) antidote, and PET bottles lined up outside houses to scare off cats don’t work.
Note that effect of black cats crossing your path is…umm, I’m not sure any more! Back home in Scotland it was good luck (I think - my memory’s going!) but in Japan it’s bad luck, according to this survey. I remember the Tom and Jerry cartoons where they’d have a black cat causing bad luck, so perhaps that’s the American belief. This random web page says that Japan is good luck, so I am now totally confused!
Q: Please tell me the superstition that you can’t help worrying about. (Sample size=4,597, free answer)
Rank Superstition Votes 1 If you cut your nails at night, your parents will die before you can see them again 624 2 Don’t point at hearses, ambulances, graveyards, etc 500 3 Whistle at night and snakes (or robbers) will come 275 4 It’s bad luck if a black cat crosses your path 140 5 Sneezing is evidence that someone’s gossipping about you 120 6 It’s not good to mix eel and dried plum 97 7= It’s a bad omen to sleep with your pillow facing north 93 7= Giving someone a cold will cure yours 93 9 Lie down soon after eating and you’ll turn into a cow 87 10 New shoes are to be first worn in the morning 84 The mixing eel and dried plum one has me confused! If anyone knows anything more about this, or any of the others, please leave a comment. Sleeping with your head northward is bad luck because that’s how dead bodies are oriented.
Q: Please tell me the superstition that you can’t help worrying about. (Sample size=4,597, by sex, free answer)
Rank Superstition Male votes
N=2,383Rank Superstition Female votes
N=2,2121 If you cut your nails at night, your parents will die before you can see them again 195 1 If you cut your nails at night, your parents will die before you can see them again 429 2 Don’t point at hearses, ambulances, graveyards, etc 163 2 Don’t point at hearses, ambulances, graveyards, etc 337 3 Whistle at night and snakes (or robbers) will come 98 3 Whistle at night and snakes (or robbers) will come 177 4= Giving someone a cold will cure yours 53 4 It’s bad luck if a black cat crosses your path 89 4= Lie down soon after eating and you’ll turn into a cow 53 5 Sneezing is evidence that someone’s gossipping about you 69 4= It’s not good to mix eel and dried plum 53 6 New shoes are to be first worn in the morning 62 4= Urinate on a worm and your willy will swell (not that kind of swelling!) 53 7 It’s a bad omen to sleep with your pillow facing north 45 8= It’s bad luck if a black cat crosses your path 51 8 It’s not good to mix eel and dried plum 44 8= Sneezing is evidence that someone’s gossipping about you 51 9 Giving someone a cold will cure yours 40 10 It’s a bad omen to sleep with your pillow facing north 48 10= A tea stalk floating upright in a cup is an auspicious omen 39 10= Don’t kill a spider in the morning (or evening) 39 That’s a strange one about worms (how many opportunities does one have to be in that situation anyway, given modern plumbing?), and I wonder what is supposed to happen if you do kill a spider in the morning or evening?
Looking at the detailed age breakdown for other interesting or strange superstitions, 3 of the 64 teenage boys and 5 of the 106 teenage girls said idiots don’t catch colds. As a cat person myself, 3 teenage girls also were concerned that if a cat is washing her face, rain will come. A few people reported that a crow’s cry is a herald of bad luck. There were a significant number who said both yawning and periods were infectious; aren’t they both true, though - women who live together do tend to fall into sync, I believe. Another interesting Japanese superstition mentioned was dying after 100 hiccups. A few women in their forties selected a Japanese variant of “Bad things always come in threes.” Some men in their fifties said eating watermelon and tempura together was bad in some unspecified way.
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Claytonain said,
June 20, 2006 @ 21:06
interesting. Just today I was talking with a guy about his leg pains. He believes that they are being caused by the spirit curse of a snake he killed three years ago. I’m a bit sceptical, but to each their own I guess.
Johannes Rothe said,
June 20, 2006 @ 21:22
Thank you, this one is really amusing.
HanshinT said,
July 12, 2006 @ 15:07
On the black cat one…as an Aussie, black cats crossing your path was always bad luck.
In Japan I was told the same thing PLUS to prevent the bad luck you should close your eyes, take 3 steps bacwards, open your eyes and find something red to see. Apparently, that does the trick.
Yuki Rina said,
July 11, 2007 @ 15:11
Ahaha, yes, some of these are quite amusing. And while I can’t say I’m a very superstitious person, I’ve found that some old superstitions tended to be, ah, unavoidably rooted in some truth. Or that coincidence always seems to choose a moment after a susperstitious event to manifest itself in some odd way.
It seems a black cat is an international symbol of bad luck, as almost any American I’ve ever known has sworn over such as well.
In Japan, it was often customary to bury their dead with their heads facing north. Thus, sleeping with your head to the north just doesn’t seem as appealing anymore.
Also, if wearing something traditional such as a yukata, kimono, or any variation thereof, one must always tie it closed with the left side over the right. It was ominous to fold it right over left, because again, it was customary to bury the dead with their kimono tied right over left.
The sound of a crow cawing is often thought of as a sign of ironic hindesight, as well as bad luck. It is commonly used even today in Japanese tv shows as a soundeffect during comical or roll-your-eyes-from-the-irony moments.
Another I didn’t see here was a suspertition about sore shoulders. I believe it’s that if your right shoulder feels heavy, or if it’s really sore, that it’s being caused by a haunting. Literally, the spirit is sitting on your shoulder. Gives an all new meaning to hitchiking.
There’s many more superstitions that are escaping me at the moment, but I thought you might like a few more to ponder over.
Urban legends Japanese suspect might actually be true » 世論 What Japan Thinks said,
August 7, 2007 @ 22:40
[…] is probably the strangest survey I’ve translated since my one on the top folklore and superstitions. This time we look with goo Ranking at the urban legends that might just be true. As I am no expert […]
adora said,
August 8, 2007 @ 00:02
“Black cat crossing path” is bad luck in N. America. Originally in Europe, a black cat crossing one’s path was considered good luck; however they were seen by the church as associated with witches. The black cat was still usually seen as good luck; however, in North America and parts of Europe, which saw witch hunts, the association with witches caused them to be considered as bad luck.
In places which saw few witch hunts, black cats retained their status as good luck, and are still considered as such in Japan, Britain, Ireland and Egypt.
In Japan, cats in general are good luck. The black Maneki Neko are believed to keep away evil. The crossing path thing is probably a cultural import from American entertainments.
My roommate owns a black cat and she has cross my path numerous time without affect my luck. She doesn’t seen to be able to keep away evil, or that I know of. We have a black sofa, I sometime sit on her accidentally. So it’s actually the cat’s bad luck that I cross her path.
#10 really make sense! Our feet gets bigger throughout the day. If you wear new shoes in the morning, you are less likely to get blisters. As the day goes on, your feet slowing stretching the shoes to the shape of your feet. This is why we should not buy shoes before noon.
Samantha said,
August 22, 2007 @ 08:33
this is COOLLLLLLL!!!!!…i love this site!!!!!…I’M NEVER GOING TO LEAVE MY HOUSE AGAIN!!!!!