Superstitions

[den4]

One superstition I heard about was you are not supposed to cut your finger/toenails at night because this will cause the death of somebody you know. Alternative to that superstition has it that if you cut it at night, you will not be able to go to your parents' funeral when they pass away....

anybody know the root/source of this superstition? Where it comes from? The origins?

And, any other superstitions out there from the land of the rising deflation rate?

den4

 

[Nahoko]

Hi Den4,

there are different versions of this superstition. It is said that cutting nails at night is supposed to bring bad luck. I have read in a book that in old times Japanese houses were very dark, so parents told their children not use scissors at night, otherwise they might hurt themselves. The fear of bad luck was an additional motivation not to do so.

 

[samuraitora]

The cutting of the toe nails superstition is similar to Santa Claus. We use Santa to keep kids being good. The japanese used the death of loved ones in a similar fasion, but more for their safety.

 

[thomas]

Such "horror tales" (death of a relative etc.) can have life-long implications. Take one of my uncles for instance: his mother didn't like him to sleep with his open mouth, so she resorted to that story of the "black man" (*) that would sneak into his mouth while he's asleep. Till today he sleeps covering his mouth with his palm. Yes, her generation knew how to educate children.

[sarcasm fully intended]

(*) Not in the sense of skin colour.

 

[deborah gormley]

Poor uncle!!!!
that's sad, Thomas!!! I couldn't imagine the effect that would have on my two children If I told them that story:sorry: they would have night mare's that's for sure,

 

[Hoyu]

The following thread might be of interest in regard to Japanese superstitions:

Omamori

While there are different types of omamori, the most popular is known as the omamori bukuro (literally, 窶彡harm in a brocade bag. And that's just what it is. Usually around 1 inch by 2 inches high, these attractive little charms look somewhat like an elaborate teabag with a thin white cord...

jref.com

 

[den4]

yes, I saw that section on Omamori earlier....cool info....have one of them (as anti-car-accident omamori in my car) , but I guess I'm kind of interested in finding out the roots of where the J-superstitions come from....
kind of like all them mukashi banashi tales that gives the reason on why things are the way they are.....

den4

 

[Hoyu]

Den4

Mukashi Banashi are kinda like Grimm's Fairy Tales, but some of them have their morals tainted with superstition. I would have to say that if you are looking for the roots of present-day Japanese superstitions, then you need to look no further than J-Folklore & Shintoism.

 

[den4]

That is true....but our current day email hoaxes and urban legends are tainted by our current superstitions and false stories, so I think these modern ones are more malicious in nature...

but, Kakuzen, you are right....although I'd say the J-superstitions are also filled with Buddhist notions, too....but you probably know more of those than I do, since I know nothing...

den4

 

[jhgritsch]

My son, who is 10, is writing a research paper. He chose superstitions in Japan. I have searched the web somewhat but have not come up with very many. Can anyone here tell me some they know? He knows you should not stick your chopsticks into the rice and leave them upright.
Thank you.

 

[thomas]

Hi, welcome aboard!

Schauwecker lists a few of the most common superstitions

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2209.html

 

[den4]

Japanese Superstitions

oaproject.tripod.com

http://allsands.com/History/Places/japanesesuperst_suy_gn.htm

http://www.monogatari.org/articles/superstitions.htm

http://www.georgeandkeiko.com/index.mv?&cd=yj&p=004 (uses real media..ugh!)

http://www.urbanlegends.com/misc/japanese_numeric_superstitions.html

http://forum.japanreference.com/archive/topic/1196.html (oops! we're back where we started from....)

http://www.gpb.org/peachstar/irasshai/culwww/ct1.htm

http://www.tellallproductions.com/superstition/s49.html

http://mothra.rerf.or.jp/ENG/Hiroshima/Things/68.html

MacKiDo/Thought/chi-ki

www.mackido.com

http://www2.kanawa.com/japan/superstition.html

http://www.torii.army.mil/archives/archives/2000/may/19/Cultural/story02.htm

Ok, these are some things found doing a google search for Japanese superstitions....hope it helps....lots of repetition, tho...

den4

 

[jhgritsch]

Thank you so much, den4 for all the sites. They are very helful

 

[jhgritsch]

Thank you, Thomas, for the web site, I appreciate it.

 

[Mandylion]

Don't know if these are a help at all but they are a few of my favorites--
Cats should not be allowed into the room of a dead person. While the body is in the home for the wake, a cat can easily be possessed by the spirit, causing trouble for the family later on.--There are all sorts of superstitions concerning directions and astrological dates. The northeast and southwest are unlucky. The southeast is always good. This directional rule system is known as hogaku (it does not rely on topographical features like feng-shui). From what I have seen it is no longer really important. On almost any calendar, even modern ones, you can find little notations on the type of date (auspicious, unlucky) and often important events will be scheduled accordingly.

 

[degpiexoxo]

kind of a superstition question, does anyone know the significance of bean throwing at setsu bun (i think i got the holiday name right, i'll check and edit, we learned about it in my Japanese class so yeah... just wondering... why beans?)

 

[den4]

maybe soybeans was cheaper than rice in the old days, when rice was a premium bartering tool.... :O

 

[degpiexoxo]

wow... simple yet practical... that makes a lot of sense... thanks a bunch!!

 

[den4]

that doesn't mean I'm right, however....probably should wait for some other expert in this area...anybody else have a better reason?

 

[Mandylion]

The general word from the office folks (after much head scratching) was "beans are powerful against evil spirits." But why beans? "It started in China." The rice thing is a good idea, plus throwing around cooked rice is both messy, though probably really fun, and might be sacrilegious.

 

[degpiexoxo]

oic.
cool duds!
thanks oodles and boodles...
toodles...
(oh hohoho the rhyming of imaginary words never ceases to amaze me...)

 

[Uncle Frank]

Another interesting oldie .

This one has some old links that don't work now, but some do and are interesting. Any new superstitutions to add to this thread?

Uncle Frank

 

[sadie_sue]

I think that parents who make things up to scare their children into being good are totally evil. When I was little my brothers used the 'boogie man' to scare me and now I'm afraid of closets and the spaces underneath any piece of large opaque furniture( sofas, beds, etc.). I'm really ashamed of that fact.

 

[I_ave_no_cure]

This one has some old links that don't work now, but some do and are interesting. Any new superstitutions to add to this thread?
Uncle Frank

These may not be new, but here are some that I've found that haven't been mentioned...I don't think:

**Maneki Neko (beckoning cat): This statue "beckons" good fortune and since it's supposed to bring in the customers, many shops, restaurants, businesses, etc. display this figure of a cat with one paw raised in the shop front, or at the counter. Like other superstitions, there are many stories about this one's origins, so it's hard to pinpoint exactly where it comes from. Some sources say it's a thing from China, but, hey. There's actually a Maneki Neko club..anyone in it??

**Kit Kats: the chocolate bar has become a good luck omen type of thing, like katsudon (I'll explain in a second). Since it can be pronounced in Japanese as "Kitto Katsu", roughly meaning "definitely win", parents have been getting their kids Kit Kats, as a kind of motivation for exams. (http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/index.php/2006/04/26/manufactured_luck_kitkat_in_japan)
In the same way, katsudon (pork cutlets on rice..I think), has been(and is being) eaten by many in Japan before exams or a match of some kind, because it has the word "katsu" (to win) in it. The Japanese (Soccer/Football) World Cup team had katsudon on the plane to Germany..let's not talk about that...

**This is one I learnt from my former Japanese teacher, who was pretty superstitious. Apparently, writing people's names in red ink is not a good thing. I don't really understand why, but it must be a danger colour or something...hmm.

By the way, it's pretty hard to find superstitions on the internet. It's not something easy to research or look up just for fun.

And about parents who make up things to scare kids. I think it depends what kind of kids they have too. Some kids can be well, not that nice.

 

[PsychoticNess]

I think that parents who make things up to scare their children into being good are totally evil. When I was little my brothers used the 'boogie man' to scare me and now I'm afraid of closets and the spaces underneath any piece of large opaque furniture( sofas, beds, etc.). I'm really ashamed of that fact.

Hahaha. Man, I would terrify my brother with stories. I'd tell him there were vampires in his closet, then before he went to bed I would go hide in there and come out while he was sleeping. Yeah, I was mean, but who isn't to their little brother?

Anyway, These supersitions are neat. Wasn't there one in the movie Ju-on? Haha, or that's more like a curse...