What does the word “superstition” mean to you?
Many of you have heard of the term for unreliable legends like “it rains when a cat washes its face.”
“Superstition means believing things without a rational basis or legends harmful to social life.”
In addition to superstitions, humans have long believed in many things. One of these is that there is no basis for the legend and that it harms society.
You will not witness your parents’ death if you cut your nails at night.
There is a myth called “Yozume” that was born around the same time as “Seize,” which means short-lived.
Here we are going to discuss what is meant by the term “Japanese superstition.”
Why You Should Learn About Japanese Superstitions
We learn about bad luck at a young age. Hotel and hospital naming practices often avoid the unlucky number thirteen to avoid those in our society.
Japanese superstitions range from unlucky sleeping positions to curses on hated people.
Japan’s unique quirks can be learned through superstitions. Superstitions are slyly referenced in Japanese horror movies. In conversation, mention superstitions to show your knowledge of Japan. Learning how to interpret gestures (like holding your breath or crossing your fingers in a cemetery) will even help you better understand them. New words are likely to appear.
Lighting fixtures were poorly developed when the superstition originated. Unless you can see the flying nails, cutting them in the dark will hurt you. In response, nighttime nail cutting became a superstition.
As a result of modern lighting fixtures, cutting your nails at night is no longer a danger. As time changes, superstitions become meaningless teachings.
By educating yourself about these superstitions, you can prevent your home from being possessed by evil spirits.t that this is one of our most important posts.
What are some common superstitions in Japan?
In Japan and around the world, there are many legends and superstitions. “Be careful not to cut your nails at night” and “Plucking cluster amaryllis will kill you” are all a little frightening and creepy when you think about what really happens.
There is a strong meaning behind those superstitions, such as the historical background of the story and the commandments to children.
In this article, I will discuss some scary superstitions in Japan and the world and their meanings.
- Don’t cut your nails at night.
“By cutting your nails at night, you won’t see the death of your parents.”
It means that you die earlier than your parents. Cutting your nails at night is called “Yozume,” and it is said that you die earlier than your parents because of the pun with “Seize,” which means shortening your life. That’s right.
The true meaning of this superstition is related to the fact that Japan used to use a knife to cut nails. This superstition probably developed from a warning that it is dangerous to cut small, hard-to-see nails at night in a dark room because you might accidentally cut meat.
- When a hearse passes, hide your thumb.
Running hearses in the city is a superstition.
There is a long-held belief in Japan that the spirits of the recently deceased still exist. The dead’s soul is also said to invade between the thumbnail and the skin, and hiding the thumb prevents the spirit from transferring.
If you see the hearse, hide your thumb first to protect your parents.
- Don’t sleep with socks on
It is unlucky to sleep with your socks on, as you cannot see your parents’ deaths.”
In ancient times, the dead were socked in white because it was customary to do so. Imitating a shroud is believed to accelerate the death process since wearing socks while sleeping is considered unlucky behavior.
He was also said to die before his parents since he had completed the ritual that he would perform when he died.
- 100 hiccups, then die
When hiccups don’t stop, there are superstitions.
Back then, education wasn’t very developed, so only a few samurai families could count the numbers. There was no concept of numbers like 100 at that time since they were uncounted.
Olden days, deaths were not explained, and mysterious and unexplained phenomena such as hiccups caused great fear. Due to this, the legend that you would die if you hiccup 100 times spread.
- A person dies when a crow crows.
A deceased person used to be buried on a mountain and offered to the gods as an offering in old Japan. During the time that the crows sang, it was believed that the dead were nearby.
When people went to sleep at night, the wise crow went to the mountains to eat offerings. At night, when crowds gather in graveyards and sing, humans must have found it very creepy.
Additionally, it is derived from the Japanese mythology “Yatagarasu,” which is said to represent illness, accidental death, and an earthquake, among other misfortunes.
Do not pick up fallen combs.
There is a superstition in Japan that combs will bring good fortune if you break the mirror. In the West, breaking a mirror brings ominous things, but in Japan, breaking combs brings bad luck. In Japanese mythology, “Izanagi no Mikoto” is the source of the story.
He threw a comb to escape his pursuit after using a comb to uncover the truth. Combs have a mysterious power to protect themselves, so doing them badly is not a good idea.
Furthermore, it is said that picking up a fallen comb that was originally a human object will lead to “suffering” in puns and “pick up suffering and death.”
- Don’t do the laundry at night.
For generations, Japanese women wore kimonos in the past. There was also a custom to dry the deceased’s kimono at night based on the superstition that the spirit resides in the garment.
Accordingly, washing clothes at night was a reminder of the dead, and the clothes were haunted by their spirits.
Nighttime is also considered a time when Fusui has a lot of negative energy. The energy attached to the laundry that was dried at night will be attached to the clothes if you wear them.
- North pillow is absolutely abandoned.
Japanese superstitions date back to ancient times: “North pillow is bad.. At funerals, the dead’s head is turned to the north side, and sleeping on a north pillow reproduces their appearance.
As Buddha’s head faced north when he died, it was probably avoided because it reminded me of Buddha’s death.
- Early death occurs when three people take a picture side by side.
The old superstition was that “taking a picture will pull out your soul.” Also, old cameras had low performance, and when three people took pictures side by side, only the middle person was focused.
It is said that the soul can be pulled out by that amount due to the fact that the person in the middle is clearly visible.
The picture was taken with an older person or boss, often involving the oldest person in the middle. It is sometimes said “the person who took the picture in the middle…” since the older person inevitably dies.
- It is fatal to pick cluster amaryllis.
It was common in Japanese burial practice to plant toxic cluster amaryllis around the grave to exterminate and keep away rats and moles that ruined the grave where the deceased rested.
Picking it without knowing this will cause animals like mice and moles to disturb the graveyard, causing the dead to be dug up, so it is said that “picking cluster amaryllis will cause death.”
In truth, cluster amaryllis is poisonous, and picking it up and bringing it home is extremely dangerous for a child who doesn’t know what it is.
There is no poison in the cluster amaryllis since it looks so beautiful.
What does a sneeze mean in Japan?
This superstition comes from the saying, “One sneeze, two laughs, three loves, and four colds.” It is said if you sneeze once, someone is saying bad things to you, if you sneeze twice, you are laughing at someone, if you sneeze three times, you are in love with someone, and if you sneeze four times, you have caught a cold, or so they say
These sayings are both praised and laughed at, such as “praise for one, hate for two, fall for three, catch a cold for four.” It is more common to be hated than we are to be loved. It’s best not to have a real cold when you sneeze a lot, but I want you to be a good rumor versus a bad rumor!
5 Japanese superstitions about love
Due to its invisibility, “love” is troublesome. Is it an illusion or something you feel in your head? Love has been questioned since the days of Plato, but no clear answer has yet been offered, and instead, people are confused by some superstitions. That’s what I’m going to do.
- The heat is getting to my ears.
The presence of tinnitus may be a sign of confession for a man
The feelings of joy and embarrassment associated with being confessed are said to be precursors to men’s confessions. In the near future, you may be passionately confessing!?
- Your love luck will improve if you meet a white cat!
Originally, there were not many white cats. Love luck is said to increase if you meet.
You’ll be luckier even if you don’t meet. A person can also have a lover if they come out of a dream.
- Your love will come true if you ask before the contrails disappear.
It is a good chance to make a love wish if you find a contrail.
If you chant your wishes three times before the contrail disappears, or if you write the other person’s name toward the contrail, your love chances can be increased.
- Irritation in the eyebrows is a sign to be confessed.
An eyebrow itch is a jinx that brings happiness.
The right eyebrow will confess itself in the afternoon if it becomes itchy in the morning.
- I’m liked if I sneeze three times!?
Sneezing is associated with a variety of jinxes. Here are two I would like to introduce.
A person seems to think of you if you sneeze three times. It occurred to me that I sneezed three times on the same day… Did you ever experience this?