Hoh-Taikoh Zukin-gyoretsu
a procession of aged men wearing red caps called zukin |
We have a general custom to celebrate a aged person who reached the following age by kazoedoshi..
Kazoedoshi is an old manner of reckoning one's age, newborns being considered a year old,
with everyone adding one year to their age at New Year's.
This way of thinking came from Buddhism.
The period while a baby stays in mother's womb is counted one year.
(before your birthday, plus 2 years; after your birthday, plus 1 year)
By way of parenthesis, people who celebrete thses special ages
by an ordinary reckoning are increasing in recent years.
way of calling the age | kazoedoshi | age | derivation |
kanreki | 61 | 60 | The sexagenary cycle is completed and returned. So people wear red chanchanko (a kind of jacket) because red means a baby |
rokuju | 66 | 65 | 日本百貨店協会が 2002年9月に提案したもの。65歳は現役世代と高齢世代との節目の歳であり、「緑寿」を新たな社会生活への参画を促すスタートラインと位置付けたため |
koki | 70 | 69 | 唐の詩人杜甫作「曲江の詩」の一節、「人生七十、古来稀なり」から。その昔70歳まで生きるのは稀だったから |
kiju | 77 | 76 | 「喜」という字を草書体で書くと「七十七」に見えたため |
sanju | 80 | 79 | 数え年八十歳のお祝い。傘の略字が八十に見えることからこの名がついたもの |
hanju | 81 | 80 | |
beiju | 88 | 87 | 「米」という字を分解すると「八・十・八」になるため |
sotsuju | 90 | 89 | 「卒」の俗字「卆」が「九・十」に分解できることから |
hakuju | 99 | 98 | 「百」の字から「一」をとれば「白」になるため |