Japanese Lucky Day Calendar: Tensha, Ichiryumanbai, Tora & Mi Days
Pick a year and month to see a calendar of Japanese lucky and unlucky days: Tenshanichi, Ichiryumanbai, Tora no Hi, Mi no Hi, Tsuchinoto-mi, Fujoju and Kishukunichi. Choose a purpose such as a wedding, opening a business or buying a wallet, and the tool lists only the days that suit it and leaves out the ones to avoid. The day’s sexagenary (stem-branch) name is computed from the date, the solar-term month from the 24 solar terms, and the lunar date from the new moon and the sun’s position; nothing you enter is sent to a server. For Taian, Butsumetsu and the rest of the six-day rokuyo cycle, see the Rokuyo & Lunar Calendar; for a printable monthly calendar, use the Calendar Generator.
🔒 Runs in your browser · Your data is never sent to a server
How to read the marks
Shaded days are suitable for the chosen purpose (at least one lucky mark and no mark to avoid). Under each date you see the day’s stem-branch name and its marks.
- Tenshanichi (天赦日)
- The best lucky day of the year: the gods are said to ascend to heaven and forgive all sins. It falls on a fixed stem-branch day for each season (Tsuchinoe-tora in spring, Kinoe-uma in summer, Tsuchinoe-saru in autumn, Kinoe-ne in winter), a few times a year, and is said to cancel out unlucky days.
- Ichiryumanbai (一粒万倍日)
- A day when one grain of rice is said to grow into ten thousand. Good for new beginnings such as opening a business, starting a job or using a new wallet; avoid borrowing money or things.
- Tora no Hi (寅の日)
- Named after the tiger that "goes a thousand ri and returns a thousand ri", so money you spend is said to come back. Good for finances and setting out; poor for weddings and childbirth. Every 12 days.
- Mi no Hi (巳の日)
- Linked to the snake, the messenger of the goddess Benzaiten, and associated with money luck. Good for buying or starting a wallet or beginning to save. Every 12 days.
- Tsuchinoto-mi (己巳の日)
- A Mi day whose stem-branch is Tsuchinoto-mi. It is Benzaiten’s festival day and said to be the strongest day for money luck. Every 60 days.
- Fujoju (不成就日)
- An unlucky day on which nothing is said to come to fruition. It is decided by the lunar month and day. A Tenshanichi that falls on the same day is said to cancel it.
- Kishukunichi (鬼宿日)
- A day governed by the Kishuku lunar mansion. Said to be lucky for everything except weddings, for which it is unlucky.
Look up a date
How to use
- Pick the "Year" and "Month", then choose a wedding, business launch or wallet under "Purpose".
- Set "Range" to "This month" or "Whole year" to list the days that match.
- The calendar shades matching days and shows each day’s stem-branch and marks; see "How to read the marks" for what they mean.
Notes
- These are old calendar annotations, closer to fortune-telling and superstition than science. They guarantee nothing, and how much weight they carry varies by region and family. Put the venue, the shop and the people involved first when you pick a real date.
- Tenshanichi and Ichiryumanbai follow the solar-term month, which starts on the setsu terms (Start of Spring, Start of Summer, Start of Autumn, Start of Winter and so on); Fujoju and Kishukunichi follow the lunar month and day. When a solar term or new moon falls within about ten minutes of midnight, the calculation can be off by one day. For important dates, check an official almanac too.
- Almanacs and books differ on the branch table for Ichiryumanbai and on which days suit which purpose. This tool follows the rules most widely published, so a few days may disagree with other calendars.
- For purposes, Tenshanichi is treated as cancelling any unlucky day. A lunar leap month is counted with the same number as the month before it for Fujoju and the lunar mansions.
Glossary
Senjitsu (calendar annotations)
Days marked as lucky or unlucky in the traditional calendar, apart from rokuyo. Examples are Tenshanichi, Ichiryumanbai, Fujoju, Tora no Hi and Mi no Hi, and they are derived from the day’s stem-branch, the lunar date or the solar terms.
Sexagenary day (kanshi)
The 60-step cycle formed by pairing the ten heavenly stems with the twelve earthly branches. Every day has a name in it and the cycle repeats every 60 days, independent of the year and month names.
Solar-term month (setsugetsu)
A month that starts on the setsu solar terms (every other one of the 24, such as Start of Spring and Awakening of Insects). A new month begins on the day the term arrives, starting with the tiger month from Start of Spring. It differs from the lunar month and is used for Tenshanichi and Ichiryumanbai.
Twenty-eight lunar mansions
Twenty-eight star groups along the moon’s path. In the almanac each lunar month assigns a fixed mansion to its first day and advances one mansion per day. A day of the Kishuku mansion is Kishukunichi.
Tsuchinoto-mi (己巳)
A day whose stem-branch is Tsuchinoto-mi. Considered the strongest of the Mi days for money luck; it comes round every 60 days.
FAQ
How is Tenshanichi decided?
It is a fixed stem-branch day for each season: Tsuchinoe-tora (戊寅) in spring (Start of Spring up to the day before Start of Summer), Kinoe-uma (甲午) in summer, Tsuchinoe-saru (戊申) in autumn and Kinoe-ne (甲子) in winter. The same stem-branch day outside its season does not count, so it comes about five or six times a year.
What if Ichiryumanbai falls on a Tora or Mi day?
Overlapping lucky days are considered even better, and a Tora day that is also Ichiryumanbai is a popular pick for starting a business or buying a wallet. A Fujoju day, however, carries a mark to avoid, so it is left out of the lucky-day list for the chosen purpose; if it coincides with Tenshanichi, Tenshanichi is treated as cancelling it.
When are Fujoju days?
They follow the lunar month and day: lunar months 1 and 7 on days 3, 11, 19 and 27; months 2 and 8 on days 2, 10, 18 and 26; months 3 and 9 on days 1, 9, 17 and 25; months 4 and 10 on days 8, 16 and 24; months 5 and 11 on days 7, 15 and 23; months 6 and 12 on days 6, 14 and 22. Pick a year and month here to see the Gregorian dates.
Why do the dates differ from another calendar site?
When a solar term or new moon falls within a few minutes of midnight, the calculation can land one day off. Calendars also differ on the branch table for Ichiryumanbai and on which days suit which purpose. For an important date, compare more than one almanac.
Should I avoid Tora days and Butsumetsu for a wedding?
There is no scientific or legal basis, so it is up to you and your family. Tora days are traditionally avoided for weddings because the tiger "goes a thousand ri and returns", and Butsumetsu is often avoided too. For weddings this tool treats those two, plus Fujoju and Kishukunichi, as days to avoid.
Share this page