Hinoeuma - Hinoeuma

This is a popular belief that developed from the Shukuyo calendar. The ten stems and twelve branches are assigned to the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water), and the five elements are divided into older and younger brothers. When the ten stems are assigned in order and the twelve branches are combined, the same zodiac year will come in the 61st year. Since Hei is the older brother of fire and Horse is the fire of the direct south, it was believed that there would be many fires in this year. In China, from the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the idea that Heigo was an unlucky year gained strength. This belief spread to Japan, and during the Edo period, it spread to villages by lower-ranking religious figures, giving rise to popular beliefs such as women born in Heigo killing and cannibalizing their husbands. In recent years, fewer people would have believed this, but the number of birth registrations dropped sharply in both 1906 (Meiji 39) and 1966 (Showa 41), which were both Hei-Hō-Yō years. In the latter case, regional statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (now the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) showed that young mothers in urban areas were more concerned about this, which was due to the influence of the mass media.

[Shoji Inoguchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

宿曜(すくよう)雑暦から発展した俗信。十干(じっかん)と十二支を五行(ごぎょう)（木火土金水(もくかどごんすい)）に配し、五行を兄(え)と弟(と)に分けて十干を順に当てはめ、十二支を組み合わせると61年目に同じ干支(えと)の年がくる。丙は火の兄、午は正南の火であるところから、この年には火災が多いと信じられ、中国では北宋(ほくそう)時代の末から、丙午(へいご)を凶歳とする説が強まったが、これが日本にも伝わり、江戸時代には下級宗教者の手で村々に広まる間に、丙午の女は夫を食い殺すなどの俗説を生じた。近来、これを信じる者は少なくなったはずであるが、丙午にあたる1906年（明治39）、1966年（昭和41）は、ともに出生届が急減した。後者の場合、厚生省（現厚生労働省）の地域別統計によると、都市の若い母親ほど気にしていたことが明らかで、これはマスコミの影響による。

［井之口章次］

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