fortune teller - fortune teller

A person who specializes in divination using counting sticks, divination sleights, etc. I Ching uses counting sticks and divination sleights to predict natural phenomena, family relationships, directions, etc., based on the duality of yin and yang. It originated in the ancient Chinese "I Ching" and was perfected during the Zhou dynasty, so it is commonly called Zhou I Ching.

It was introduced to Japan in the 6th century, and the title of I Ching scholar appears in the Chronicles of Emperor Kinmei in the Nihon Shoki, and under the Taiho Code, onmyōryō (bureau of onmyō) was placed with onmyōji (masters of divination), who were involved in astronomy, calendar numbers, divination, and geography, and who determined directions and land when moving capitals or building new buildings. From the mid-Heian period, reflecting the lethargy of the aristocrats who had become accustomed to the Shohei era, the magical element became stronger, and it also influenced rituals and lifestyles. By the end of the Muromachi period, it had become widely practiced among the general public, and the use of divinationists and incantation priests gave rise to superstitions and popular beliefs. In the Edo period, with the rise of Confucianism, the study of the Book of Changes became popular, and I Ching became popular, with priests, Buddhist monks, mountain ascetics, and ronin making a living as fortune tellers. In the cities, there were people who practiced I Ching at home, and street fortune tellers who performed I Ching were everywhere. These fortune tellers made their judgments according to the hexagrams obtained using divination sticks and counting sticks. Since there are eight basic hexagrams, I Ching is also called Hakke. Also, since it is shown using counting sticks, fortune tellers are also called Hakkeken or Sanoki. Many of them also performed physiognomy, using telescopes to observe physiognomy and palm lines to judge fate, good fortune, and so on. In the Meiji period, religious services with strong magical elements were banned as they misled the masses, but judgments based on I Ching continued to be performed, and were especially popular when there were many factors of uncertainty in the social situation. Even today, divination by the I Ching is still widely used to predict the dates of business ventures and weddings, as well as fortunes, directions, and the feng shui of the home or grave. However, popular proverbs such as "the fortune teller does not know his own fate" and "Whether it's right or wrong, it's all good" succinctly demonstrate the reliability of divination by the I Ching.

[Noh Sato]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

算木、卜筮(ぼくぜい)などを使う占いを専門の業とする者。易は算木や卜筮を用い、陰陽の二元によって自然現象、家族関係、方位などを案ずるもので、古代中国の『易経』に発し、周代に大成されたので一般に周易といわれている。

　日本には6世紀ころに伝わり、『日本書紀』の欽明(きんめい)天皇紀に易博士の称がみえ、大宝律令(たいほうりつりょう)によって陰陽寮(おんみょうりょう)に天文、暦数、卜筮、地相などに関与する陰陽師を置き、遷都、造営などに際して方位や土地などを定めたりした。平安中期から昌平(しょうへい)に慣れた貴族の無気力を反映して呪術(じゅじゅつ)的要素が強くなり、儀式や生活様式にも影響を与えた。室町末期には民間にも広く行われるようになって、卜占師や加持祈祷師(かじきとうし)などにより迷信や俗信を生むに至った。江戸時代には儒学の興隆に伴って周易の研究が盛んになり、易筮も流行して神職、僧侶(そうりょ)、山伏、浪人などでこれを業とする易者が現れ、都会では家を構えて自宅で易筮に携わる者や、街頭に出て行う大道易者が至る所にみられた。これらの易者は筮竹と算木によって得た卦(け)に従って判断するが、卦には基本になるものが8種あるので易筮を八卦(はっけ)ともいい、また算木で示すところから、易者を八卦見とか算置(さんおき)などともよび、観相などを同時に行う者も多く、天眼鏡を用いて人相や手相を観察し、運命、禍福などを判断した。明治時代になって、呪術的要素の強い加持祈祷のたぐいは大衆を惑わすものとして禁止されたが、易筮による判断は引き続き行われ、社会状勢に不安要素の多いときにはとくに流行をみる。創業や挙式の日取りほか運勢や方位あるいは家相、墓相などの易占は現在も多くみられるが、自身の運命を判断しえないことを評して「易者身の上知らず」とか、「当たるも八卦、当たらぬも八卦」などといわれる俗諺(ぞくげん)は、易占に対する信頼性を端的に物語っている。

［佐藤農人］

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