It’s my kanreki this year. The Chinese zodiac has made a full 60 year cycle back around to the Fire Horse, hinoe-uma in Japanese. It’s the worst sign for women. We Fire Horses are said to be troublesome and even cause our husbands to die young (hang in there, Tod).
But why are Fire Horse women in such disfavor?
A Japanese historical legend says that in 1683, a lovely girl from Edo called Yaoya Oshichi committed arson in order to reconnect with the handsome young monk she had met during a city-wide fire the year before. Her logic was youthful: if I met him during the fire disaster and I want to see him again, a second fire will bring us back together.
Edo was built of closely spaced wood structures so fires were a major concern. Arson was punishable by death for adults 16 and over. The judge tried to give Oshichi chance to escape this fate by encouraging her to declare she was only 15. But Oshichi stood stubbornly honest and stated that she was, in fact, 16 years old. She was burned at the stake for her foolish act and her honesty.
Oshichi was said to be born in 1666, a Fire Horse year. Though historical records are unclear about her actual birth year, the artists of the time grabbed onto the story and ran with it. She was immortalised in stories, prints, and theatre. And with her story so widely known, Oshichi’s passionate, impulsive and stubborn behavior became emblematic of what people feared about Fire Horse women.
A couple months ago Saito-san, the editor of the Bonichi Shimbun, contacted me about the January 1st issue of the paper where they feature men, women, and children born in the zodiac year: a 12 year old, a 24 year old, and so on.
He was looking for a Fire Horse to represent the women of 1966. We are rare. In 1966, Japan had a 25% dip in the birth rate as people tried to avoid unlucky daughters.
Saito-san knows I am a fire horse and I don’t hide my hinoe-uma nature. So I appeared in the paper as a toshi-onna, a woman of the year, representing the Fire Horses. I hope some of my neighbors were nodding as they read, “Ah, Kristen…now I understand.”
Here is the translation of the article:
Born in the year of the horse to “a wonderful life“
Kristen McQuillin (60), Kamogawa city
It has been 28 years since she came to Japan from the United States and she has lived in Kamogawa for 11 years. She teaches rice planting, papermaking, and straw crafts at Oyama Senmaida Preservation Society, and also works as a yoga instructor and illustrator. Every day is fulfilling and enjoyable.
Her year’s theme is “present.” It has three meanings: being in the present moment; presenting creative work; and receiving presents (gifts). She says, “I want to live every day with joy in the present moment, deepen my connections with people in the Awa region, and continue to slowly improve my Japanese language skills.”
Before coming to Japan, a fortune teller in Singapore told her, “You shouldn’t have been born.” He said that women born in the year of the Fire Horse are stubborn and not suitable to be wives. However, she asserts that this is a silly superstition. “The characteristics of Horse have brought me a wonderful life.”
One of these experiences was encountering Japan, and she continues to have a happy marriage with Tod, whom she wed 36 years ago.
I want to tell that fortune teller, “I am not controlled by the limitations you set.”
This year she turns 60 and plans to visit the Togenuki Jizo statue in Sugamo, Tokyo, and buy lucky red underwear. She also plans to bake a cake, reflect on her achievements so far, and write about her dreams for the future.
You can expect some follow-up posts here about antics in my 60th year. I probably won’t commit arson, though.
