The Twelve Zodiac Signs (Junishi) Explained: Why Twelve Animals Mark Your Birth Year, Theories of Origin, and Your Guardian Buddha

“I’m a Horse-year person.” “You two are exactly one full cycle apart.” In New Year’s cards, self-introductions and talk about generations, we casually mention the animal of our birth year: the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar. Where did these twelve animals actually come from?

Trace the history of the twelve signs back far enough and you reach a surprising fact: they began as symbols that had nothing to do with animals. This article works through the questions one by one in plain language: what the twelve signs are, how they differ from the “eto” (the sexagenary cycle), how they came to be tied to animals, and why an imaginary creature, the Dragon, made the list.

Our free fortune-telling tool, “Eto Fortune,” reads your birth-year sign and shows tendencies for personality, love, work and money, plus your “mamori honzon” (guardian Buddha). Many people ask, “I got a result, but what is a guardian Buddha?” This article explains that too, with a few analogies.

Whenever a specialist term appears, we restate it in a “Put simply” quote box. Later on we add our own reflections, which go beyond summarizing history. Anything that is our own view or speculation is labeled as such. Please note in advance that the origins of the twelve signs are debated and many points remain unclear.

Key points (a 3-minute summary)

• The twelve signs (junishi) are twelve symbols: Ne, Ushi, Tora, U, Tatsu, Mi, Uma, Hitsuji, Saru, Tori, Inu and I. Since ancient China they have been used to mark years, months, days, hours and directions.
• “Eto” originally meant the 60-step count made by pairing the ten stems (jikkan) with the twelve signs. In Japan, people often use “eto” to mean just the twelve signs.
• The twelve signs were originally symbols unrelated to animals. Sources say animals were matched to them by the Qin dynasty at the latest, but when, why and how this happened is disputed.
• The popular tale that the order was set by who reached the gods first on New Year’s morning is widely loved, but it is thought to be a story explaining the order, not historical fact.
• In Japanese Buddhism, each birth-year sign is linked to a “mamori honzon,” one of eight guardian Buddhas (the Hattai-butsu). This idea is explained as not being written in the Buddhist scriptures.
• Our Eto Fortune uses the everyday calendar-year sign (January 1 to December 31). Unlike Four Pillars of Destiny, it does not switch years at the start of spring (Risshun). There is no scientific evidence for the personality readings.

What are the twelve signs? The twelve symbols Ne, Ushi, Tora…

The twelve signs (junishi) are the following twelve symbols, in order.

• Ne (Rat), Ushi (Ox), Tora (Tiger), U (Rabbit), Tatsu (Dragon), Mi (Snake)
• Uma (Horse), Hitsuji (Sheep), Saru (Monkey), Tori (Rooster), Inu (Dog), I (Boar)

Look closely at the readings. Ne for the Rat, U for the Rabbit, Mi for the Snake and I for the Boar are slightly different from the animals’ ordinary names. It helps to think of the twelve signs as symbols that came down with their own readings, separate from the animal names.

One sign is assigned to each year in turn. After the year of Ne comes Ushi, then Tora, and after I the cycle returns to Ne. In other words, it is a system that completes one round every twelve years.

Put simply, the twelve signs are like “the marks on a clock face, twelve symbols that keep turning in order.” They were originally not animals; animals such as the Rat and the Ox were matched to them later.

Are “eto” and “the twelve signs” the same thing?

In Japan, people often call the twelve signs “eto,” as in “this year’s eto is the Horse.” Strictly, though, “eto” means the combination of the ten stems (jikkan) and the twelve signs.

The ten stems are ten symbols: Kinoe, Kinoto, Hinoe, Hinoto, Tsuchinoe, Tsuchinoto, Kanoe, Kanoto, Mizunoe and Mizunoto. Pair these ten with the twelve, starting from the beginning of each list, and the combinations complete a round after 60 steps. This is the sexagenary cycle (rokujikkanshi), and it is the origin of “kanreki,” the celebration of returning to the sign of one’s birth year after 60 years.

The name “eto” is explained this way: each stem has a yang or yin nature, yang being called “e” (elder brother) and yin “to” (younger brother), so the reading “eto” came from “older and younger brothers.”

Put simply, the true “eto” is a set of 10 symbols and 12 symbols that comes around every 60 years. When we say “this year’s eto is the Horse,” we are picking out just the twelve-sign part.

Origins of the twelve signs: a history of symbols that came before the animals

The Yin dynasty: symbols for counting days

The history of the twelve signs is very old, going back to the Yin dynasty (also called Shang) of China. Many oracle-bone inscriptions (writing carved into turtle shells and animal bones) record the stem-branch cycle being used to keep track of dates. At this stage the twelve signs were not a tool for reading fate or character; they were simply marks for counting days.

It has also been pointed out that in the underlying idea, the ten stems were the more fundamental part, and the twelve signs were combined with them.

One theory: they were originally words for the stages of plant growth

Each of the twelve characters is said to have an original meaning. A frequently cited explanation is that they described stages of plant growth. For example, the first sign is linked to a character meaning “to multiply” and is said to indicate the moment new life begins to stir inside a seed. From there, the cycle of sprouting, growing, ripening, withering and awaiting the next life is spread across the twelve symbols.

However, this plant theory is one explanation based on interpreting the meanings of the characters, and not every scholar sees it the same way. For now, simply remember that “such an explanation exists.”

Another theory: tied to Jupiter’s twelve-year cycle

There is also an astronomical explanation. Jupiter (called “Saisei” in ancient China) circles the celestial sphere about once every twelve years. Ancient people divided the sky into twelve sections and recorded years by where Jupiter stood. These twelve divisions (the Junijiki) came to be called by the names of the twelve signs, and this eventually developed into a way of counting years with them. Some say the number twelve comes from Jupiter’s cycle.

Put simply, there are several explanations for the origin of the twelve signs, such as “they showed stages of plant growth” and “they divided Jupiter’s twelve-year trip across the sky,” and none can be called decisive. Still, every theory agrees on one point: they were originally not animals.

When and why were animals assigned?

So when did animals become tied to the twelve signs? According to sources, animals corresponded to the twelve signs by the Qin dynasty at the latest. There are several theories about what prompted it.

• The theory that familiar animals were assigned to make the calendar easier to remember: an explanation to that effect is said to appear in the “Lunheng,” written by Wang Chong of the Later Han. In an age when many people could not read, the shape of an animal would have been handy for remembering a symbol.
• The theory that the shapes of the characters resembled animals: Xu Shen of the Later Han is said to have noted that the forms of the characters seem to depict animals.
• The theory that animal worship (totemism) merged with astronomical ideas: an explanation in which old animal veneration and star lore combined.
• The theory that the twelve zodiac constellations of ancient Babylon were transmitted and merged with the signs: this theory is introduced even in Japanese-language encyclopedias.

None is decisive. There is also a view that the animals used differed by region and were standardized in the Han period. In short, sadly, there is no clear account of “in this year, this person decided it this way.”

Put simply, “they were easy to remember” is the most straightforward explanation for why animals were assigned to the twelve signs, but there are several other theories and nothing is certain.

Arrival in Japan

The twelve signs and the eto came to Japan together with the calendar. The calendar arrived between the Kofun and Asuka periods, and Japan’s first calendar is said to have been made in 604. That is why animals that did not live in Japan at the time, such as the Tiger and the Sheep, are among the twelve. In Japan, the last sign (I) is treated as the boar, whereas in China it is regarded as a pig.

The twelve-signs folktale: where did “hurry to the gods” come from?

Ask most Japanese people about the twelve signs and they think of the animals’ race. The story goes roughly like this.

One year-end, the god issued a proclamation to the animals: “Come and greet me on the morning of New Year’s Day. The first twelve to arrive will each be made ruler of a year, in order.” The animals set off, each trying to be first. The slow Ox left during the night. But a Rat had cleverly hopped onto the Ox’s back. When the god’s gate opened at dawn, the Rat leapt off and arrived first. The Ox came second. Then came the Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar, in that order.

The tale comes with many side episodes. The Cat, told by the Rat that “you go to see the god on the morning of the second,” arrived late and missed out on the twelve, which is why the cat still chases the rat, it is said. The Dragon and the Snake arrived together but the Snake gave way to the Dragon. The Dog and the Monkey quarreled on the way and the Rooster stepped in as a mediator, giving birth to the expression “dog and monkey” for people who get along badly. The Boar was fast but could only run in a straight line, so it came in last. All of these are told.

When and by whom was this story made?

Exactly when and where this folktale arose is unclear. The god is sometimes the Buddha, and in China sometimes the Jade Emperor (the Heavenly Emperor), and there are many different versions of the animals’ order and the side stories. Encyclopedias note that tracing the origin of this folktale is difficult.

What matters here is that it is thought to be a story made after the fact to explain “why this order,” not historical fact. It is highly likely that the order of the twelve signs was already fixed before this folktale arose. So it is natural to see the tale not as a story that decided the order but as a story that attached a “reason” afterward to an order already set.

Put simply, “the Rat rode on the Ox and came first” is probably not the real reason the order was fixed, but a story born to make the order easy and fun for children to remember.

The animals differ by country and region

The animals of the twelve signs actually differ a little between countries and regions. For example, in Japan the twelfth sign is the boar, but in China it is a pig. In Vietnam the Cat takes the place of the Rabbit, and the Ox is a water buffalo. In Thailand, some versions place the Naga, a divine serpent, in place of the Dragon, and historically Mongolia is said to have used the leopard in place of the Tiger and the crocodile in place of the Dragon.

One explanation for why the cat is not among the twelve is that when the twelve animals were fixed, the cat was not yet a familiar animal in China. This, too, is not firm enough to be called established. As for the Cat in place of the Rabbit in Vietnam, one explanation says the old Chinese sound of the sign “U” resembled the Vietnamese word for “cat.”

Put simply, the animals of the twelve signs are not the same worldwide. Japan’s boar is a pig in China, and in Vietnam the Rabbit becomes a Cat. This is thought to be the result of swapping in “animals familiar in that land.”

The twelve signs in daily life: hours, directions, kanreki

The twelve signs have been used for hours and directions as well as years. Here are some examples that remain in the Japanese language.

• Hours: in the past a day was divided into twelve and called by the signs. Midnight (around 11 pm to 1 am today) was the “hour of the Ne” and noon (around 11 am to 1 pm) the “hour of the Uma.” The words for “a.m.” (gozen) and “p.m.” (gogo) come from this “uma” (noon). And “ushimitsu-doki,” familiar from ghost stories, is said to be the third of four parts of the hour of the Ushi, roughly 2:00 to 2:30 a.m.
• Directions: north corresponds to Ne, east to U, south to Uma and west to Tori. The “shigosen” (meridian) means the line joining north (Ne) and south (Uma).
• Kanreki: the celebration on returning to the sign of one’s birth year, at age 61 by the traditional count. Today it is often celebrated on the 60th birthday.

The Demon Gate and the twelve signs

The twelve signs are also connected with Japan’s idea of the “kimon,” the Demon Gate. The kimon is the direction from which demons are said to come and go, and in terms of the signs it lies between Ushi and Tora, that is, the northeast. It is often explained that demons are drawn with an ox’s horns and a tiger-skin loincloth because of this “Ushi-Tora,” but there are other theories on the origin and nothing can be said for certain.

Another explanation of the Demon Gate says that the turn of the year on the old lunar calendar fell “between Ushi and Tora,” so that spot became the demons’ doorway. The opposite direction (southwest) lies between Hitsuji and Saru and is called the “ura-kimon,” the back Demon Gate, and was likewise avoided. Enshrining a statue of a monkey (Saru) to ward off the Demon Gate is explained by the monkey being the animal on the opposite side.

The notion that a boundary, the turn of a year, becomes “the demons’ passage” is wonderfully Japanese and interesting. The sense that something unseen dwells in borders and gaps seems to me to connect with the world of ghost stories too.

An example used in this article: Person A’s sign

From here we explain using the actual output of our tool. Here too a fictional “Person A” appears: a woman born on January 1, 2000 (not a real person).

Our Eto Fortune works out the sign from the calendar year of birth. The formula is (birth year – 4) divided by 12, taking the remainder: 0 is Ne, 1 is Ushi, 2 is Tora, and so on. For Person A, (2000 – 4) = 1996, and dividing by 12 leaves a remainder of 4. Number 4 is “Tatsu,” so Person A is shown as “Year of the Dragon (Tatsu).”

The content shown on the results screen for the Dragon year is as follows.

• Personality in a phrase: High ideals and self-confident. Sets large-scale goals and has the drive to push ahead.
• Love: Compatible with someone who can share big dreams.
• Work: Large-scale plans are appreciated.
• Money: Make bold investments only after preparing.
• Guardian Buddha: Fugen Bosatsu (a bodhisattva said to govern the power to put compassion into action and to embody perseverance)

Note Person A’s birthday. Because it is January 1, under the Four Pillars of Destiny approach, where the year changes at the start of spring (around February 4), Person A would belong to the previous year, 1999, the year of the Rabbit. Person A’s year pillar in Four Pillars actually comes out as “Tsuchinoto-U.” Our Eto Fortune, by contrast, uses the calendar year (New Year’s Day to New Year’s Eve), the so-called popular twelve signs, so Person A is a Dragon.

The same birth date gives two answers, “Dragon” and “Rabbit.” Neither is wrong; it is a difference in convention about “where to place the change of year.” In New Year’s cards and everyday conversation like “what year were you born?”, the New Year’s Day-based sign is the usual one.

Tendencies of each sign: the twelve characters our tool conveys

For each sign, our Eto Fortune shows a short phrase each for personality tendency, love, work and money. Here are all twelve as the tool actually outputs them. You can check your own birth-year sign in the “birth-year quick reference” later.

• Ne (Rat): Quick and sociable. Good at gathering information and adapts swiftly to change. In love, speed at gathering information pays off. In money, small pieces of information can lead to unexpected gains.
• Ushi (Ox): Patient and steady. Even if it takes time, builds up surely and gets results. In love, slow-and-steady relationships last. In money, saving bit by bit suits.
• Tora (Tiger): Energetic and straightforward. Strong sense of justice and a leader’s temperament. In love, honest feelings move the other person. In money, a time when bold decisions pay off.
• U (Rabbit): Gentle and cooperative. Soft in manner, a peacemaker who dislikes conflict. In love, a calm distance is comfortable. In money, managing within your means is reassuring.
• Tatsu (Dragon): High ideals and self-confident. Sets large-scale goals and has the drive to push ahead. In love, compatible with someone who can share big dreams. In money, make bold investments only after preparing.
• Mi (Snake): Insightful and mysterious. Sees the essence of things and concentrates well. In love, quiet insight earns the other’s trust. In money, carefully weighed management is auspicious.
• Uma (Horse): Cheerful and freedom-loving. Active, a pioneer who dislikes being tied down. In love, compatible with someone who likes a free relationship. In money, be careful with impulsive spending.
• Hitsuji (Sheep): Gentle and caring. Artistic sensibility, and values circles of people. In love, a soft relationship in which consideration comes across. In money, spending that honors your connections is auspicious.
• Saru (Monkey): Quick-witted and dexterous. Curious, and handles many different things. In love, skill in conversation is the key to closing the distance. In money, having several sources of income adds a sense of security.
• Tori (Rooster): Meticulous with a strong sense of beauty. Analytical, a rationalist who dislikes waste. In love, a strong sense of beauty attracts the other person. In money, spending without waste is auspicious.
• Inu (Dog): Loyal with a strong sense of justice. Dutiful, and faces trusted people with sincerity. In love, sincerity translates directly into trust. In money, joint management with someone trustworthy suits.
• I (Boar): Straightforward and single-minded. Once decided, charges ahead with honest passion. In love, straight passion moves the other person. In money, do not let momentum carry you too far in concentrated investing.

Some of you may have noticed that these are personalities associated with each animal’s image, written in our own words. Impressions many people readily imagine, such as “the rat is quick,” “the ox is patient” and “the snake is insightful,” become the personality words as they are. For this reason, personality readings by the twelve signs rest on a shared language of images: the animals.

One important caution. There is no established scientific research confirming that the twelve signs shape a person’s actual personality or fortune. People of the same sign do not all have the same character. What is listed here is only a “character as reading matter” meant to prompt conversation and self-reflection. Also, among the twelve categories, none is better or worse than another.

Put simply, the personality of a sign is “an animal’s image borrowed as a metaphor for character.” It is not that being born in a Rat year makes you quick; it is best enjoyed as a metaphor: “you may have some rat-like quickness inside you, too.”

What is a mamori honzon? Birth-year signs and eight Buddhas

The result of our Eto Fortune also shows a “mamori honzon.” A mamori honzon (also called “omamori honzon” or “ichidai mamori honzon”) is the guardian Buddha linked to each birth-year sign. It is an idea rooted in traditional Japanese Buddhism (especially esoteric Buddhism), and it has been taught that worshipping the Buddha for your birth year removes calamity and opens up good fortune.

Twelve signs are matched with eight Buddhas. This is because Ushi and Tora, Tatsu and Mi, Hitsuji and Saru, and Inu and I each share the same guardian Buddha; together they are also called the “Hattai-butsu” (Eight Buddhas). The correspondence is as follows.

• Year of Ne: Senju Kannon (Thousand-armed Kannon). A Kannon said to save people from every direction with the power of compassion.
• Years of Ushi and Tora: Kokuzo Bosatsu. A bodhisattva said to grant wisdom and memory as vast as the sky.
• Year of U: Monju Bosatsu. The Monju of “three heads together make the wisdom of Monju.” A symbol of wisdom.
• Years of Tatsu and Mi: Fugen Bosatsu. A bodhisattva said to govern the power to put compassion into action, and perseverance.
• Year of Uma: Seishi Bosatsu. A bodhisattva said to dispel confusion with the light of wisdom and give the spirit to move forward.
• Years of Hitsuji and Saru: Dainichi Nyorai. Said to be the fundamental Buddha who illuminates the universe itself.
• Year of Tori: Fudo Myoo. A Wisdom King said to have the power to ward off evil, cutting off bad ties with an unshakable will.
• Years of Inu and I: Amida Nyorai. Said to lead to the Pure Land, and beloved as the Buddha of healing and peace.

This correspondence can be confirmed consistently across several sources, including the official websites of temples. On the other hand, it is also explained that the idea of the mamori honzon is not written in the Buddhist scriptures. In other words, it is a form of folk belief that grew in later Japan on the foundation of esoteric Buddhist faith and the like. Treatment may differ by sect and temple.

Faith in the Buddha has its own standpoint and earnestness for each person. This site has no intention of making light of that faith as a subject of fortune-telling. The mamori honzon shown in the results is introduced respectfully as reference information for learning about “the Buddha said to be connected with your birth year.”

Put simply, the mamori honzon is “a watching-over Buddha assigned to each birth year.” Because eight Buddhas are assigned to twelve signs, some Buddhas are shared by two signs.

How to read our “Eto Fortune”

Let us match what we have covered to the items on the results screen. Our Eto Fortune works as follows.

• Heading: Shows the sign of your birth year and the animal’s name (example: “Year of the Dragon (Tatsu)”).
• Personality in a phrase: A short sentence showing the rough temperament of that sign.
• Love, work and money: A phrase each showing the tendency in that area.
• Guardian Buddha: The guardian Buddha linked to your birth-year sign, with a one-phrase note on what that Buddha means.
• Note: A brief remark that the guardian Buddha is a protective Buddha (one of the Eight Buddhas) in traditional Japanese Buddhism.

The calculation uses only your birth year (Western calendar). Your birth month and day, time of birth and gender do not affect the result. The twelve signs are based on the calendar year (January 1 to December 31), and we do not apply the correction of switching at the start of spring or at the lunar new year. That means people born in January or early February also get the sign of that calendar year.

That is how simple the Eto Fortune is. It does not include the ten stems, the five elements, the sign of the hour, or detailed judgments of compatibility. If you would like to read as far as the day and time of birth, as in Four Pillars of Destiny, please also try our “Four Pillars of Destiny” fortune.

Birth-year quick reference for the twelve signs (1950 to 2031)

This is a table for finding your sign from your birth year. As in our tool, it is divided by calendar year (January 1 to December 31). Because some approaches switch years at the start of spring (around February 4), people born in January to early February may have the previous year’s sign under Four Pillars of Destiny and the like.

• Ne (Rat): 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
• Ushi (Ox): 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021
• Tora (Tiger): 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
• U (Rabbit): 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023
• Tatsu (Dragon): 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024
• Mi (Snake): 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025
• Uma (Horse): 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026
• Hitsuji (Sheep): 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027
• Saru (Monkey): 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028
• Tori (Rooster): 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029
• Inu (Dog): 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030
• I (Boar): 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031

To calculate it yourself, take “birth year minus 4,” divide by 12 and read the remainder: 0 is Ne, 1 Ushi, 2 Tora, 3 U, 4 Tatsu, 5 Mi, 6 Uma, 7 Hitsuji, 8 Saru, 9 Tori, 10 Inu, 11 I. The same sign comes around every twelve years, and calling a twelve-year gap “one full cycle apart” is based on this cycle.

2026 is a Horse year (Hinoe-Uma). A person born in the same sign as the current year is called a “toshiotoko” (man) or “toshionna” (woman) of the year, and in 2026 those born in the Horse year are the ones.

Quick glossary of twelve-sign and eto terms

Here are the terms from the article in one line each. Use it as a dictionary when you are unsure.

• Junishi (the twelve signs): The twelve symbols Ne, Ushi, Tora, U, Tatsu, Mi, Uma, Hitsuji, Saru, Tori, Inu and I. The animals were assigned later.
• Jikkan (the ten stems): The ten symbols Kinoe, Kinoto, Hinoe, Hinoto, Tsuchinoe, Tsuchinoto, Kanoe, Kanoto, Mizunoe and Mizunoto.
• Eto (kanshi): A 60-step way of counting that combines the ten stems and the twelve signs. In Japan it often means just the twelve signs.
• Rokujikkanshi (sexagenary cycle): The 60 combinations of the eto. It comes around every 60 years (or 60 days).
• Kanreki: A celebration of long life at 61 by the traditional count, on returning to the eto of one’s birth year.
• Saisei: An old name for Jupiter. Because it circles the sky in about 12 years, it is said to have been used to record years.
• Junijiki: The celestial sphere divided into 12. The idea of calling these by the twelve signs developed.
• Toshiotoko / toshionna: A person born in the same sign as the current year.
• Shigosen (meridian): The line joining north (Ne) and south (Uma). A word derived from the directions of the twelve signs.
• Ushimitsu-doki: The third of four parts of the hour of the Ushi. Roughly 2:00 to 2:30 a.m.
• Kimon (Demon Gate): The direction between Ushi and Tora (northeast), from which demons are said to come and go.
• Mamori honzon: The guardian Buddha linked to the sign of your birth year. The Hattai-butsu.
• Hattai-butsu (Eight Buddhas): Senju Kannon, Kokuzo Bosatsu, Monju Bosatsu, Fugen Bosatsu, Seishi Bosatsu, Dainichi Nyorai, Fudo Myoo and Amida Nyorai.
• Risshun (start of spring): A marker for the change of year. Roughly February 4. In Four Pillars of Destiny and the like, the year changes here.

How are the twelve signs used today?

Even in present-day Japan, the twelve signs are firmly alive in daily life. There is the custom of adding a picture of the year’s sign to New Year’s cards, the sign ornaments displayed at New Year, and stamps and sweets themed on the sign. On TV, topics themed on the year’s sign are sure to appear around the year-end and New Year. And in expressions of age gaps and life milestones, such as “we are one full cycle apart” and “kanreki celebration,” the idea of the twelve signs lives on.

In the world of fortune-telling, the twelve signs are the easiest entrance for talking about personality and compatibility from birth year. Unlike arts such as Four Pillars of Destiny or Kyusei Kigaku that read birth month and day in detail, a single piece of information, your birth year, is enough to start talking, so it is handy as a conversation starter.

Faith in the animals of the twelve signs, such as shrines and temples associated with them and the shinshi (animals regarded as messengers of a god), also remains in various places. For example, enshrining a monkey to ward off the Demon Gate is well known.

Note that there is no established research that statistically or scientifically confirms that personality readings or fortune judgments by the twelve signs come true. This site introduces this fortune-telling purely as a culture with a long history, and as a chance to think about yourself and those close to you.

Four tips for enjoying Eto Fortune

1. Read it as a metaphor, not a verdict: Do not decide “I’m an Ox year so it must be like this.” Enjoy it as one way of seeing yourself that borrows an animal’s image.
2. Talk about the signs of people close to you: Check the birth years of family and friends and say, “You’re a Rat year, no wonder you’re quick.” Just avoid deciding another person’s character by their sign alone.
3. Know the difference at the start of spring: If you were born between January and early February, your sign may differ by one depending on the type of fortune-telling. This is not a mistake but a difference in the convention for dividing years.
4. Take the guardian Buddha as a “watching-over presence”: It concerns faith in the Buddha, so treat it with respect. If you wish to visit a temple to pray, follow the temple’s guidance and etiquette.

Reflections: what have the twelve animals been telling us?

From here, instead of summarizing history and mechanisms, we look at the twelve signs in our own way. What follows is not established theory but our own speculation and hypotheses, as we note in advance.

When circular “time” acquired the “face” of an animal (speculation)

There is an explanation that the twelve signs were originally symbols for a circular flow of life: plants sprouting, growing, ripening, withering and becoming seeds again. This is our speculation, but might this image of a “circle” have greatly changed its character by being replaced with the concrete forms of animals?

The stages of plant growth are abstract and a little hard to grasp. Told that “Ne is the state in which life begins to stir inside a seed,” many people would have found it hard to picture. But with “Rat,” “Ox” and “Tiger,” even a child sees a face at once. Animals gave a “face” to time, something invisible. Once a face is attached, people want to read a personality and a story into it.

In our view, the biggest reason the twelve signs have been loved so long and so widely may be this “giving time a face.” Just by saying “this year is the Horse,” that year takes on the horse’s cheerfulness and momentum. Time changes from a mere row of numbers into “a season with a character in it.” This was a very clever device for making the calendar into a story of daily life.

Why the tale of “the Rat riding the Ox” is loved (speculation)

Why has the folktale of the twelve signs been passed down so long? One reason, I think, is the sense of “conviction” it gives about the order. When a child asks, “Why is the Rat first?”, it is a comfort even for adults to have a story to tell that begins, “Well, you see.”

This is speculation, but the tale seems to carry a quiet sympathy for “the wit of the small” in a community. The small Rat rides on the big Ox’s back and cleverly arrives first. Even against an opponent you cannot beat by strength, a quick wit might let you catch up. On the other hand, there is a Cat that was tricked by that wit (or, put badly, cunning) and left out of the twelve. The telling that the cat chases the rat to this day out of that grudge depicts both the winner’s slyness and the loser’s sorrow.

The tale does not praise the winner unreservedly. Nor does it sternly condemn the slyness. Both winner and loser have a certain charm. This gentle distance is perhaps what has let the tale be enjoyed for so long, from children to adults.

One in twelve, “you”: between fortune-telling and self-introduction (speculation)

Might the fun of twelve-sign fortune-telling lie in its “coarseness”? Divide the population by 12 and simply calculating, people of the same sign are about one in twelve, roughly 8 percent. With Japan’s population at about 120 million, that is around ten million people of the same sign. It is impossible that all of that many people fit “Ox-year people are patient.”

Even so, talk about the twelve signs livens things up. In our view, the reason lies not in whether it is right or wrong, but in its power as “a way to start talking to someone.” “What year were you born?” “Oh, you’re a Tiger year. I’m, by the way…” In this short exchange, you get a rough sense of the other person’s age, a shared topic arises, and you warm up a little. The twelve signs may be less fortune-telling than a kind of greeting exchanged in Japanese.

Of course, because of the nature of the system, “you fall into one of twelve categories,” it is worth knowing that a tendency works whereby what is written tends to feel as if it fits you (in psychology called the “Barnum effect,” the tendency to feel vague descriptions fit you perfectly). Not taking fortune-telling results too seriously and using them as hints for conversation and reflection is, we think, the healthiest way to enjoy them.

Becoming a different sign in a single day: the convention of “the year boundary”

For a person born on January 1, like Person A in this article, whether the sign is “Tatsu” or “U” changes depending on the fortune-telling. If you ask “which is the real one?”, you get confused. In our view, this is not a matter of right and wrong but a difference in the convention of “where to place the boundary of the year.”

When does the new year begin? In daily life, on New Year’s Day. In the traditional calendar world of Four Pillars of Destiny and the like, at the start of spring (Risshun, the beginning of spring). And there is also the idea of treating the old-calendar New Year as the start of the year. Each is a consistent convention within its own world. If the conventions differ, it is no surprise that the same person gets a different answer.

Here lies the fascination of the calendar. The calendar is not a law of nature itself but a convention people made to place divisions in the flow of nature. How the divisions are set varies with society and purpose. Occasionally asking yourself “under which convention am I living?” may be a lovely way to relate to the calendar.

The mamori honzon: the idea of a “Buddha just for me” (speculation)

The mamori honzon is explained not as a teaching written in the scriptures but as a form of folk belief that grew in later Japan. This is speculation, but might a simple wish, “I want a guardian of my very own,” lie behind the spread of this idea?

Buddhas were originally beings who save everyone. Even so, people want to put their hands together to “my Buddha” rather than “everyone’s Buddha.” Using the birth year, information that cannot be changed and is unique to oneself, to show “this Buddha is with you,” may have been a kind device for drawing a distant Buddha close to daily life.

It is also interesting that eight Buddhas are assigned to twelve signs, with two signs sharing one Buddha. Ushi and Tora, Tatsu and Mi, Hitsuji and Saru, and Inu and I are neighboring signs sharing the same Buddha. This may be a view of wrapping two adjacent natures in a single protection. Of course, this interpretation is also our speculation.

The twelve signs were a “coordinate system” dividing the world into twelve

Years, hours, directions. The twelve signs have been used everywhere in time and space. Midnight is Ne and noon is Uma. North is Ne and south is Uma. Between Ushi and Tora is the northeast where demons come and go. Every place and time in the world is expressed in twelve coordinates. In our view, might the twelve signs have been a grand coordinate system that “divided the world itself into twelve and named the parts”?

Within this coordinate system, “birth year” is like an address showing at which point in time you were born. Saying “I was born in the year of the Horse” carries a sense of confirming your own place in the flow of time. In the language of fortune-telling it becomes talk of personality and fortune, but at its root may lie the wish to know “where am I in this great wheel of time?”

And as the story of the Demon Gate teaches, the “borders” of this coordinate system have often been feared as places where unseen things come and go. The turn of a year, the border of a direction, the border of day and night. The sense that something strange dwells in borders seems to run through both the world of the twelve signs and the world of ghost stories.

Notes on approaching this fortune-telling

This article and our “Eto Fortune” are provided as entertainment and as hints for self-understanding, and they do not guarantee results. There is no scientific basis that your birth-year sign determines your personality, fortune or compatibility, and it is no substitute for important decisions about medicine, law, investment, schooling, employment or marriage.

Please avoid prejudice or stereotyping based on the eto or birth year. For example, evaluating, avoiding or discriminating against people because they were born under a particular sign or in a particular year is not desirable. Please take our results only as one way of thinking about yourself and those close to you.

Content concerning faith in temples and Buddhas, including the guardian Buddha, differs in thinking and treatment by sect and temple. If you visit to pray or have a rite performed, follow the temple’s guidance and etiquette. This site neither denies nor recommends the teachings of any particular sect or temple.

If a fortune-telling result makes you feel strong anxiety, or you cannot sleep or your low mood continues, please consider consulting a medical institution or a public support line such as Japan’s Yorisoi Hotline (0120-279-338).

The descriptions of history and origins in this article are compiled in our own words from multiple sources. The origins of the twelve signs are debated, and descriptions differ between sources. Parts marked “our view” or “speculation” are this site’s own reflections and are not established theory.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What are the twelve signs?

A. Twelve symbols, Ne, Ushi, Tora, U, Tatsu, Mi, Uma, Hitsuji, Saru, Tori, Inu and I, that complete a round in twelve years. In ancient China they were used to mark years, months, days, hours and directions, and they came to Japan along with the calendar. The animals were assigned later.

Q. Are “eto” and the twelve signs the same?

A. Originally they are different. Eto is a 60-step way of counting that combines the ten stems and the twelve signs, and the twelve signs are a part of it. In Japan, though, people often call the twelve signs “eto,” as in “this year’s eto is the Horse.”

Q. Why are animals used for the twelve signs?

A. It is not clearly known. The best-known explanation is that familiar animals were assigned to make the calendar easier to remember. Sources say animals corresponded to the signs by the Qin dynasty, but there are several other theories.

Q. Was the order of the twelve signs decided by an animal race?

A. The folktale of the order of arrival on New Year’s morning is widely known, but it is a story explaining the order and is thought not to be historical fact. The order of the twelve signs is considered highly likely to have been fixed before the folktale.

Q. Why isn’t the cat among the twelve signs?

A. In the folktale, it is told that the Rat gave the Cat a false date and made it late. As a historical explanation, there is a theory that cats were not yet familiar in China when the twelve animals were fixed, but it is not established.

Q. Why is only Tatsu (the Dragon) an imaginary animal?

A. Tatsu is assigned the dragon, an animal that does not exist. The reason is not clearly known. Explanations sometimes given include that the dragon was revered as an auspicious being tied to sky and water, and its relationship to the meaning of the character for Tatsu.

Q. Do the animals of the twelve signs differ by country?

A. Yes. In Japan I is the boar, but in China it is a pig. In Vietnam the Cat takes the place of the Rabbit and the Ox is a water buffalo. In Thailand there are examples of the serpent-formed Naga in place of the Dragon.

Q. How do I find the sign of my birth year?

A. Take “birth year minus 4” and divide by 12: the remainder tells you. 0 is Ne, 1 Ushi, 2 Tora, 3 U, 4 Tatsu, 5 Mi, 6 Uma, 7 Hitsuji, 8 Saru, 9 Tori, 10 Inu, 11 I. There is also a birth-year quick reference in this article.

Q. If I was born in January or early February, which sign am I?

A. In daily life and New Year’s cards, the sign that changes on New Year’s Day (calendar year) is the usual one. In arts such as Four Pillars of Destiny that switch years at the start of spring (around February 4), it may be the previous year’s sign. Our Eto Fortune decides by calendar year.

Q. What is a mamori honzon?

A. It is the guardian Buddha linked to each birth-year sign. The eight are Senju Kannon, Kokuzo Bosatsu, Monju Bosatsu, Fugen Bosatsu, Seishi Bosatsu, Dainichi Nyorai, Fudo Myoo and Amida Nyorai, also called the Hattai-butsu.

Q. Is the mamori honzon written in the Buddhist scriptures?

A. It is explained as not written in the scriptures. It is said to be a form of folk belief that grew in later Japan on the foundation of esoteric Buddhist faith and the like. Treatment may differ by sect and temple.

Q. Do the personalities of the twelve signs come true?

A. No established scientific research confirms that the twelve signs determine personality. Even within the same sign, personalities vary from person to person. On this site we hope you will treat it as “reading matter” that borrows animal images, as a hint for conversation and reflection.

Q. What can I learn from our Eto Fortune?

A. It shows the sign of your birth year and the animal’s name, a rough temperament, a phrase each for love, work and money, and your guardian Buddha and its meaning. It is calculated from your birth year alone, so your birth month and day, time and gender have no effect.

Q. How does it differ from Four Pillars of Destiny and Kyusei Kigaku?

A. Eto Fortune reads only the sign of your birth year. Four Pillars of Destiny turns the year, month, day and hour of birth into eight characters and reads those, and Kyusei Kigaku works out one of nine stars from your birth year and reads that.

Q. Is our Eto Fortune free?

A. Yes, you can use it free of charge just by entering your date of birth. What you enter is calculated within your browser.

Related fortune-telling to try

The twelve signs are the easiest Eastern fortune-telling to read from your birth year. If you want to look at the year, month, day and hour of birth in detail, or are curious about compatibility between signs, please also try the following.

Explainer articles to read alongside

These are our explainer articles on related themes.

• Explainer on twelve-sign compatibility fortune-telling
• Explainer on the “Eight Characters” of Four Pillars of Destiny
• Explainer on Kyusei Kigaku (Nine Star Ki)

Sources consulted

This article was compiled in our own words with reference to the following sources (it is not a copy of their text). Person A’s sign, love, work and money readings and guardian Buddha in the article are the actual output of our “Eto Fortune” tool.

• Junishi (the twelve signs) – Wikipedia (Japanese)
• Kanshi (sexagenary cycle) – Wikipedia (Japanese)
• Chinese zodiac – Wikipedia
• Junijiki (twelve divisions of the sky) – Wikipedia (Japanese)
• Kimon (Demon Gate) – Wikipedia (Japanese)
• Basic knowledge of the eto (twelve signs) – Heart Co., Ltd. (Japanese)
• Folktale “Origin of the Twelve Signs”: summary and commentary – Osusume Ehon (Japanese)
• Guardian Buddhas of the twelve signs – Hoshuzan Daikannon-ji (Japanese)

Suzuking. publishes investigation videos on ghost stories and haunted places on KARASU CHANNEL (YouTube).