甲子 (Kinoe-ne): the Yang Wood Rat

1.What 甲子 means

甲子 combines the heavenly stem 甲 (Kinoe) with the earthly branch 子 (Ne). 甲 is likened to a great tree, and 子 to the rat.

The branch below (Water) feeds the stem on top (Wood), a generating pairing. Supported from the ground up, this is a stable eto that easily attracts help.

甲子 is one of the eto that can fall on a Tenshabi, the best lucky day in the Japanese calendar (in winter).

2.Nacchin: Gold in the Sea

The nacchin (納音, “sound element”) of 甲子 is Gold in the Sea. Gold lying on the seabed: great potential not yet brought into the world, which shines when its time comes. The nacchin describes the essence of a birth-year eto; read more in the sixty eto and nacchin.

3.Personality when your day pillar is 甲子

In Four Pillars astrology, the eto of your birth day (the day pillar) stands for you and for your marriage. You are a natural leader with a strong sense of justice, and once you decide something you see it through. You look after people, and friends trust you deeply.

The day branch (子) shows your inner self, your private face and your bond with a spouse. Inside you carry the nature of the Rat: In Japanese, “rat arithmetic” (nezumi-zan) means multiplying quickly, and the Rat stands for prosperity and many descendants. Rat people think fast, gather information well, act quickly and have a real talent for saving.

On the other hand: Like a great tree that cannot bend, you can be inflexible, and pride makes it hard for you to bow your head to others.

4.Born in a 甲子 year

If your year pillar is 甲子, you are said to inherit the qualities of a great tree and of the Rat in your social role and family character. For the personality of your birth animal, see Year of the Rat.

5.甲子 years

1864, 1924, 1984, 2044, 2104

6.History and sayings linked to 甲子

Kōshien Stadium, home of Japan's national high-school baseball tournament, was named after the Kinoe-ne year 1924 in which it was completed. In the old calendar a Kinoe-ne year was believed to bring change, and the era name was sometimes changed.

7.甲子 days in 2026 and 2027

A 甲子 day comes round once every 60 days: Feb 19, 2026 (Thu), Apr 20, 2026 (Mon), Jun 19, 2026 (Fri), Aug 18, 2026 (Tue), Oct 17, 2026 (Sat), Dec 16, 2026 (Wed), Feb 14, 2027 (Sun), Apr 15, 2027 (Thu), Jun 14, 2027 (Mon), Aug 13, 2027 (Fri), Oct 12, 2027 (Tue), Dec 11, 2027 (Sat).

8.Void period (tenchūsatsu / kūbō) of 甲子

甲子 belongs to the decade (jun) that begins with 甲子, and its void branches are 戌 and 亥. If your day pillar is 甲子, years of the Dog and the Pig are your void years. What is tenchūsatsu? →