The twelve subordinate stars (jūni daijūsei) and what they mean
The twelve subordinate stars (jūni daijūsei) are the stars placed in three positions of Sanmeigaku’s body star chart: the left shoulder, the right foot and the left foot. They show how much momentum your day stem (you) has on the branches of the year, month and day, in twelve steps compared to a human life, and to the times before and after it.
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1.Twelve stars, one life
The twelve subordinate stars go all the way round, from the time in the mother’s womb to the world of the spirit after death. Each star has a score that shows roughly how much energy it carries, and one method adds the scores to judge the overall power of a life.
| Star | Reading | Life image | Score | In Four Pillars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 天報星 | Tenpō | Unborn child | 3 | Tai |
| 天印星 | Ten’in | Baby | 6 | Yō |
| 天貴星 | Tenki | Child | 9 | Chōsei |
| 天恍星 | Tenkō | Adolescent | 7 | Mokuyoku |
| 天南星 | Tennan | Young adult | 10 | Kantai |
| 天禄星 | Tenroku | Adult in their prime | 11 | Kenroku |
| 天将星 | Tenshō | Head of the family | 12 | Teiō |
| 天堂星 | Tendō | Elder | 8 | Sui |
| 天胡星 | Tenko | The sick | 4 | Byō |
| 天極星 | Tenkyoku | The dead | 2 | Shi |
| 天庫星 | Tenko | Laid in the grave | 5 | Bo |
| 天馳星 | Tenchi | The other world | 1 | Zetsu |
Images such as “the sick” and “the dead” are not bad. These stars are thought to have less worldly power and, in its place, a stronger sensitivity and spirituality.
2.The character of the twelve stars
- Tenpō: a versatile star that enjoys change, holding many possibilities at once.
- Ten’in: an open, well-liked star that grows with help from those around it.
- Tenki: a refined star with a strong wish to learn; earnest and ambitious.
- Tenkō: a star that chases dreams and longings, with the drive to leap into the wider world.
- Tennan: the star of youth and energy; outspoken, with a critical eye.
- Tenroku: a careful, realistic star with a grounded steadiness.
- Tenshō: the star with the strongest energy of the twelve; it stands above others and brings them together.
- Tendō: the star of calm and good sense; it steps back and watches over others.
- Tenko (天胡): a richly sensitive star, gifted in the arts and intuition.
- Tenkyoku: a pure star with few desires; it masters things deeply.
- Tenko (天庫): a star that explores one path, said to have strong ties to ancestors and tradition.
- Tenchi: the star of bursts of power; it concentrates and puts out great strength in a short time.
3.The three positions and the stages of life
- Left shoulder (from the year branch): early life, roughly ages 0 to 30.
- Left foot (from the month branch): middle life, around 30 to 60.
- Right foot (from the day branch): later life, from around 60.
They suggest what kind of energy suits you best in each period. For a yin day stem the count runs the other way, and Tsuchinoe (戊) counts like Hinoe (丙), Tsuchinoto (己) like Hinoto (丁).
4.Find your own twelve subordinate stars
Enter your date of birth in the Sanmeigaku reading (Japanese) to see your three subordinate stars. The five stars in the cross are explained in the ten main stars.
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