Inori no Mori祈りの杜working title

Star or lunar mansion

Jūnikyū

十二宮じゅうにきゅう

A division of the stars, also called Kōdō Jūnikyū (the twelve palaces of the ecliptic), described as the path the sun travels through in a year divided into twelve.

This introduction is based on materials from Shōhōin (Tobi Fudō). It is summarized within the scope of the beliefs and traditions those materials convey, and does not present explanations or customs common to all schools, shrines, and temples.

English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む

The names and roles of the Jūnikyū

A division of the stars, also called Kōdō Jūnikyū (the twelve palaces of the ecliptic), described as the path the sun travels through in a year divided into twelve. It is said to be the same division as the constellations of Western astrology, with slightly different names, and it appears in sutras such as the Sukuyōkyō.

Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院

Tracing their forms and traditions

Twelve are listed: Sōnyogū, Shishigū, Hōkaigū, Nannyogū, Gomitsugū, Byakuyōgū, Sōgyogū, Makatsugū, Hōbeigū, Kyūgū, Katsuchūgū and Hinryōgū. It is explained that they can be classified by the four elements of earth, water, fire and wind, by three stages from beginning to culmination, and by yin and yang.

Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院

Dividing the sun's path into twelve

The Jūnikyū treat the ecliptic as twelve divisions. They were also taken into Buddhist texts on sukuyō (astrology), where names corresponding to the twelve signs known from Western astrology appear in different kanji. The forms drawn here are images that represent stars and divisions as sacred figures.

Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院

Reading them as part of the history of sukuyō

Shōhōin notes that the Jūnikyū appear in texts such as the Sukuyōkyō and the Shichiyō Jōsai Ketsu. They belong to a history where astronomy and religion meet: reading the positions of the stars, making calendars, and performing prayers to remove misfortune.

Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院

Related kami and buddhas

Sources (in Japanese)