I always thought it was peculiar that Japan and other Asian countries had a 7 day week with days of the week corresponding to planets in the same way they do in the West.
In case you don’t know,
Nichi yobi = Sun-day
Getsu yobi = Monday (Moon Day)
The other five days Kayobi, Suiyobi, Mokuyobi, Kinyobi and Doyobi correspond to the elements fire, water, wood, metal, and earth. These are also used to name the five visible planets Kasei, Suisei, Mokusei, Kinsei, and Dosei which are Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn.
In Western countries this same correlation is used, going back to the Roman Empire. For example in French, the days are
Mardi – Mars’ Day
Mercredi – Mercury’s Day
Jeudi – Jove’s (Jupiter’s) Day
Vendi – Venus’ Day
Samedi – Saturn’s Day
In English, four of the days use the Norse names for these same planets/Gods
Tuesday – Tyr’s Day
Wednesday – Wotan’s Day
Thursday – Thor’s Day
Friday – Freya’s Day
Saturday is of course Saturn’s Day
Does anyone know when Japan and other East Asian countries adopted this custom? I’ve always wondered this…
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The 七曜曆is believed to have reached the Chinese civilization via the silk road from India, having been introduced by the practitioners of Manichaeism.
As is the case of other cultures the core idea of the 七曜曆 is thought to have originated with the Babylonians, before each civilization adapted it as needed.
From Ancient Rome it spread to the Ancient Persia, then to the Indian subcontinent, and then China in the 8th century before eventually making its way to Japan.