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Japan has many forms of divination, including horoscopes, blood-type readings, and tarot. 四柱推命 (shichusuimei) differs from these familiar categories because it builds a chart from the year, month, day, and hour of birth.
The system came from China and became widespread in Japan during the Edo period. This guide explains the parts of a 命式 (meishiki), or chart, and shows where a beginner can start reading it.
What is shichusuimei?
Shichusuimei uses four pieces of birth-time information: the year, month, day, and hour. Readers use the resulting chart to discuss character, abilities, and changes over time.
Each of the four pillars contains two characters: a Heavenly Stem (天干, tenkan) and an Earthly Branch (地支, chishi). Together they make eight characters, known in Chinese as BaZi (八字).
| Pillar | What it represents | Areas it relates to |
|---|---|---|
| Year Pillar | Ancestry, family background, social position | Family background and early life, roughly ages 0–20 |
| Month Pillar | Work, parents, upbringing | Career fit, relationships with supervisors, youth through midlife |
| Day Pillar | Self and spouse | Inner character and married life |
| Hour Pillar | Children, later years, inner world | Unspoken desires, children, and later life |
Together, the four pillars form your 命式 (meishiki). It records the stem-and-branch pattern assigned to the time of birth.
The Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches in shichusuimei
The basic units of shichusuimei are the Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches (十干十二支, jikkan jūnishi).
The Ten Heavenly Stems (十干, jikkan)
The Ten Heavenly Stems pair each of the Five Elements, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, with Yang or Yin.
| Heavenly Stem | Element | Yin/Yang | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| 甲 (kinoe) | Wood | Yang | A great tree; upright and ambitious |
| 乙 (kinoto) | Wood | Yin | Grass and flowers; flexible and resilient |
| 丙 (hinoe) | Fire | Yang | The sun; bright and passionate |
| 丁 (hinoto) | Fire | Yin | Lamplight; sensitive and focused |
| 戊 (tsuchinoe) | Earth | Yang | A mountain; stable and embracing |
| 己 (tsuchinoto) | Earth | Yin | Cultivated fields; nurturing and receptive |
| 庚 (kanoe) | Metal | Yang | A sword; decisive and principled |
| 辛 (kanoto) | Metal | Yin | A jewel; delicate and aesthetically aware |
| 壬 (mizunoe) | Water | Yang | The ocean; thoughtful and active |
| 癸 (mizunoto) | Water | Yin | Rain and dew; intuitive and gentle |
The Twelve Earthly Branches (十二支, jūnishi)
The Twelve Earthly Branches are the familiar zodiac animals:
子 (ne, Rat), 丑 (ushi, Ox), 寅 (tora, Tiger), 卯 (u, Rabbit), 辰 (tatsu, Dragon), 巳 (mi, Snake), 午 (uma, Horse), 未 (hitsuji, Goat), 申 (saru, Monkey), 酉 (tori, Rooster), 戌 (inu, Dog), 亥 (i, Boar)
An animal-sign reading uses only the Earthly Branch of the Year Pillar. Shichusuimei also reads the Month, Day, and Hour Pillars, so it works with more birth information.
The sixty stem-branch combinations
Pairing the Ten Heavenly Stems with the Twelve Earthly Branches in sequence creates 60 combinations, known as the sexagenary cycle (六十干支, rokujikkan-shi).
Because each of the four pillars can take one of 60 combinations, the theoretical number of meishiki patterns is:
60 × 60 × 60 × 60 = 12,960,000 combinations
That produces far more possible patterns than the 12 zodiac signs or four blood types.
The Day Stem (日干, nikkan): your essential nature
The main reference point in a meishiki is the Heavenly Stem of the Day Pillar. It is called the Day Stem (日干, nikkan) or Day Master (日主, nisshu).
The Day Stem represents the person whose chart is being read. It provides a starting point for discussing temperament and how that person approaches situations.
Each Day Stem has a traditional image and a set of associated traits.
Wood people (甲 and 乙)
甲 Wood (kinoe): The image is a large, upright tree. It points to firm principles, leadership, and persistence. Taken too far, that firmness can become stubbornness.
乙 Wood (kinoto): Grass and flowers bend without breaking. This stem is linked with cooperation, attention to relationships, and adaptability, but also with indecision.
Fire people (丙 and 丁)
丙 Fire (hinoe): The sun gives this stem its associations with warmth, sociability, and open enthusiasm. Its emotional expression can also change quickly.
丁 Fire (hinoto): Lamplight is smaller and more concentrated. 丁 Fire is linked with focus, close observation, and a composed exterior.
Earth people (戊 and 己)
戊 Earth (tsuchinoe): A mountain stands still and holds its ground. The corresponding traits are dependability, steadiness, and a preference for stability.
己 Earth (tsuchinoto): Cultivated soil receives and supports growth. This stem is associated with care, patience, and developing others. It can also absorb stress instead of releasing it.
Metal people (庚 and 辛)
庚 Metal (kanoe): Its image is a sword. Direct action, decisiveness, and competitiveness define the type; bluntness is the common drawback.
辛 Metal (kanoto): A polished jewel represents precision and sensitivity to quality. Pride can sharpen high standards or make criticism harder to accept.
Water people (壬 and 癸)
壬 Water (mizunoe): The ocean suggests scale and movement. 壬 Water is associated with curiosity, broad thinking, and independence.
癸 Water (mizunoto): Rain and dew work quietly. This stem is linked with intuition, sensitivity to other people, and gentleness, along with a risk of being easily influenced.
For a closer look at the Day Stem, see our complete Day Master guide.
The Five Elements (五行, gogyō): the key to reading a meishiki
The Five Elements (五行, gogyō) are central to reading a meishiki. A reader checks how Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water are distributed and how they interact.
The generating cycle (相生, sōshō)
In the generating cycle, each element feeds the next:
- Wood generates Fire (wood burns to make fire)
- Fire generates Earth (burning leaves ash, which returns to earth)
- Earth generates Metal (minerals are found within the earth)
- Metal generates Water (water droplets gather on metal surfaces)
- Water generates Wood (water nourishes trees)
Readers interpret an unbroken generating cycle as support moving through the chart.
The controlling cycle (相剋, sōkoku)
The Five Elements also regulate one another:
- Wood controls Earth (roots penetrate soil)
- Earth controls Water (a levee holds back water)
- Water controls Fire (water extinguishes fire)
- Fire controls Metal (fire melts metal)
- Metal controls Wood (an axe cuts wood)
Control is not automatically negative; it can keep an element in check. A reader pays closer attention when that control becomes heavily one-sided.
Your Five Elements balance
Each of the eight characters belongs to one of the Five Elements. Readers usually note three broad patterns:
- Abundant elements: associated traits stand out and can become excessive
- Scarce or absent elements: associated areas receive more attention in the reading
- A balanced distribution: linked with adaptability and fewer sharp extremes
For more about the meaning of each element, read our complete Five Elements guide.
Luck cycles (大運, taiun): ten-year phases of life
Shichusuimei uses 大運 (taiun) to divide time into broad phases of roughly ten years.
Each taiun phase has a Five Elements quality that readers compare with the natal meishiki.
When a luck cycle supports the meishiki
When a taiun phase supplies an element that is scarce in the natal chart, readers treat the phase as supportive. They may connect it with easier progress or new opportunities.
When a luck cycle conflicts with the meishiki
When a taiun element conflicts with the natal chart, readers expect more friction and use the period as a cue for caution and preparation.
Annual cycles (流年, ryūnen)
The stem and branch of each year also interact with the chart. This annual cycle is called 流年 (ryūnen). Readers use taiun for the longer phase and ryūnen for changes within a specific year.
Using shichusuimei in everyday life
People also use shichusuimei as a tool for self-reflection. In practice, readings commonly address the following areas.
Career choices
Readers compare the Day Stem with the Month Pillar when discussing work environments. Traditional associations might connect Metal with law or finance and Wood with education or creative fields.
Marriage and partnerships
The Earthly Branch of the Day Pillar is called the “spouse palace.” Readers connect it with compatibility and married life, then consult luck cycles when discussing timing.
Timing a job change or new business
Taiun and annual cycles give readers a way to compare periods associated with action against periods associated with caution. Some people consult shichusuimei before a job change or business decision for this reason.
Health awareness
The Five Elements are traditionally associated with organ systems in Chinese medicine:
- Wood → liver and gallbladder
- Fire → heart and small intestine
- Earth → spleen and stomach
- Metal → lungs and large intestine
- Water → kidneys and bladder
In traditional interpretation, an organ system associated with a weaker element may be treated as an area to watch. This is a symbolic framework, not a medical diagnosis.
What you need to calculate a meishiki
To calculate a shichusuimei meishiki, you need:
- Birth year (the Gregorian year is fine)
- Birth month (months follow solar terms, so their boundaries may differ from calendar months)
- Birth date
- Birth time (ideally accurate to within two hours)
Birth time determines the Hour Pillar. Without it, one quarter of the four-pillar structure is unavailable. In Japan, the Maternal and Child Health Handbook may list the time.
If you do not know your birth time, the Year, Month, and Day Pillars still form a three-pillar chart. It shows the Day Stem and broad Five Elements pattern, but not the Hour Pillar.
Frequently asked questions
Is shichusuimei accurate?
Shichusuimei interprets patterns in a meishiki; it does not guarantee a result. Even people with the same chart can have different experiences because their families, environments, and choices differ.
How is it different from Western sun-sign astrology?
Sun-sign astrology groups people into 12 signs based on the Sun's position at birth. Shichusuimei uses the birth year, month, day, and hour, producing roughly 13 million theoretical four-pillar combinations.
Can a meishiki be changed?
The natal meishiki does not change because it records the time of birth. Reading it can offer another perspective on your habits and choices, but the chart does not fix the outcome.
Do I need a professional reader?
No. You can learn the basic structure of a meishiki from an introductory guide. An experienced practitioner can provide a more detailed reading if you want one.
Check your chart with a free preview
To see your own shichusuimei meishiki, Get My Free Chart Preview
The free chart preview displays four pillars when your birth time is known, or three pillars when it is not. It includes the Day Master and Five Elements for basic orientation. It does not include Ten Gods, luck cycles (大運), or Daily.