Fire Horse
Most Westerners consider astrology an interesting
curiosity, but few people (excluding Ronald Reagan) would make any
life-changing decisions based on what it tells us. The Japanese culture,
especially 97 years ago, when Mitsue was born, was very different. The
superstitions around astrology were something to be feared and respected.
Mitsue was born on February 26, 1906 but her birth was not registered until
February, 1907 to try to avoid the stigma of being a Fire Horse (this sign
ended on 2/12/1907). She never told her own
family of this and they all thought she was born in February, 1907 until
questioned in April, 2004 as a result of this article. Her husband, Torayoshi,
was born in the year of the Water Tiger. His name means "Lucky Tiger".
The astrology in Japan (and China) is based on the year instead of the month,
with 12 different animals. Each animal represents a set of
characteristics that the person born in that year will have. In addition,
there are 5 different elements, which further define the person's
character. So, there is a 60 year cycle of signs. Mitsue was very
unfortunate to have been born in the year of the Fire Horse, 1906. This
was especially bad for women, with many of them dying unmarried and in poverty.
FIRE HORSE - 1906, 1966, 2026
Mitsue was born in the
year of the horse. Other years are dogs, goats, tigers, dragons, and other
animals. What you may not know is that there are special personalities
associated with each of these signs. 1906 was a Horse year, and it was a
special kind of horse -- a Fire Horse, called "hinoe-uma" in
Japanese. (The Chinese astrological system is also in use in Japan and
Korea as well, although each country puts a slightly different spin on it.)
Japanese women who were
born that year (and the following Fire Horse year, 1966) battle superstitions
about themselves all the time. Fire Horse women are called dangerous,
headstrong, and are seen as deadly to men. This may sound quaint to western
ears, but the 1906 Japanese herd was subjected to poverty and starvation
because they could not marry. The 1966 herd has it a bit easier, but they
still fight superstitions. Chinese tradition also sees the Fire Horse as
a special sign entailing either spectacular good luck, or terrible bad luck;
they consider that nothing about the Fire Horse occurs in moderation.
However, I've never heard of any particular problem encountered by Fire
Horses in China, much less Fire Horse women.
According to the Chinese zodiac, also
in use in Japan, horses are seen as outgoing, people-loving, ambitious,
rebellious, and independent. They are supposedly freedom-loving and
impossible to contain. Since fire is already voracious and powerful, the
combination of the fire and the power of the horse is seen as an almost
uncontrollably independent mixture by believers in Japanese astrology.
These all sound like perfectly fine
qualities to the westerner, especially to Americans, since our culture prizes
individualism -- but in other societies, these are not necessarily good
qualities. They are especially disliked in women -- wives are supposed to
be submissive and dependent, not ambitious or headstrong. Hell, western
cultures think that, too!
And again, while this all seems like a
charming and slightly silly belief system now, particularly to other skeptics,
it's very important to many people. Although it sounds silly to say that a
person born in 1906 would become headstrong, ambitious, and independent to
extreme degrees simply because of the year they were born, to the Japanese
women with the dubious fortune to have been born in 1906, it is a very real
superstition that impedes their lives.
While ambition and independence are
prized as ingredients for success nowadays, they were never seen as ideal
female qualities. The proper woman was seen as submissive, quiet, and
dependent, not rebellious and strong. This prejudice against fire horse
women kept the 1906 herd wracked by poverty in Japan, since no one would risk
marrying a woman with these qualities. Now almost 100 years old, many of
the surviving hinoe-uma women are poor and homeless. While the 1966 herd
isn't quite this disadvantaged, they do battle these stereotypes every day.
Thankfully, the attitudes are changing
somewhat. The Japan Hinoe-uma Association, formed by six courageous fire
horse women, is an organization dedicated to bettering the fate of the roughly
1,300,000 fire horse women who were born in Japan in 1966. It's interesting
to note that the birth rate for that year is down a half million as compared to
the previous and succeeding years. Such was the prejudice against the
fire horse women that parents who had girls that year often delayed registering
their births to keep them from having to deal with the stereotypes.
The
six decades spanning the gaps between the years of the Fire Horse mean that
this rare sign occurs only in the years 1846, 1906, 1966, 2026, etc. These
years are bad for Horses themselves and bad for families who have a Horse in
the house. This is because the Fire Horse's influence can change from
beneficial to malignant, and during these years all Horse families will become
subject to illness, accidents and bad luck in general.
Men
and women actually born in the year of the Fire Horse will have the same
characteristics as the ordinary Horse -- but they will be more accentuated, in
the good qualities as well as in the bad. The Fire Horse will thus be a harder
worker, a more cunning individual, more independent, more gifted ... and alas,
far more selfish. His passionate nature and the frantic egotism which
seizes him will lead him to commit his worst excesses when he is in love.
There are those who say that the Fire Horse can be a good influence in the
heart of his own family. But popular belief asserts that he will make trouble
in the home he was born in just as he does in the one he himself has
built.
What
we do know is that the Fire Horse will have a career that is more varied, more
exceptional, more interesting than that of the ordinary Horse. The Fire Horse
carries within himself the seeds of fame ... or of notoriety!
The Fire Horse is a flamboyant
and itinerant Horse with a superb intellect and great personal magnetism. He tries to
bring about the changes he desires through force and sheer
willpower. This is a double Fire sign (Fire also being the Horse's fixed
element), and it will produce a native who is highly excitable and hot-blooded.
The Fire Horse is easily distracted and is too inconsistent to stick to
repetitive tasks. He has flair, wit and charm but his continuous stream
of bright ideas makes him extremely volatile. His personality is
many-faceted and he requires a great deal of spice and variety in his life. He is
happiest leading a double or triple life or having several professions to his credit.
He will love to travel, anticipates action and change and works most
efficiently when put in charge. He rarely accepts supervision from
others, even his superiors. The Fire Horse is a thrill-seeker. He
can sort out and deal with all kinds of people and situations within a minute's
notice. He is skillful at resolving sticky affairs but is not above being
argumentative. This type of Horse will have the gifts of ingenuity and
resourcefulness but not perseverance.
WATER TIGER - 1902, 1962, 2022
Torayoshi was born in the year of the
Water Tiger. The tiger is the most compatible sign for a horse, so the
marriage of Torayoshi and Mitsue would have been viewed positively from this point
of view. Despite the strongly negative characteristics of the Fire Horse
noted above, the only element capable of taming and controlling fire is
water. So the Water Tiger astrological sign was a fortuitous combination
for the husband of a Fire Horse.
The Water Tiger is an open-minded Tiger who is always inclined toward new ideas and
experiences. He also has a gift for seeing things objectively, because
the Water element combined with his lunar sign gives him a calmer nature. He is
humane and an excellent judge of the truth, as he can relate to the
way others feel. He is intuitive and has a well-developed faculty for
communicating with people.
This more realistic type of Tiger has his finger on the pulse of the people and
knows the things he deals with. He makes few errors in his assessments. His mental
abilities are above par, but like all Tigers, he sometimes
waste precious time procrastinating. Still, he is rated as less
temperamental than the other Tigers, as he can control his emotional urges.
Japanese Astrology Chart 1900-2020
Begin |
End |
Begin |
End |
Element |
Sign |
| 1900 Jan 31 |
1901 Feb 18 |
1960 Jan 28 |
1961 Feb 14 |
Metal |
Rat |
|
1901 Feb 19 |
1902 Feb 07 |
1961 Feb 15 |
1962 Feb 04 |
Metal |
Ox |
| 1902 Feb 08 |
1903 Jan 28 |
1962 Feb 05 |
1963 Jan 24 |
Water |
Tiger |
| 1903 Jan 29 |
1904 Feb 15 |
1963 Jan 25 |
1964 Feb 12 |
Water |
Rabbit |
| 1904 Feb 16 |
1905 Feb 03 |
1964 Feb 13 |
1965 Feb 01 |
Wood |
Dragon |
| 1905 Feb 04 |
1906 Jan 24 |
1965 Feb 02 |
1966 Jan 20 |
Wood |
Snake |
| 1906 Jan 25 |
1907 Feb 12 |
1966 Jan 21 |
1967 Feb 08 |
Fire |
Horse |
| 1907 Feb 13 |
1908 Feb 01 |
1967 Feb 09 |
1968 Jan 29 |
Fire |
Goat |
| 1908 Feb 02 |
1909 Jan 21 |
1968 Jan 30 |
1969 Feb 16 |
Earth |
Monkey |
| 1909 Jan 22 |
1901 Feb 09 |
1969 Feb 17 |
1970 Feb 05 |
Earth |
Rooster |
| 1910 Feb 10 |
1911 Jan 29 |
1970 Feb 06 |
1971 Jan 26 |
Metal |
Dog |
| 1911 Jan 30 |
1912 Feb 17 |
1971 Jan 27 |
1972 Feb 14 |
Metal |
Pig |
| 1912 Feb 18 |
1913 Feb 05 |
1972 Feb 15 |
1973 Feb 02 |
Water |
Rat |
| 1913 Feb 06 |
1914 Jan 25 |
1973 Feb 03 |
1974 Jan 22 |
Water |
Ox |
| 1914 Jan 26 |
1915 Feb 13 |
1974 Jan 23 |
1975 Feb 10 |
Wood |
Tiger |
| 1915 Feb 14 |
1916 Feb 02 |
1975 Feb 11 |
1976 Jan 30 |
Wood |
Rabbit |
| 1916 Feb 03 |
1917 Jan 22 |
1976 Jan 31 |
1977 Feb 17 |
Fire |
Dragon |
| 1917 Jan 23 |
1918 Feb 10 |
1977 Feb 18 |
1978 Feb 06 |
Fire |
Snake |
| 1918 Feb 11 |
1919 Jan 31 |
1978 Feb 07 |
1979 Jan 27 |
Earth |
Horse |
| 1919 Feb 01 |
1920 Feb 19 |
1979 Jan 28 |
1980 Feb 15 |
Earth |
Goat |
| 1920 Feb 20 |
1921 Feb 07 |
1980 Feb 16 |
1981 Feb 04 |
Metal |
Monkey |
| 1921 Feb 08 |
1922 Jan 27 |
1981 Feb 05 |
1982 Jan 24 |
Metal |
Rooster |
| 1922 Jan 28 |
1923 Feb 15 |
1982 Jan 25 |
1983 Feb 12 |
Water |
Dog |
| 1923 Feb 16 |
1924 Feb 04 |
1983 Feb 13 |
1984 Feb 01 |
Water |
Pig |
| 1924 Feb 05 |
1925 Jan 24 |
1984 Feb 02 |
1985 Feb 19 |
Wood |
Rat |
| 1925 Jan 25 |
1926 Feb 12 |
1985 Feb 20 |
1986 Feb 08 |
Wood |
Ox |
| 1926 Feb 13 |
1927 Feb 01 |
1986 Feb 09 |
1987 Jan 28 |
Fire |
Tiger |
| 1927 Feb 02 |
1928 Jan 22 |
1987 Jan 29 |
1988 Feb 16 |
Fire |
Rabbit |
| 1928 Jan 23 |
1929 Feb 09 |
1988 Feb 17 |
1989 Feb 05 |
Earth |
Dragon |
| 1929 Feb 10 |
1930 Jan 29 |
1989 Feb 06 |
1990 Jan 26 |
Earth |
Snake |
| 1930 Jan 30 |
1931 Feb 16 |
1990 Jan 27 |
1991 Feb 14 |
Metal |
Horse |
| 1931 Feb 17 |
1932 Feb 05 |
1991 Feb 15 |
1992 Feb 03 |
Metal |
Goat |
| 1932 Feb 06 |
1933 Jan 25 |
1992 Feb 04 |
1993 Jan 22 |
Water |
Monkey |
| 1933 Jan 26 |
1934 Feb 13 |
1993 Jan 23 |
1994 Feb 09 |
Water |
Rooster |
| 1934 Feb 14 |
1935 Feb 03 |
1994 Feb 10 |
1995 Jan 30 |
Wood |
Dog |
| 1935 Feb 04 |
1936 Jan 23 |
1995 Jan 31 |
1996 Feb 18 |
Wood |
Pig |
| 1936 Jan 24 |
1937 Feb 10 |
1996 Feb 19 |
1997 Feb 06 |
Fire |
Rat |
| 1937 Feb 11 |
1938 Jan 30 |
1997 Feb 07 |
1998 Jan 27 |
Fire |
Ox |
| 1938 Jan 31 |
1939 Feb 18 |
1998 Jan 28 |
1999 Feb 15 |
Earth |
Tiger |
| 1939 Feb 19 |
1940 Feb 07 |
1999 Feb 16 |
2000 Feb 04 |
Earth |
Rabbit |
| 1940 Feb 08 |
1941 Jan 26 |
2000 Feb 05 |
2001 Jan 23 |
Metal |
Dragon |
| 1941 Jan 27 |
1942 Feb 14 |
2001 Jan 24 |
2002 Feb 11 |
Metal |
Snake |
| 1942 Feb 15 |
1943 Feb 04 |
2002 Feb 12 |
2003 Jan 31 |
Water |
Horse |
| 1943 Feb 05 |
1944 Jan 24 |
2003 Feb 01 |
2004 Jan 21 |
Water |
Goat |
| 1944 Jan 25 |
1945 Feb 12 |
2004 Jan 22 |
2005 Feb 8 |
Wood |
Monkey |
| 1945 Feb 13 |
1946 Feb 01 |
2005 Feb 8 |
2006 Jan 28 |
Wood |
Rooster |
| 1946 Feb 02 |
1947 Jan 21 |
2006 Jan 29 |
2007 Feb 17 |
Fire |
Dog |
| 1947 Jan 22 |
1948 Feb 09 |
2007 Feb 18 |
2008 Feb 6 |
Fire |
Pig |
| 1948 Feb 10 |
1949 Jan 28 |
2008 Feb 7 |
2009 Jan 25 |
Earth |
Rat |
| 1949 Jan 29 |
1950 Feb 16 |
2009 Jan 26 |
2010 Feb 23 |
Earth |
Ox |
| 1950 Feb 17 |
1951 Feb 05 |
2010 Feb 24 |
2011 Feb 2 |
Metal |
Tiger |
| 1951 Feb 06 |
1952 Jan 26 |
2011 Feb 3 |
2012 Jan 22 |
Metal |
Rabbit |
| 1952 Jan 27 |
1953 Feb 13 |
2012 Jan 23 |
2013 Feb 9 |
Water |
Dragon |
| 1953 Feb 14 |
1954 Feb 02 |
2013 Feb 10 |
2014 Jan 30 |
Water |
Snake |
| 1954 Feb 03 |
1955 Jan 23 |
2014 Jan 31 |
2015 Feb 18 |
Wood |
Horse |
| 1955 Jan 24 |
1956 Feb 11 |
2015 Feb 19 |
2016 Feb 7 |
Wood |
Goat |
| 1956 Feb 12 |
1957 Jan 30 |
2016 Feb 8 |
2017 Jan 27 |
Fire |
Monkey |
| 1957 Jan 31 |
1958 Feb 17 |
2017 Jan 28 |
2018 Feb 15 |
Fire |
Rooster |
| 1958 Feb 18 |
1959 Feb 07 |
2018 Feb 16 |
2019 Feb 4 |
Earth |
Dog |
| 1959 Feb 08 |
1960 Jan 27 |
2019 Feb 5 |
2020 Jan 24 |
Earth |
Pig |
