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There are some strange superstitions w.r.t. death in Japanese culture. In Japanese the number 4 sounds sort of like death so it's a number they avoid a lot (it'
by Foy 11y ago
There are some strange superstitions w.r.t. death in Japanese culture. In Japanese the number 4 sounds sort of like death so it's a number they avoid a lot (it's missing from many elevator options, similar to how 13 is skipped sometimes) and patterns of squares are sometimes avoided to prevent having 4 corners meet (especially with straw mats).
I had never heard of this, though. The class of untouchables who work close to death. Really interesting stuff.
- rangibaby 11y ago4 and 9 are avoided. 9 is a homophone for "suffering".
- shiro 11y agoAs other comments pointed, this caste system itself isn't really a "secret". We learn in school that it had existed, and there are quite a few stories dealing with it (A novel "The Broken Commandment" (破戒) by Touson Shimazaki, and an epic manga series "Kamui" (カムイ伝) are among the best ones; both have been translated to English). However, things got complicated in modern society; officially the government denies the discrimination exist; some people still keeps prejudice; and the topic is used as a political tool.
- eevilspock 11y ago> similar to how 13 is skipped sometimes Sometimes? "Based on records of buildings with Otis brand elevators, as many as 85 percent of the high rises in the world don't have a 13th floor, says Dilip Rangnekar, spokesman for the Farmington, CT-based elevator maker." - http://realtytimes.com/todaysheadlines1/item/15685-20020913_13thfloor http://realtytimes.com/todaysheadlines1/item/15685-20020913_... Superstitions are alive and well around the world. In the U.S., the number of people who still turn to astrology when it comes explaining success or failure in dating and relationships will astound you. Even in places like New York City.
- tsotha 11y agoI'm sort of curious as to where these buildings are. I've never seen one on the US west coast.
- philiphodgen 11y agoIn reply to tsotha, 1801 Century Park East, Los Angeles, CA 90067 is an example. At least it was when I worked there after law school (ahem some time ago).
- brobinson 11y ago>the number 4 sounds sort of like death This is actually true in all the major Asian languages, surprisingly. [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraphobia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraphobia
- zhemao 11y agoNot really surprising since all of those languages (except maybe Vietnamese) derive the pronunciation of both words from Middle Chinese.
- rglovejoy 11y agoEight, on the other hand, is extremely lucky. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numbers_in_Chinese_culture#Eight https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numbers_in_Chinese_culture#Eig...