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Eto and junishi in Japan: native readings, regional animals and a civil calendar remade in 1873.

Facts & lineage · 干支

Eto is the pair

Calling 2026 only “Horse” names its branch animal. Its full eto is 丙午, hinoe-uma: the fire elder stem and Horse branch together.

Where the word comes from

Japanese reads the yang and yin forms of each phase as elder and younger sibling: e and to. Wood begins kinoe and kinoto; fire follows as hinoe and hinoto. That sequence supplies the word eto.

The ten stems and twelve branches advance together. Because parity stays matched, they produce sixty ordered pairs before returning to the start.

  1. 1甲子kinoe-neyang wood · Rat
  2. 2乙丑kinoto-no-ushiyin wood · Ox
  3. 3丙寅hinoe-torayang fire · Tiger
  4. 4丁卯hinoto-no-uyin fire · Rabbit
  5. 5戊辰tsuchinoe-tatsuyang earth · Dragon
  6. 6己巳tsuchinoto-no-miyin earth · Snake
  7. 7庚午kanoe-umayang metal · Horse
  8. 8辛未kanoto-no-hitsujiyin metal · Sheep
  9. 9壬申mizunoe-saruyang water · Monkey
  10. 10癸酉mizunoto-no-toriyin water · Rooster
  11. 11甲戌kinoe-inuyang wood · Dog
  12. 12乙亥kinoto-no-iyin wood · Boar
  13. 13丙子hinoe-neyang fire · Rat
  14. 14丁丑hinoto-no-ushiyin fire · Ox
  15. 15戊寅tsuchinoe-torayang earth · Tiger
  16. 16己卯tsuchinoto-no-uyin earth · Rabbit
  17. 17庚辰kanoe-tatsuyang metal · Dragon
  18. 18辛巳kanoto-no-miyin metal · Snake
  19. 19壬午mizunoe-umayang water · Horse
  20. 20癸未mizunoto-no-hitsujiyin water · Sheep
  21. 21甲申kinoe-saruyang wood · Monkey
  22. 22乙酉kinoto-no-toriyin wood · Rooster
  23. 23丙戌hinoe-inuyang fire · Dog
  24. 24丁亥hinoto-no-iyin fire · Boar
  25. 25戊子tsuchinoe-neyang earth · Rat
  26. 26己丑tsuchinoto-no-ushiyin earth · Ox
  27. 27庚寅kanoe-torayang metal · Tiger
  28. 28辛卯kanoto-no-uyin metal · Rabbit
  29. 29壬辰mizunoe-tatsuyang water · Dragon
  30. 30癸巳mizunoto-no-miyin water · Snake
  31. 31甲午kinoe-umayang wood · Horse
  32. 32乙未kinoto-no-hitsujiyin wood · Sheep
  33. 33丙申hinoe-saruyang fire · Monkey
  34. 34丁酉hinoto-no-toriyin fire · Rooster
  35. 35戊戌tsuchinoe-inuyang earth · Dog
  36. 36己亥tsuchinoto-no-iyin earth · Boar
  37. 37庚子kanoe-neyang metal · Rat
  38. 38辛丑kanoto-no-ushiyin metal · Ox
  39. 39壬寅mizunoe-torayang water · Tiger
  40. 40癸卯mizunoto-no-uyin water · Rabbit
  41. 41甲辰kinoe-tatsuyang wood · Dragon
  42. 42乙巳kinoto-no-miyin wood · Snake
  43. 43丙午hinoe-umayang fire · Horse
  44. 44丁未hinoto-no-hitsujiyin fire · Sheep
  45. 45戊申tsuchinoe-saruyang earth · Monkey
  46. 46己酉tsuchinoto-no-toriyin earth · Rooster
  47. 47庚戌kanoe-inuyang metal · Dog
  48. 48辛亥kanoto-no-iyin metal · Boar
  49. 49壬子mizunoe-neyang water · Rat
  50. 50癸丑mizunoto-no-ushiyin water · Ox
  51. 51甲寅kinoe-torayang wood · Tiger
  52. 52乙卯kinoto-no-uyin wood · Rabbit
  53. 53丙辰hinoe-tatsuyang fire · Dragon
  54. 54丁巳hinoto-no-miyin fire · Snake
  55. 55戊午tsuchinoe-umayang earth · Horse
  56. 56己未tsuchinoto-no-hitsujiyin earth · Sheep
  57. 57庚申kanoe-saruyang metal · Monkey
  58. 58辛酉kanoto-no-toriyin metal · Rooster
  59. 59壬戌mizunoe-inuyang water · Dog
  60. 60癸亥mizunoto-no-iyin water · Boar

Why popular use sounds different

In New Year conversation, eto often means the year’s one animal. That shorthand is real usage; it is simply less precise than the calendrical definition. Bodhastra prints both the animal and the pair so neither sense has to disappear.

Bodhastra documents what astrological traditions have said, and when they started saying it. It is presented as cultural history and entertainment. Nothing here is medical, psychological, financial or predictive advice, and nothing here is a claim about what will happen to you.

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