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Q: What is the
significance of the
70th
Birthday?
A: A bit of 'Net
research uncovered the following:
In
Japan the 70th birthday is a milestone. It is given the
name koki, a word derived from a verse in
the Japanese translation of a poem called "By the
Winding River" by a Chinese poet, Toho (Tu Fu in Chinese).
"Jinsei,
Nanajuu-Koki, Marenari"
Koki
refers to reaching an age that is "rare from ancient
times." In the eighth century when the poem was
written, very few lived to that age; back then, anything past 70 was considered
amazing. Red
is the customary color for both the 60th (Kanreki)
and 70th (Koki)
birthdays. Red is the color of early childhood, and
reaching 60 is traditionally a symbolic rebirth or second
childhood, so a 70 year old -- like Tom -- is only 10 years
old! Red
is also believed to protect one from evil. So with the
magic of computer electrons, we dress Tom in his birthday
red:
These days when the average
Japanese lives well into their 80s, more and more are celebrating
birthdays once reserved for only the rarest of the rare:
- 77 years: Kiju
- 80 years: Sanju
- 88 years: Beiju
- 90 years: Sotsuju
- 99 years: Hakuju
- 100 years: Hyakuju or Jouju
- 108 years: Chaju
- 111 years: Kouju
Moral of this
more-than-you-wanted-to-know birthday lesson:
Tom need not steer clear of
Japanese antique stores and museums.
At least not
yet.
It's after age 80 when they might keep him.
In today's
world,
Tom's still a KID
and in seven short years,
we'll be celebrating his Kiju!
He'll be a
teenager then.
17.
Tanjoobi
Omedetoo, Tom!
(In Japanese: Happy Birthday, Tom! )
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