Ask John: What’s the Japanese Significance of Numbers 4 and 7?

Question:
I noticed 7 is used frequently in anime, like in Dragonball you got 7 dragon balls, Powerstone has 7 power stones, Moncolle Knights has 7 monster items, etc. What significance does 7 have?

Answer:
This is an answer combining your question with a similar question I’ve received about the number 4.

Japanese culture, like much of Asian culture, has many superstitions and traditions centered on numbers. The number 4 is pronounced “shi” in Japanese. “Shi” is also the Japanese word for “death,” so 4 is considered an unlucky number in Japan. This extends beyond anime. Gift sets and sets of flatware or wine glasses, for example, that would usually come as a set of 4 in Western countries, come as a set of 5 in Japan. Professional Japanese baseball players do not wear uniform numbers 4 or 44. These numbers are reserved for foreign players that don’t have cultural superstitions regarding these numbers.

The number 7, like most odd numbers in Japanese, is considered a lucky number. The name of the traditional Japanese “Shichi Go San” festival is made up of the numbers 3, 5 & 7 and celebrates the ages of 3 and 7 for girls and 3 and 5 for boys. (Traditionally children stopped having their heads shaved at age 3; boys began to wear hakama, the pleated trousers commonly associated with samurai, at age 5; and girls began to wear an obi, the sash worn with a kimono, instead of a cord belt at age 7.) It may be possible that the significance of the number 7 comes from the Buddhist belief that a person enters his next rebirth after a period of seven times seven days.

The combination of 4 signifying death and 7 signifying good luck and life, logically is a number that represents attributes of both. The number 47 is significant to Japanese history because it is the number of ronin that avenged their lord and then committed honorable suicide, popularized by the classic Japanese drama “Chushingura.” In 1701 Asano Naganori was sentenced to die for a relatively minor breach of samurai conduct by drawing his sword within the walls of Edo Castle. Asano’s damiyo was dismissed and his retainers left masterless. Three years later, 47 of Asano’s most loyal former samurai stormed the castle of Yoshinaka Kira-Kozukenosuke, the man responsible for their lord’s disgrace. After an hour and a half of battle, the 47 samurai had defeated the 61 guards and executed Lord Kira. After completing their revenge, all 47 turned themselves in to the authorities and committed honorable seppuku to atone for their righteous but illegal actions.

Furthermore, in a coincidence that may give numerologists pause, Japan signed its constitution into law on May 3, 1947.