Nine Star Ki · 2026Annual and Monthly Direction Guide
Explore the annual chart and all twelve monthly charts. Compare traditional directional readings when planning trips and other activities.
In Nine Star Ki, the annual chart provides a broad view of the year, while the monthly charts show how the positions change. Compare the periods that interest you.
Chinese roots, a system developed in Japan
Nine Star Ki draws on Chinese traditions involving the nine stars, yin and yang, the five elements, calendars, and compass directions. These ideas were developed into a distinct divination system in Japan. In the early twentieth century, Shinjiro Sonoda organized earlier practices and popularized the name Kigaku. This page introduces the system through birth stars and the annual and monthly charts.
What does “ki” mean?
Ki (気) is the Japanese reading of a traditional concept known as qi (氣/气) in Chinese. It is associated with life and change in people and nature. Here it is a concept from traditional thought, not a measurable form of physical energy.
2026 Annual chart
Hinoe-uma (丙午), with Star 1 at the center. South appears at the top, following traditional chart conventions. Directions are referenced to magnetic north.
Feb 4, 2026, 05:02 – Feb 4, 2027, 10:46 (JST)
A turning point in a new cycle
In the traditional Nine Star Ki reading, Star 1 at the center is associated with reviewing what has been built and considering what comes next. The annual chart shows the broader pattern; the monthly charts show the changing details.
How to read the chart: south is at the top, east on the left, west on the right. Cardinal sectors are 30° wide and diagonal sectors 60°. Magnetic north (compass north) is 0°.
Patterns and symbols mark directions traditionally regarded as unfavorable. These shared directional markers are different from the lucky-direction candidates calculated for each birth star.
Find your birth stars
Start with your birth year to find your annual birth star. Add the month, day, birth time, and birthplace time zone if you want a more detailed reading.
Choose the region where you were born—not where you live now.
When a birthplace time zone is selected, local birth date and time are converted to UTC for comparison with solar-term boundaries. Historical offsets and daylight saving time are considered. Birth details are processed locally; nothing is transmitted or saved.
Annual birth starThe annual birth star changes at the Start of Spring. January births, and February births before that transition, use the previous year’s star.
Monthly birth starThe monthly birth star depends on the annual birth star and the solar month of birth. Some schools emphasize the monthly star during childhood; the exact age range varies.
Birth-year reference table (1919–2026)
Swipe sideways to see the full table.
Years in this table begin at the Start of Spring, not January 1. Confirm the exact time if your birth date falls on the boundary.
Monthly birth-star reference (birth-star group × solar month)
First find the annual birth star, then check its group. Solar months change at the specified seasonal boundaries.
| Solar birth month | Stars 1 / 4 / 7 | Stars 2 / 5 / 8 | Stars 3 / 6 / 9 |
|---|
Lucky directions by birth star: yearly overview
Compare annual candidates, month-only candidates, and directions that meet both sets of conditions. Select your annual birth star first.
Based on annual birth star. This general reference uses the annual birth star and the star positions in the annual and monthly charts. It includes productive, yielding, and same-element relationships, with traditional exclusions. The monthly birth star and daily charts are not included. Criteria used for lucky-direction candidates
Birth star: not selected
Show all nine birth stars in the annual chart
| Star | Annual-chart candidates |
|---|
“Monthly chart only” does not apply annual-chart exclusions. To compare a trip against both time scales, check the “Common to annual and monthly charts” column.
“No candidate” does not mean you cannot travel. It means no direction meets the criteria used in this table.
Twelve-month direction overview〈Based on annual birth star〉
| Solar month · dates (JST) | Center / stem-branch | Monthly chart only | Common to annual and monthly charts | See chart |
|---|
The twelve monthly charts
From the February 2026 solar month through January 2027. The month breaker covers a 30° zodiac sector. Compare monthly markings with the annual markers.
Periods run from one solar-term boundary to the next. Displayed times are JST; the internal time standard is UTC.
How to read the charts and direction criteria
A compact guide to the terms, markings, and rules used on this page.
Nine Star Ki terminology
- Honmei: annual birth star
- The nine-star category associated with the year of birth. The year changes at the Start of Spring.
- Getsumei: monthly birth star
- The star determined from the annual birth-star group and the solar birth month.
- Sexagenary cycle
- The repeating combinations of ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches.
- Yin, yang and the five elements
- Wood, fire, earth, metal and water, paired with yin and yang categories.
- Goō-satsu (五黄殺) — Five Yellow Affliction
- The sector occupied by Star 5, traditionally regarded as an unfavorable direction.
- Anken-satsu (暗剣殺) — Dark Sword Affliction
- The sector opposite the position of Star 5, traditionally regarded as unfavorable.
- Saiha (歳破) — Year Breaker
- The 30° sector opposite the zodiac branch of the year. In 2026 it is Rat (子), north.
- Geppa (月破) — Month Breaker
- The 30° sector opposite the zodiac branch of the month; its position changes monthly.
- Teii-taichū (定位対冲) — Star opposite its home sector
- When a star appears opposite its customary home sector. This marker alone does not rule out a direction.
- Kippōi (吉方位) — Lucky direction
- A direction that meets the traditional candidate rules for a selected annual birth star and chart.
Criteria used for lucky-direction candidates
Candidates include productive, yielding, and same-element relationships between the annual birth star and the star occupying a direction. Five Yellow, Anken-satsu, and the birth-star and opposite-birth-star sectors are excluded. The annual breaker is excluded from the annual chart, and the monthly breaker from the monthly chart, each over its respective 30° zodiac sector.
A “common” candidate must meet the conditions in the same 30° zodiac sector in both charts. The mark for a star opposite its home position is shown for reference; the mark by itself does not disqualify that direction.
This basic table does not include the monthly birth star, month-star exclusions, children’s directional restrictions, daily or hourly charts, or other directional deities. Some detailed methods combine annual and monthly birth stars to look for what is called a “maximum auspicious direction.” That is not calculated here.
Magnetic north is the direction indicated by a compass. North, east, south and west each span 30°; the diagonal directions span 60°. True north on a map may differ from magnetic north. This page does not calculate a destination bearing or apply location-specific magnetic declination.
The 2026 and 2027 seasonal transition times were checked against the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. Directional terminology and star-element relationships were compared with publicly available Nine Star Ki references. Traditions may vary in their inclusion and exclusion rules. NAOJ 2026 / NAOJ 2027 / Direction reference
Review records compare the annual chart and all twelve months for one birth star against external references, and use two calculation implementations across nine stars and twelve months. This is not an independent professional audit of every result, nor has the page been tested on the live Shopify theme.
This is an adult-oriented reference to a traditional divination system and its cultural context. It does not guarantee future events, travel safety, or medical or financial outcomes. Calendar times use JST for display and UTC internally; the local calendar date may differ.