Interesting Facts! #39

39. The Red String of Fate~ <3

Like almost everything else in the Japanese culture this "Red String of Fate" has also originated in China and has been changed to the liking of the Japanese. The red string of fate, also referred to as the red string of marriage, and other names, is an East Asian belief originating from Chinese legend and is also used in Japanese legend. (Japanese:運命の赤い糸, unmei no akai ito, red string of fate)

According to myth, the gods tie an invisible red cord around the ankles of those that are destined to meet one another in a certain situation or help each other in a certain way. Often, in Japanese culture, it is thought to be tied around the pinky finger. The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break. This myth is similar to the Western idea of a soulmate or a destined flame.

One story featuring the red string of fate involves a young boy. Walking home one night, a young boy sees an old man standing beneath the moonlight. The man explains to the boy that he is attached to his destined wife by a red thread. The old man shows the boy the young girl who is destined to be his wife. Being young and having no interest in having a wife, the young boy picks up a rock and throws it at the girl, running away. Many years later, when the boy has grown into a young man, his parents arrange a wedding for him. On the night of his wedding, his wife waits for him in their bedroom, with the traditional veil covering her face. Raising it, the man is delighted to find that his wife is one of the great beauties of his village. However, she wears an adornment (a jewel) on her eyebrow. He asks her why she wears it and she responds that when she was a young girl, a boy threw a rock at her that struck her, leaving a scar on her eyebrow. She self-consciously wears the adornment to cover it up. The woman is, in fact, the same young girl connected to the man by the red thread shown to him by the old man back in his childhood, showing that they were connected by the red string of fate.

Manga, anime and many dramas are heavily influenced by this red string of fate. Where certain characters (mostly the main character) is tied to their destined lover. Even the Naruto Series has been influenced by the red string of fate,  Kushina Uzumaki claims her red hair became her own red thread of fate that eventually linked her to Minato Namikaze. The Red String Of Fate is also mentioned in Sailor Moon, when Sailor Chibi Moon called on Pegasus with her Crystal Bell that had a red bow wrapped around it. Japanese culture is very influenced by the Red String of Fate that it pops up in movies, shows, music, games etc.

-The more you know~