Shichi-Go-San and kanreki both traditionally count age in kazoedoshi, not full age. Kanreki falls in the same calendar year as the 60th birthday (birth year + 60), but that year is counted as 61. Feeling “only 11” at jūsan-mairi comes from when the extra year is added. This page puts Shichi-Go-San, jūsan-mairi, yakudoshi, and the longevity years from kanreki to hakuju in one table, and computes why the gap versus full age is 2 before a birthday and 1 after.
The formula: kazoedoshi = year − birth year + 1
You are 1 in the year of birth. After that you add a year on New Year’s Day (1 January), not on your birthday. In Gregorian years:
kazoedoshi = calendar year − birth year + 1
The calendar year of a rite is birth year + counted age − 1. Kanreki (counted 61) is birth year + 60; jūsan-mairi (counted 13) is birth year + 12. Full age waits for the birthday, so the gap changes during the year:
- Before this year’s birthday: full age = year − birth year − 1 → gap 2
- On or after the birthday: full age = year − birth year → gap 1
List every rite from a birth date with the Kazoedoshi & Longevity Age Calculator, Shichi-Go-San years with the Shichi-Go-San Year Calculator, and yakudoshi with the Yakudoshi calculator. All three run in the browser; birth dates are not sent to a server.
One table of kazoedoshi rites
| Rite | Kazoedoshi | Calendar year | Usual practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shichi-Go-San · 3 | 3 | birth year + 2 | Boys and girls (girls only in some regions) |
| Shichi-Go-San · 5 | 5 | birth year + 4 | Boys |
| Shichi-Go-San · 7 | 7 | birth year + 6 | Girls |
| Jūsan-mairi | 13 | birth year + 12 | Visit to Kokūzō Bosatsu |
| Kanreki | 61 | birth year + 60 | The sexagenary cycle returns to the birth year |
| Koki | 70 | birth year + 69 | |
| Kiju | 77 | birth year + 76 | |
| Sanju | 80 | birth year + 79 | |
| Beiju | 88 | birth year + 87 | |
| Sotsuju | 90 | birth year + 89 | |
| Hakuju | 99 | birth year + 98 | 100 minus 1, written as “white” |
Many families now hold Shichi-Go-San by full age as well; longevity years remain kazoedoshi.
Yakudoshi: pre-year, main year, post-year
Yakudoshi is also kazoedoshi. The table below is the same widespread shrine list as the Yakudoshi calculator: main years 25, 42 and 61 for men, and 19, 33, 37 and 61 for women, each with a pre-year and a post-year. There is no scientific basis, and shrines differ.
| Sex | Pre-year | Main year | Post-year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 24 · 41 · 60 | 25 · 42 · 61 | 26 · 43 · 62 |
| Women | 18 · 32 · 36 · 60 | 19 · 33 · 37 · 61 | 20 · 34 · 38 · 62 |
Worked examples as of 2026-02-01
| Birth date | Kazoedoshi | Full age | Gap | Rite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-04-02 | 13 | 11 (before birthday) | 2 | Jūsan-mairi in 2026 (birth year + 12) |
| 2014-01-01 | 13 | 12 (after birthday) | 1 | Same counted 13, one year older in full age |
| 1965-06-15 | 62 | 60 (before birthday) | 2 | Kanreki in 2025 (birth year + 60) |
Born 2 April 2014, on 1 February 2026 you are still before the birthday: full age 11, kazoedoshi 13. Born 1 January 2014, the birthday has passed: full age 12, kazoedoshi 13. Both use 2026 − 2014 + 1 = 13; only full age moved.
FAQ
Why is the gap versus full age 2 before a birthday and 1 after?
Are yakudoshi ages fixed?
Is kanreki the year you turn 60 in full age?
Calendar years are birth year + counted age − 1. Examples use kazoedoshi = year − birth year + 1 and full age as of 2026-02-01, matching the Kazoedoshi calculator. Input never leaves the browser (2026-09-14).