巳年 – 2025: The Year of the Snake

Welcome to the Year of the Snake, 2025! The Dragon’s reign in 2024 is coming to a close, and our beloved serpent friend is slithering to center stage.

Even outside of the Chinese Zodiac, Japan has its own native folklore around the snake. Here we are going to peel back the complex layers of its cultural significance and symbolism to expose the influence and unique traditions, art and place the snake holds in modern Japanese society.

First though, what is the Chinese Zodiac and the Year of the Snake? Let’s find out!

INDEX

The Chinese Zodiac and Year of the Snake

Unless you live in a country that has not had a high level of Chinese cultural influence, you may not have much connection to the Chinese Zodiac. When I was a child, for the year of the snake I do remember a T-shirt I saw in the store, but that was about it! Still, the Chinese Zodiac is still famous all over the world even if there is little tradition outside of these countries. You will learn soon though that the Zodiac and Year of the Snake goes way beyond fashion.

巳年 – The Snake and the Chinese Zodiac

The Chinese Zodiac consists of 12 animals, and each year one of these animals serves as the year’s mascot. They appear in the following order:

Rat – 子
Cow – 丑
Tiger – 寅
Rabbit – 卯
Dragon – 辰
Snake – 巳
Horse – 午
Sheep – 未
Monkey – 申
Rooster – 酉
Dog – 戌
Boar – 亥

In Japan, people call this system 十二支 (Jūnishi) or 干支 (Eto). If you want to learn more about these symbols, their Japanese readings, and the animals, check out the article linked below!

十二支 – The 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals in Japanese

The Chinese Zodiac represents the snake with the character 巳, pronounced as み (mi) or へび(hebi) in Japanese. This character specifically refers to the Year of the Snake, written as 巳年 (mi-doshi, hebi-doshi).

年 – Year in Compound Words like 巳年

When referring to the word for year, Japanese uses the word toshi (年) in isolation. However, in compound words, such as 巳年 (Year of the Snake), the pronunciation of the first word changes due to a process called 連濁 (rendaku), where the first consonant shifts from an unvoiced to a voiced sound. This is why you might see mi transform into mi-doshi in compound words.

The Origins of the Character 巳 and the Year of the Snake

The character for Snake in the Chinese Zodiac is 巳. This has a few different ways to read it. First in Onyomi or the sound of the character itself, based on the traditional Chinese reading is shi. Then the native Japanese reading is hebi or mi which mean snake. But, this character did not originally mean snake.

The Chinese character for 巳 was originally a character that represented the shape of a fetus wrapped in a swaddling or baby blanket. This represented the time when plant growth reached its limit and new life began to emerge. [１]

In the context of the Chinese lunar calendar, this character represented a specific time of day, year, and direction. Over time, people added symbolic creatures like the snake to these references to aid memorization, just like with the other Zodiac signs.

For reference, here are the specific associations for the character 巳:

Direction: South-Southeast, or approximately 30 degrees from south to east.
Time of Day: The two-hour period from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Time of Year: The fourth month of the Lunar Calendar, around late April to early June. [２]

蛇 – Snake in Japanese

In Japanese the word for Snake is へび (hebi). Through the original pronunciation was hemi . So if you are wondering why hebi-doshi can also be called mi-doshi, this is because the mi is short for hemi.

There are are several different words where the m sound and b sound overlap in Japanese. The Japanese adjective for sad has two pronunciations

寂しい・淋しい

さびしい　ー sabishii
さみしい　ー　samishii

There are several different theories the etymology of the word Hebi or Snake:

haimushi (crawling creature) – the Japanese very hau means to crawl, and the word mushi today means insect. In the past however the words seems to have referred more broadly to not only insects but reptiles, snakes and other crawling creatures. But there is some debate there. The original Chinese character for bug, 虫, actually originated from a snake. You can see this character used in several other Kanji characters for reptiles, frogs, snakes and so on. Japan also has a type of snake called mamushi.
hamu (eat, swallow) – This verb could have changed from the verb form hamu to the noun form hami and became hemi, then hebi. There is even a native poisonous Japanese snake living in Okinawa called habu.　[１] [３]

We don’t know the origins of the word, but if it starts with an h and has an m, b, or even another h as the second syllable, it seems correct. The Japanese work 古語拾遺 (kogo shūi, 807 CE) explains that in old Japanese, people also called orochi, haha. We know that due to Japanese rendaku, h becomes b, so we can easily see the connection here. However, this is the only place where this appears, and we don’t want to read too much into it.

Snake Culture in Japan

Snakes are everywhere and have been with humans forever. So, even if the Zodiac is from China, Japan has it’s own unique, rich culture revolving around our serpent friends along with unique ways it has integrated the snake with other international influences.

Snake and Dragon

Before we jump into snakes in Japanese culture, we need to revisit the Dragon to uncouple some ambiguity. The dragon, is a creature that originally did not originate in Japan. It is instead a creature that comes with the other influences out of China. During that process, the snake being so similar to the dragon, caused the two to become conflated with each-other in many instances. You can see this in art, stories and similar reverence for them both as Gods related to water. There is differences though in Japan, but I thought it was important to note this. But basically, dragons are sky creatures, and snakes are land creatures, but they both may be in the water. [４] [５]

竜・龍 Dragon in Japan

Origins in Jōmon Culture

Though not as glamorous as dragons, Japan has revered snakes since ancient times. This is evident from a common motif from Jōmon earthware (縄文土器) depicting snakes. Snakes eat rodents which spread pestilence and get into the years harvest. So, even though these snakes can have poison and be dangerous to humans, at the same time they were an important part of preserving their livelihood.　[６]

Jōmon Belief’s – Snakes, the Mother Goddess, Earthen Figurines (土偶)

The importance of snakes in Jomon beliefs is deep. During the later part of the Jōmon Period (14,000 BCE ~ 400 BCE) The Jōmon people made earthen figurines. These are clay figurines called dogū (土偶) in Japanese. Many of these have characteristics of the so called, mother goddess which can be seen in several cultures around the world. So how does this fit in with the snake? Well, some of these Mother Goddess have a coiled snake on their head. That would then conflate the characteristics of fertility, life, creation, and destruction of the Mother Goddess, with the snakes symbolism of immortality and rebirth from constant shedding of it’s skin and it’s connection to agriculture and water as the protector of the harvest.

Remnants in Modern Shinto – Shimenawa (しめ縄)

Today, the modern native religion in Japan, Shinto has gone through lots of changes and has accumulated many influences through out the ages. So, even if it has its roots in the original Jōmon belief it is hard to trace everything back to that period. Keeping that in mind, there is a theory that the current shimenawa (しめ縄), which can be seen at shrines, or homes kamidana (神棚) around the new year has its roots in two mating snakes. This would nicely connect with the characteristics of the snake representing rebirth as a new year is ushered in.　[８][９][10]

White snake shrines and other snake shrines

White snakes, revered in Japan, symbolize good fortune and luck. Just as they should be also! I once had a small cute white snake I found, and though our time together was short, I always enjoyed holding it and watching how it moved around my fingers.

Anyway, Albino snakes, with their white bodies and red eyes, are considered sacred due to their beauty and mystery. The origin of this is uncertain as there are stories about white snakes in China, stories in Japan and probably elsewhere. But, one image of a white snake that shows up often is related to Benzaiten (弁財天).

弁財天 – Benzaiten and the White Snake

Benzaiten is one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune or Shichifukujin（七福神）and originated from the Hindu goddess Sarasvati. Albino snakes are obviously rare,so equity rarity with value connects the characteristics of Benzaiten and the White snake. So, the white Snake is considered as Benzaiten’s messenger and personification or reincarnation.

Snake Shrines in Japan

White snakes are revered at Japanese shrines for good luck and financial prosperity. If you are in Japan and want to visit one of these locations, I have provided a few below related to Benzaiten.

Eshima Shrine (Kanagawa Prefecture, Fujisawa) 江島神社（神奈川県藤沢市江の島）
Chikubushima Shrine (Shiga Prefecture, Nagahama) 竹生島神社（滋賀県長浜市）
Itsukushima Shrine (Hiroshima Prefecture, Hatsukaichi) 厳島神社（広島県廿日市市）

Further, there are several other shrines dedicated to the White snake or just Snakes in general. There are many, but here are some.

Hebikubo Shrine (Tokyo-to, Shinagawa ward) 蛇窪神社（東京都品川区二葉）
Ōmiwa Shrine (Nara Prefecture, Sakurai) 大神神社（奈良県桜井市）

White Snakes In Anime and Manga

If you watch a lot of Anime, you may see every once in a while a character with a white Snake or representing one.

Mizuki – Kamisama Kiss

In the Kamisama Kiss (神様はじめました）Mizuki (瑞稀) is the messenger of Yonomori Shrine. His controls water and original form is a White Snake. [12]

Obanai Iguro – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Also, of course we have Obanai Iguro (伊黒小芭内) from Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃). He is a solitary and sarcastic character who distrusts demons and values group harmony. He also has a white snake, Kaburamaru (鏑丸). [11]

Snake Folklore and Yamata no Orochi

The snake is revered as in Japan, but also has it’s dark side. Snakes bite, like my pet garden snake before letting it go, but they also can have poison and can be a bit creepy.

We can see this in the very first account of a kaijū (怪獣) battle in Japan. Which is the story of Susano no Mikoto and Yamata no Orochi.

妖怪 – 7 Words for Monster in Japanese

Susano no Mikoto is the younger brother God of Amaterasu no Mikoto. He was a wild God causing a disruption and then was banished from Takamanohara (高天原) or the heavenly plane.

宗教 – Major Religions in Japan and Religious Beliefs

Susano no Mikoto, landed on the Hii River (斐伊川) in Izumo (出雲) and saw an old couple with their beautiful daughter, Kushinadahime, weeping. The old couple told Susanoo no Mikoto that they had eight daughters but every year an eight-headed serpent shows up to eat them.

Yamata no Orochi was a colossal serpent with eight heads and eight tails, its massive body stretching across eight peaks and valleys. Its eyes glowed red like Tanba’s Hōzuki, plants used during the Bon Festival to guide souls. The serpent’s body was covered in moss, Hinoki, and Sugi trees, with blood perpetually dripping from its stomach, adding to its terrifying presence.

Susano-no-mikoto offered to marry Kushinadahime in exchange for killing the serpent. He transformed her into a comb, brewed strong sake, and placed it at the serpent’s lairs. After the serpent drank the sake, Susano-no-mikoto struck it down with his sword. [４] [５][7]

Finally, if you are a fan of Naruto, and this name sounds familiar, it should! That is right, Orochimaru from Naruto is based off of Yamata no Orochi. Orochimaru (大蛇丸), the third Sannin, is a snake-wielding character from Naruto. For more details on Orochimaru and all the famous Naruto Characters, check it out below!

ナルト – Naruto Character Names in Japanese

More could be said, but let’s end it there. If you have any suggestions for articles, Just let me know! Have a wonderful 2025!