Sukuyo lunar calendar (kyūreki): conversion rules and checks
A Sukuyo lunar calendar converts a civil date under a declared Japanese lunisolar method before lookup; kyūreki is not one universal algorithm.
Overview
The new-moon civil date and month-numbering rule are part of the calculation, not optional details beneath a generic old-calendar label.
At a glance
- Month start
- New-moon civil date
- Month numbering
- Solar-term convention
- OpenFate day
- Asia/Tokyo midnight
Why calendar conversion comes first
A Gregorian birthday does not directly supply the lunar month and day used in the mansion table.
The conversion must be completed before counting from a month’s starting mansion.
What does old calendar mean?
NAOJ explains that several lunisolar calendar methods existed and that there is no current official Japanese lunisolar-calendar calculation.
A modern website should therefore disclose its method rather than imply that the word kyūreki settles every edge case.
How OpenFate defines a month
Policy 1.0.0 starts lunar day one on the Japanese civil date containing the astronomical new moon.
Principal solar terms help number months, with a winter-solstice-priority rule for a 13-month span. These are product settings.
Why timezones matter
An astronomical event near midnight can fall on different civil dates in different timezones.
A Chinese-calendar conversion should not be substituted for a Japanese convention merely because both display lunar month and day.
What to save for comparison
Keep the Gregorian date, lunar year/month/day, leap flag and convention version. Compare these before the mansion name.
For disputed cases, retain the uncertainty and consult the calendar-method source rather than modifying the date until the outputs match.
Check a boundary case correctly
When a new moon occurs near Japanese midnight, compare the event instant, its Asia/Tokyo civil date and the month assignment used by each calendar.
A one-day difference can propagate into lunar day and mansion; it should be explained at the calendar step, not repaired in the interpretation.
Sources and editorial basis
- 宿曜經 · T1299 卷上卷上「大唐月建圖」: table requires calendar month/day; modern conversion convention is a separate product rule.Historical text for mansion names and calendar tables. Its table is not identical to OpenFate’s modern 27-mansion lookup; it does not establish predictive validity.
- OpenFate Sukuyo calculator and calculation conventionEditorial code check 2026-09-10, policy 1.0.0: kyureki; policy.ts, constants.ts, engine.ts and traditional-cycles.ts. Product settings are not an independent historical authority; practical examples are OpenFate editorial applications.Product-specific input and output reference. Editorial checks also inspected policy 1.0.0 and the month-start constants on 2026-09-10; those implementation checks are not an independent traditional authority.
- NAOJ: 「旧暦」ってなに?NAOJ question 3-4: old-calendar definition, month starts, leap months and no current official Japanese lunisolar calculation.Calendar-method reference: modern Japanese old-calendar calculations are not one official standard. This supports the calendar distinction, not divination.