Japanese longevity celebrations
Sotsuju 卒寿
Japan’s celebration of turning 90
Sotsuju (written 卒寿, read そつじゅ) is one of Japan’s traditional longevity milestones — a set of birthdays, starting at 60, that families mark with a gathering and gifts. Each has a name drawn from a kanji character or a classical reference, and each has a customary color.
Why 90?
The abbreviated form 卆 of 卒 resembles 九十 (90).
The color: White
Gifts and decorations for the day are commonly chosen in this color. Which color goes with which age varies somewhat by region and source; the one shown here is the most widely cited.
Who reaches Sotsuju in 2026?
By Western age counting, anyone born in 1936 turns 90 this year. Japan traditionally used kazoe-doshi — you are 1 at birth and gain a year every New Year’s Day — so some families celebrate a year earlier, in the year the person turns 89 by Western count (born 1937).
Someone born in 1936 reaches Sotsuju in 2026 reached (2025 by kazoe count)
All seven milestones
Ages are given by Western (full-year) count unless noted. Only the widely documented, standard explanations are shown — no invented meanings. About our data