year before an unlucky year
Refers to the year immediately before a person's yakudoshi (unlucky age). In Japanese folk belief, this year is also considered inauspicious and may require caution or purification rituals.
Next year is my main unlucky year, so this year is the year before it.
Some people also undergo purification in the year before their unlucky year.
Compound of 厄 (yaku, 'misfortune, calamity') and 前 (mae, 'before'). The exact historical origin of the yakudoshi belief is uncertain, but the term follows a straightforward compositional pattern.