方かた違たがい

noun

directional taboo avoidance travel

Archaic Heian-period practice: departing the night before a planned journey, traveling in a different direction to avoid an unlucky direction, staying overnight, and then proceeding to the actual destination the next morning. Related to the concept of 方塞がり (katatagari).

See also: 方塞がり

• 平へい安あん時じ代だいには、方かた違たがいのためにわざわざ前ぜん夜やに出しゅっ発ぱつすることがあった。

  During the Heian period, people would sometimes deliberately set out the night before to perform katatagai.