also: かたたがえどころ
place to stay to avoid an unlucky direction
Archaic term from Heian-era directional taboo practices. Refers to a temporary lodging used when one's intended travel direction was deemed unlucky, requiring a detour or overnight stay to change the effective direction.
In the Heian period, people would sometimes stay at a katatagae-dokoro to avoid an unlucky direction.
方塞がり refers to the unlucky direction itself or the state of being blocked by a directional taboo, whereas 方違え所 is the physical place used to circumvent it.
Modernized spelling reflecting the pronunciation.
Historical spelling using 歴史的仮名遣い; the へ is pronounced as え in this word.
Compound of 方違え (katatagae, 'direction changing') + 所 (tokoro/dokoro, 'place'). The term originates in Heian-period onmyōdō practices.