2017 is the Year of the Rooster (toridoshi) in Japan (also translated as cock or chicken; the term denotes general barnyard fowl), the tenth year in the cycle of 12 signs from the Japanese (and originally Chinese) zodiac. The Year of the Rooster is represented by the Earthly Branch character ?. The rooster is the only bird in the zodiac.

[Roosters by Ito Jakuchu - image from Wikipedia]
As is written in We Japanese, it is believed by the Japanese that the rooster has five virtues:

Its comb represents civilizationIts strong feet denote military strengthWith an enemy it fights well, demonstrating courageIt calls friends out of goodwillWatching for the dawn, it is faithful
In other words, the Year of the Rooster is generally considered as a lucky year and persons born in that year are according to fortune tellers generally intelligent and kind by nature.
[Shokoku - photo from Wikipedia]
Already since the dawn of history, there have been roosters and chickens in Japan. Although Japanese breeds now have been crossbred with western strains, there are also 30 breeds of what is known as the indigenous "Japanese rooster." The majority of these are not raised for meat or eggs, but are kept by fanciers as pets. Here are some of the best known ones:
jidori, an indigenous, primitive breed that resembles the red jungle fowl of SE Asia; it has a red body, with black tail and black breast;shamo, developed from a game breed in Thailand; raised for cockfighting. The mea...