by Lynn Geis
photos by Lynn and Ed Geis
Lynn and Ed Geis
The children in Japan have a national holiday especially dedicated to them! Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day) is celebrated in Japan on the fifth day of the fifth month: May 5. It is one of the four holidays that comprise Golden Week.* To call it “Children’s Day” is a modern attempt to be inclusive, but most Japanese still consider it Boy’s Day, as they have for several centuries. The girls have their own holiday, Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) on March 3, the third day of the third month, but it is not a national holiday.
This day, set aside to honor sons and pray for their vigor and prosperity, was observed as early as the sixth century. It was called Tango no Sekku and possibly was inspired by a Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. “Sekku” means “a season’s festival;” the meaning of “Tango” is obscure. Sometime in the early Edo period (1600s), families began celebrating this day by hoisting koi nobori—large paper koi (carp)—on tall bamboo poles, with one koi for each son in the family. Koi were chosen to symbolize a family’s hopes for strong and healthy sons, because koi are powerful and determined fish capable of swimming upstream and working their way through rapids and up waterfalls to reach their destination. Legends tell of koi ascending high waterfalls, whereupon they reached heaven and were transformed into dragons. Japanese dragons are extremely auspicious and revered.
Koi nobori pennants are tubular and catch the wind, creating a convincing image of a swimming fish. Traditionally, at the top of the bamboo pole there is a streamer with the family crest, then a black fish to represent the father, a red one for the eldest son, and other koi for additional sons. Some of the koi nobori are hand-painted and can be very expensive and very large—up to four feet long. It is popular for grandparents to give a set to a family when the first son is born.
In the olden days people believed that koi nobori and kabuto, samurai helmets, were effective talismans to protect children from evil spirits. At this time of year, little boys all over Japan can be spotted wearing folded paper or plastic kabuto. Many families also set up a display of handsome dolls in the armor of feudal generals and samurai warriors. Every holiday has some traditional foods and for Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day) there are popular kashiwa mochi, (mochi balls filled with sweet bean paste and wrapped in oak leaves) and chimaki (mochi wrapped in bamboo leaves), more symbols of strength.
Since ancient days, the beginning of spring has been a time of purification ceremonies and rituals which are performed to drive away evil spirits. Japanese iris bloom at this time of year, and the sharp sword-like leaves are floated on a son’s bath water as another symbol of strength and to ward off evil spirits.
There is a controversy over whether koi nobori should be flown for daughters. I have read that this is encouraged, but I have checked with several Japanese friends, they are emphatic that the koi are only flown for sons in the family.
Many traditions seem to fall out of practice in the crowded cities, so one is more apt to spot the pennants in the countryside. Ritsuko, who lives in a small town near Nagasaki, told me that there is no space for koi nobori at her brother’s house, so his family comes home to grandma’s farm to hoist the pennant. She mentioned that the koi nobori and other flags were a gift to her nephew from relatives. Rochi, who lives on Shikoku, told me his father “flew koi nobori into the blue sky” for him until he was in middle school. He added, “sometimes quite many koi nobori families are flying above a wide river,” and I remember seeing them suspended from wires strung across the gorge when I took a float trip down a remote Shikoku river.
* Golden Week: Schools and some businesses close between April 29 and May 5.
April 29 — Greenery Day, formerly celebrated as Emperor Hirohito’s birthday.
May 3rd — Constitution Day, commemorating the ratification of a new constitution on May 3, 1947.
May 4 — humbly known as “in between day,” falling between other holidays, it became another day off. In 2007 its status will probably be upgraded to “Greenery Day,” and Emperor Hirohito’s birthday will be more specifically honored as Showa Day, recognizing the name of the era of his reign.
May 5 — Children’s Day.
Internet research: look for Kodomo no Hi on the Wikipedia site. You will find a photo of flying koi and a special song for the day.
Lynn Geis writes monthly articles on Japanese culture and crafts for Yuuyake Shimbun, a newspaper published in Portland, Oregon by Pacific Rim Publications. Please write to kcobb@japanesegarden.com for information regarding reprint rights. © 2006
