Children’s Day: A history of the koinobori
Children’s day marks the end of the Golden Week in Japan, usually on the 5th of May. The Golden week is one of the longest breaks for the working class people in Japan where most, if not all, businesses stay closed for 9- 10 days.
There are a lot of stories pertaining to the origin of the koinobori. Almost all though, would say that it has to do with asking for the blessing of the gods for strength and power. Though there may be several origin stories, there is no definite year as to when this tradition started.
In one story, it has been said that samurai warriors wore full armor with the koinobori streaming on poles during a battle. It is also believed that this practice, in the year 1282, was also done to celebrate victories after a battle.
More sources, however, believe that the koinobori is used to celebrate children, specifically boys up until the year 1948. This celebration was known as the Tango No Sekku. Girls had a separate celebration known as Hinamatsuri or Doll’s Day. Eventually, however, the two events were combined and are now being celebrated and known as Children’s Day.
During the ancient times, the koinobori was placed in front of the family home to celebrate the birth of a newborn baby. It was believed that the gods came along and pole from the heavens to bless and protect the child. To make the poles and homes stand out, the koinobori was made to be as colorful as much as possible.
Traditionally, the koinobori has 5 streamers. On top of the poles are circular spinning wheels, much like wind vanes. Next are the fukinagashi, a wind sock with bright and colorful streamers. This is then followed by the koinobori itself—black, red and various other colored windsocks. This custom is believed to bring growth and success to the newborn baby.