Thank you for joining our tour in Asakusa on November 9th. We welcomed 16 people from Australia, Singapore, Philippines, Italy, France, Germany and America. It was nice on a clear day in late autumn. The Nakamise Shopping street was crowded with people but we hope you enjoyed walking with us. The photos taken during the tour are posted for your memory.
The ‘Tori-no-ichi’ Festival is held throughout the country on each day of the Rooster in November every year. Among them, Ootori Shrine’s event in Asakusa is most famous. Decorative ‘Kumade熊手’rakes made of bamboos are traditionally sold, raking in good fortune. We can see an interesting scene like clapping their hands when a transaction has been completed.
The 12 animal signs are assigned to years, months and days in the lunar calendar. There are two or three days of the Rooster in November each year. This year there are three days: November 5, 17 and 29.
The festival started among farmers in the middle of the Edo period(1603-1868). Since Kumade was a farming tool to gather crops, it was one of farmer’s events as a harvest festival in autumn. On the festival day, after the supporters of Ootori Shrine offered chickens to their Shinto gods, they brought them to Sensoji Temple and released them in front of the main hall. It spread to merchants since the event was considered to bring good luck making an urban festival. There seem to be other theories as to the origin.
A variety of colorful Kumade are lined up in the shrine. People usually return old Kumade to the shrine and buy a new one. They are grateful for the blessings during the year and wish for good luck next year. You are supposed to buy a slightly larger one than the previous year along with business prosperity.
After the transaction is done, a buyer and a shop master clap their hands three times to celebrate the deal as a custom (Sanbon-jime). This is an outstanding design with Shohei Ohtani of Los Angeles Dodgers which has become a World Series champion recently. Look! His dog ‘Dekopin’ looks larger than Shohei!
Ootori Shrine’s Festival is one of the largest Tori-no-ichi markets in Japan and held on November 5, 17 and 29. It continues non-stop from morning till night. The nearest station is Iriya Station of the Hibiya Line. You can walk from the main hall of the Sensoji Temple (about 1 kilometer). Also, it’s not far from Ueno Park. Free admission.
Ootori Shrine’s Tori-no-ichi is a colorful and lively festival. The writer recommends that you should visit the shrine on November 17 or 29 if you are around. Thank you for joining our tour and we look forward to seeing you again on other tours in the future.
(Yoshi)