Shichigosan

The story behind the day

Shichigosan, "seven-five-three", is the day on which children of three, five and seven are taken to a shrine, on or around 15 November, to give thanks for their growth so far and to pray for continued health. Sources differ on which ages belong to which sex: girls are celebrated at three and seven, boys at five or, in other accounts, at three and five. It grew out of older ceremonies of the samurai class and passed to ordinary families in the Edo period.^[1–5]

Origins

Shichigosan began as three separate ceremonies. In samurai culture, three-year-olds had the kamioki, when the hair was allowed to grow; five-year-old boys had the hakamagi, when they first wore the hakama; and seven-year-old girls had the obitoki, when the childhood sash gave way to the adult obi. The date is linked to the Tokugawa shōgun Tsunayoshi, who held rites for his son Tokumatsu on 15 November; one shrine's account calls the occasion the boy's birthday and says that samurai families then took up the date.^{[4, 7–8]}

What it marks

The day celebrates the growth of children, and it is kept at the shrine as an occasion for thanks and prayer. Shichigosan is one of several visits that mark turning points in a life: a baby's first shrine visit, Shichigosan, coming of age and the wedding.^{[1, 9]}

How it came to be

The ceremonies of the samurai were adopted by ordinary families in the Edo period, late in it by the National Diet Library's account, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Library notes that parents dressed up their children and took them to shrines. The pairing of ages and sexes was never fixed, and the sources disagree. Meiji Jingu and a standard reference on Shinto give girls at three and seven and boys at five; Kokugakuin's Encyclopedia of Shinto, the National Diet Library and a Tsubaki Grand Shrine page have boys at three and five. Kokugakuin adds that particulars varied with region, era and a child's social standing.^{[2–3, 5, 10]}

How it is kept

children in kimono at a shrine in November — Children in kimono at a shrine in NovemberIllustration · AI-generated

Families visit a shrine with children dressed in their best clothes, often kimono. Parents bring the children to thank the kami and to ask that they stay in good health. Children are given chitose-ame, thousand-year candy, a sweet that dates back to the Edo period.^{[6, 11–12]}

Sources

Each statement above was checked against published sources; the verdict says whether it stood as written, was corrected or was hedged.