To celebrate babies celebrating their first New Year, it is customary to decorate boys with "hamayumi" bows, with the hope that they will grow up healthy and strong, and girls with "hagoita" bows to ward off evil spirits and bad luck.

Since ancient times, there have been many events for "exorcising evil spirits" and "warding off misfortune" at the change of seasons such as the New Year and festivals, because it was believed that demons (evil spirits) would come out of the "Kimon" (demon gate) at this time and cause trouble, leading to illness and disasters. Therefore, to ensure that newborn babies would get through this period safely, people began to give Hagoita and Hamayumi bows as "children's charms" on the first New Year.

The first New Year is a culture that prays for growth and happiness.

As a culture that can be enjoyed from birth to adulthood,
May you enjoy the celebration forever.

What is New Year's Day?

New Year's Day is said to be one of the oldest Japanese events. It can be said to be a particularly treasured culture among Japanese events and customs. The character "正" in "New Year's Day" contains the meaning of the "beginning" of the year and "changing" the year. In the past, it was known as the "month of correction," and the whole month of January was called "New Year's Day."

Starting from the beginning of the New Year, people spend half a month cleaning and tidying their homes and preparing decorations, a shrine for the New Year's deity, and offerings.
It is then an important day for the whole family to welcome and celebrate the new Toshigami-sama.

　

Please incorporate decorations that pray for healthy growth into your daily life.

1. First New Year and age according to the Japanese reckoning system 2. The origin and history of Hamayumi 3. Who gives Hamayumi?
・With the changing times 4. When to display and when to put away

1. First New Year and Age in Japanese Counting

　

Since ancient times, the first New Year has been treated as special not only because it is the first New Year, but also because it was thought to be the day when a baby first grew older after being born.

The current common way of counting age is by "full age," but until around 1949, the mainstream way of counting age was by "counting age."

In the "counted age" system, the day of birth is considered to be "1 year old" and "you get one year older on the day of New Year's Day," so at the time, the first New Year was also considered to be the birthday. The first New Year is the "2nd birthday." This is a way of counting years in which the day of birth is considered to be "1 year old" and age is added each time New Year's Day comes around.

Currently in Japan, age is generally counted by age at birth, which is considered 0 years old, and by adding 1 year for every birthday thereafter.

This was because living conditions were not as hygienic as they are today, medical facilities were not adequate, and nutrition was poor, so even if a baby was born safely, it was difficult for it to survive beyond the age of one, let alone reach adulthood.
For these reasons, it is a cause for great joy to be able to celebrate one's first New Year safely, and in those days, it was a custom, which remains today, to record a person's full age on their memorial tablet when they pass away, as proof that they had lived as long as possible.

Traditional events such as "Shichi-Go-San" (the Shichi-Go-San festival) and "Celebrations of Longevity" are held based on a person's "age according to the traditional Japanese counting system," but nowadays it is often accepted that they can be celebrated based on either their age according to the traditional Japanese counting system or their actual age.

2. The origin and history of Hamayumi

There are several origins of the hamayumi, but since ancient times, bows and arrows have been said to possess spiritual powers, and have been treated as sacred objects since ancient times, being used in religious ceremonies and rites.

The oldest dates back to the Asuka period, and according to the "Nihon Shoki," archery competitions have been held at the Imperial Court since ancient times on the 17th of the New Year, with a ceremony of "Oyumi" in which archery was performed at a large target. It was passed down as "Jarai," which was used to convey the importance of moderation. Later, during the Heian period, a "demon-slaying ceremony" called "Tsuina" became a popular event held at the Imperial Court on New Year's Eve at the end of the year. "Tsuina" spread to the general public, and became an event held at seasonal turning points such as Setsubun, and is also known as the origin of "tag" (a game of games of chance).

The tools used in Oinashi are the "hama" target and the "hamaya" arrows used to shoot the arrows. The "hama" part was replaced with the character "hama" meaning to "destroy" demons or demons, which is where the word came from.

Also, during the Muromachi period, there was a ritual called "Meigen no Gi" to ward off evil spirits, as bows and arrows were originally sacred objects.

The Narutsuji ritual involved pulling the bowstring without an arrow and emitting sound in all directions to ward off evil spirits, and was used as a ritual for the birth of a child. There are also records that it was widely performed for other purposes, such as to exorcise the lord's illness and when an unlucky event occurred.

During the Kamakura period, Hamayumi bows became smaller, and samurai families used them to decorate boys for their first New Year, and as gifts to cherish good luck. They gradually spread among the common people, and even today they are given as New Year decorations and amulets for the first festival of the year.

Hamayumi and hamaya are symbols of warding off evil and exorcising bad luck, and are used not only as decorations for the New Year, but also for the Boys' Festival. In addition, it has long been a custom to send hamaya at shrines and temples at seasonal turning points, celebrations, and ceremonies (such as Shichigosan and hatsumode).

3. Who gives the Hamayumi bow?

　

Hamaya bows are generally given by the mother's family (grandparents) . In recent years, more and more couples do not have betrothal gifts, but in the old days in Japan, it was common for the bride's family to provide a betrothal gift and for the bride's family to prepare a trousseau. For that reason, in addition to hagoita, most decorations to celebrate a child's growth, such as formal attire for shrine visits, Hina dolls, and carp streamers, were treated as trousseau gifts.

◆With the changing times◆

　

In recent years, with the trend towards nuclear families and changes in lifestyle, more and more parents are being flexible and not too strict about traditions. In some cases, both families contribute money, in other cases the father prepares the gift, and in other cases the father purchases the gift himself without relying on his parents.

4. When to display and when to put away

December 13th - January 15th

(Beginning of the New Year - Little New Year)

In Japan, December 13th is designated as a miscellaneous festival and is the day to begin preparations to welcome the New Year's deity, the God of the New Year.
Preparations for the New Year include preparing Kadomatsu and Shimenawa, sweeping away soot, and preparing for the New Year. These also include putting up New Year decorations such as Hagoita and Hamayumi.
It is common to leave them up for about a month until Koshogatsu (Little New Year) on January 15th .

◆ Hamayumi bows to display with May dolls ◆

Depending on the region and the household, some homes display hamayumi together with May dolls, while others display them indoors as a talisman when displaying carp streamers outdoors.
In such a case, it is best to put it away for the first time during the Little New Year and then put it up again when you put up your May dolls and carp streamers.

Generally, it is considered bad luck to leave seasonal items on display, but since it is a lucky item, it is said that there is no problem with leaving it on display all year round.
However, if you don't intend to keep it up all year round, it is still best to put it away at appropriate times.

The essence of the customs and festivals of each season is based on organizing your life for that season and transitioning into a new one. I hope that you will use each season as an opportunity to take care of your family and yourself, and to reevaluate your lifestyle, while feeling the season and culture of the time.

5. Until what age should you display a Hamayumi bow?

There are no specific rules regarding until what age a hamayumi should be displayed.

In the past, they were displayed as "talismans to protect children until they grew up," and it was common to display them until the child reached the age of 15, when they would undergo the "Genpuku" ceremony, which is equivalent to the modern-day "Coming of Age Ceremony."

Even today, some families keep their dolls up until the age of 15, when they will be given their coming-of-age ceremony, and others keep them up until the age of 18, when they will have their coming-of-age ceremony. Others consider events such as school life and Shichi-Go-San to be turning points in life.

As there is no set time for how long they should be displayed, they are thought of as "charms for the person's growth", and many people continue to display them even after they come of age or get married. They can also be displayed as lucky charms or seasonal decorations.