News
◎ Information on Shichi-Go-San visits
"We will serve each and every one of you wholeheartedly."
Our company accepts Shichi-Go-San pilgrimages in both October and November. We aim to serve each group individually, and to ensure a smooth process, we operate a reservation system. We apologize for the inconvenience, but please make a reservation by phone to set a date and time. We look forward to welcoming the whole family to the shrine.
◎About the Shichi-Go-San celebration
This is a celebration for children who turn three, five, and seven years old according to the Japanese age reckoning system.
For both boys and girls aged three, this is called Kamioki, which means they start growing their hair; for boys aged five, this is called Hakamagi, which means they put on hakama for the first time; and for girls aged seven, this is called Obitoki, which means they untie the infant's obi string and use the same obi as adults. These are some of the life rituals that have been performed to socially acknowledge a child's growth.
Pilgrimages to shrines have been practiced since the Edo period, but became even more popular during the Meiji period. There is also the saying that "a child is a child of God until the age of seven," and it is said that by celebrating a child's seventh birthday by visiting the local shrine, they are officially accepted as members of the local community, and it seems that from this point on, they are recognized as full-fledged individuals by both the local god and the local community.
Nationwide, Shichigosan is celebrated on November 15th, but in Hokkaido, due to the climate, it is now celebrated on October 15th, and this has spread throughout the prefecture.
