View source for Tango no sekku

{{Short description|Japanese festival held on May 5}}
{{Italic title}}
[[File:五月人形.jpg|thumb|{{nihongo3|May doll|五月人形|Gogatsu Ningyo}} at [[Nakayama-dera]].]]

{{nihongo||端午の節句|'''Tango no Sekku'''}}, also known as {{Nihongo3|Iris festival||Ayame no hi}}, originally referred to an annual ceremony held at the [[Japanese imperial court]] on May 5. It was one of the five annual court ceremonies called {{transliteration|ja|[[Gosekku]]}}. Since the [[Kamakura period]] (1185–1333), when the [[samurai]] class seized power, {{transliteration|ja|Tango no Sekku}} has become an event to ward off evil spirits for samurai boys. [[Japanese armour]], {{transliteration|ja|[[kabuto]]}} (helmets) and [[Japanese sword]]s were displayed in houses from the Kamakura period to the [[Muromachi period]] (1333–1573). From the [[Edo period]] (1603–1867), {{nihongo|samurai dolls|武者人形|musha ningyo}} were displayed in homes, {{transliteration|ja|[[koinobori]]}} (carp streamers) were hung in gardens. From this period, the custom of decorating houses with offerings on {{transliteration|ja|Tango no Sekku}} spread to the peasant and {{transliteration|ja|[[chōnin]]}} classes, and paper {{transliteration|ja|kabuto}} began to be displayed.<ref name="yurai"/> Since the [[Showa era]] (1926–1989), miniatures of samurai armor have become more popular than samurai dolls.<ref name="kiso"/>

Until recently, {{transliteration|ja|Tango no Sekku}} was known as '''Boys' Day''' (also known as '''Feast of Banners''') while {{nihongo|Girls' Day||[[Hinamatsuri]]}} was celebrated on March 3. In 1948, the government decreed this day to be a national holiday to celebrate the happiness of all children and to express gratitude toward mothers. It was renamed '''{{nihongo3|Children's Day||[[Kodomo no Hi]]}}''' and changed to include both boys and girls.

It is the Japanese equivalent of [[Double Fifth]] and was celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon in the [[lunisolar calendar]]. After Japan switched to the [[Gregorian calendar]], the date was moved to [[May 5]] (the fifth day of the fifth ''solar'' month).<ref name="nussbaum948">Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric ''et al'' (2005). "Tango no Sekku" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|''Japan Encyclopedia'', pp. 948.|page=948}}</ref> Other  festivals are celebrated on the same day in [[mainland China]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Macau]], and [[Taiwan]] as the [[Duanwu Festival]] or Tuen Ng Festival (Cantonese), in Korea as the [[Dano (Korean festival)|Dano Festival]], and Vietnam as {{lang|vi|[[Tết Đoan Ngọ]]}} on the traditional lunar calendar date.

== Etymology ==
{{nihongo||[[wikt:端|端]]|Tan}} means {{gloss|beginning}} and {{nihongo||[[wikt:午|午]]|go}} is a simplified form of {{Nihongo3|'[[horse (zodiac)|horse]]'|⾺}}, referring to the [[Chinese zodiac#Months and solar terms|Chinese zodiac name]] for the fifth lunar month. Days of the week also have zodiac animals. Thus, {{transliteration|ja|tango}} originally meant 'the first horse day of the fifth month'. However, {{transliteration|ja|go}} is a [[homonym]] for {{nihongo3|five|五}} in Japanese, so during the [[Nara period]] the meaning shifted to become the fifth day of the fifth month.<ref name=ningyo>{{cite web|title=端午の節句と5月人形|trans-title=Tango no sekku and May dolls|language=ja|url=http://www.ningyo-kyokai.or.jp/sekku/tango.html|publisher=Japanese Doll Association|access-date=7 May 2014}}</ref> {{transliteration|ja|Sekku}} means a seasonal festival. There are five {{transliteration|ja|sekku}}, including ''Jinjitsu'' (January 7), ''Jōshi'' ({{transliteration|ja|[[Hinamatsuri]]}}, March 3), ''Shichiseki'' ({{transliteration|ja|[[Tanabata]]}}, July 7) and ''Chōyō'' ({{transliteration|ja|[[Chrysanthemum Day|Kiku Matsuri]]}}, September 9), along with {{transliteration|ja|Tango no Sekku}}.<ref name=gosekku>{{cite web|title=五節句|trans-title=The Five Seasonal Festivals|language=ja|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E4%BA%94%E7%AF%80%E5%8F%A5-501876 }} In Kotobank online dictionary. Retrieved 5 May 2025.</ref> {{transliteration|ja|Tango no Sekku}} marks the beginning of [[summer]] or the [[rainy season]].

== History ==
[[Image:Japanese Festival in Honor of the Birth of Children.jpg|thumb|right|{{transliteration|ja|[[Koinobori]]}}, {{transliteration|ja|[[nobori]]}} and {{nihongo||吹貫|fukinuke}}. "Japanese Festival in Honor of the Birth of Children" from ''Sketches of Japanese Manners and Customs'', by J.M.W. Silver, illustrated by native drawings, published in London in 1867]]

Although it is not known precisely when {{transliteration|ja|Tango no Sekku}} began to be celebrated, it was probably during the reign of the [[Empress Suiko]] (593{{ndash}}628 AD). In Japan, {{transliteration|ja|Tango no Sekku}} was assigned to the fifth day of the fifth month after the [[Nara period]].

{{transliteration|ja|Tango no Sekku}} was originally a day for women to purify the house by thatching the roof with [[Iris (plant)|irises]], which were believed to be effective in repelling evil spirits, and for women to rest their bodies, but it was changed to a day for boys in the [[Kamakura period]] (1185–1333) when the [[samurai]] class took control of the government. The reason for this was that the iris was a plant that represented the samurai because its leaves were shaped like the blade of a [[Japanese sword]], and the word {{nihongo||尚武|shōbu}}, which means {{gloss|to value military affairs}}, had the same pronunciation as {{nihongo|iris|菖蒲}} and was therefore considered an auspicious plant for the samurai. Since this period, {{transliteration|ja|[[yabusame]]}} (Japanese horseback archery) was held on May 5 as a way to ward off evil spirits.<ref name="yurai">{{cite web|url=https://www.touken-world.jp/tips/75943/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204195601/https://www.touken-world.jp/tips/75943/|script-title=ja:五月人形と鯉のぼりの由来|language=ja|publisher=Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum Nagoya Touken World|archive-date=4 February 2023|access-date=4 February 2023}}</ref><ref name="kiso">{{cite web|url=https://www.touken-world.jp/gogatsu-dolls/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204203827/https://www.touken-world.jp/gogatsu-dolls/|script-title=ja:五月人形の基礎知識|language=ja|publisher=Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum Nagoya Touken World|date=|archive-date=4 February 2023|access-date=4 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dwc.doshisha.ac.jp/research/faculty_column/2018-04-18-12-32|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508143847/https://www.dwc.doshisha.ac.jp/research/faculty_column/2018-04-18-12-32|script-title=ja:「端午の節句」について|language=ja|author=[[:ja:吉海直人|Naoto Yoshikai]]|publisher=[[Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts]]|date=18 April 2018|archive-date=8 May 2021|access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.townnews.co.jp/0602/2020/02/14/518023.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027193700/https://www.townnews.co.jp/0602/2020/02/14/518023.html|script-title=ja:鎌倉春ごよみ|language=ja|author=Horoyuki Ishizuka|publisher=Town news-Sha Co., LTD.|date=14 February 2020|archive-date=27 October 2021|access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref><ref name="gekkei">{{cite web|url=https://www.gekkeikan.co.jp/enjoy/culture/season/season05.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106081130/https://www.gekkeikan.co.jp/enjoy/culture/season/season05.html|script-title=ja:菖蒲酒（しょうぶさけ）邪気を払い延命を記念する、端午の節句のしきたり|language=ja|publisher=[[Gekkeikan]]|archive-date=6 November 2021|access-date=6 February 2023}}</ref>

The custom of displaying miniature [[Japanese armor]] and {{transliteration|ja|[[kabuto]]}} (helmets) on Children's Day, called {{nihongo3|May doll||Gogatsu Ningyo}}, has its origins in the Kamakura to [[Muromachi period]]s (1333–1573). Samurai used to take their armor, {{transliteration|ja|kabuto}}, and Japanese swords out of their storage boxes in May before the [[East Asian rainy season|rainy season]] to take care of them. Since this was the time of the {{transliteration|ja|Tango no Sekku}}, they began to display armor, {{transliteration|ja|kabuto}}, and Japanese swords in the hope of protecting their children.<ref name="yurai"/><ref name="kiso"/>

[[File:Two samurai dolls (28146117425).jpg|thumb|left|Two {{nihongo|samurai dolls|武者人形|musha ningyo}}]]
During the [[Edo period]] (1603–1867), {{transliteration|ja|Tango no Sekku}} celebrations became extravagant, and samurai households began to display {{nihongo|samurai dolls|武者人形|musha ningyo}} in addition to real armor, {{transliteration|ja|kabuto}}, and Japanese swords. Ordinary households began to display paper {{transliteration|ja|kabuto}}. The custom of bathing in the bathtub with irises on May 5 began in this period.<ref name="yurai"/><ref name="kiso"/>

[[File:Utagawa Hiroshige - Suido Bridge and Surugadai, from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Edo Meisho Hyakkei) - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.7|[[Ukiyo-e]] by [[Utagawa Hiroshige]] depicting {{transliteration|ja|[[koinobori]]}}. [[Edo period]]]]
The custom of decorating {{transliteration|ja|[[koinobori]]}} (carp streamers) on Children's Day originated in the Edo period. During the Edo period (1603–1867), samurai families began to decorate their yards with {{transliteration|ja|[[nobori]]}} or {{nihongo||吹貫|fukinuke}} flags, which were colored with {{transliteration|ja|[[Mon (emblem)|mon]]}} (family crests) to represent military units, during {{transliteration|ja|Tango no Sekku}}. The {{transliteration|ja|nobori}} and {{transliteration|ja|fukinuke}} were then merged, and the first {{transliteration|ja|koinobori}} appeared in [[Edo]] (now [[Tokyo]]). The colorful {{transliteration|ja|koinobori}} as they are modernly known became popular in the [[Meiji era]] (1868–1912).<ref name="yurai"/><ref name="kiso"/>

After Japan switched to the [[Gregorian calendar]], the date was moved to May 5 of the new calendar year.<ref name="nussbaum948"/> Until 1948, Children's Day was known as Boys' Day (also known as Feast of Banners), celebrating [[boy]]s and recognizing fathers, as the counterpart to [[Hinamatsuri]], or "Girl's Day" on March 3. In 1948, the name was changed to Children's Day to include both male and female children, as well as recognizing mothers along with fathers and family qualities of unity.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ny.us.emb-japan.go.jp/japaninfo/2017/05/01.html |title=Kid's Corner: Children's Day |publisher=Consulate General of Japan in New York |df=mdy-all |access-date=2019-05-05}}</ref><ref name="Japan Society">{{Cite web |url=http://aboutjapan.japansociety.org/kodomo_no_hi_childrens_day_celebration#sthash.eN36EIoK.dpbs |title=Kodomo no hi: Children's Day Celebration |last=Kigawa |first=Michiyo |website=About Japan: A Teacher's Resource |publisher=Japan Society |language=en-US |access-date=May 3, 2018}}</ref>

In the [[Showa era]] (1926–1989), the popularity shifted from samurai dolls to miniature armor, and since the 21st century, miniature {{transliteration|ja|kabuto}} have become popular, probably due to the size of Japanese houses.<ref name="yurai"/><ref name="kiso"/>

{{transliteration|ja|[[Kashiwa mochi]]}} (sticky rice cakes filled with [[red bean paste|red bean jam]] and wrapped in [[oak]] leaves) and {{transliteration|ja|chimaki}} (sticky sweet rice wrapped in an iris or bamboo leaf) are traditionally served on this day.<ref name="Japan Society"/><ref name="NYT">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/01/garden/for-children-s-day-sweets-of-course.html |title=For Children's Day, Sweets, Of Course |last=Louie |first=Elaine |date=May 1, 1991 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=May 3, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> The oak leaf used for {{transliteration|ja|kashiwa mochi}} is said to be a tree whose old leaves do not fall off until new leaves appear, and is considered a good-luck charm representing prosperity of offspring.<ref name="yurai"/>

Since irises are believed to have medicinal properties and to ward off evil, they are used for various purposes on {{transliteration|ja|Tango no Sekku}}. For example, people would take a bath with irises in the bathtub, soak thinly sliced iris roots or leaves in [[sake]] and drink it, or put irises in thin [[washi]] (Japanese traditional paper) before putting it in their pillows and going to bed.<ref name="yurai"/><ref name="kiso"/><ref name="gekkei"/>

== See also ==
* [[Aging of Japan]]
* [[Double Fifth (disambiguation)|Double Fifth]]
* [[Golden Week (Japan)|Golden Week]]
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Kashiwa mochi]]}}
* [[International Day of the Boy Child]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). ''Japan Encyclopedia.'' Cambridge: [[Harvard University Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0-674-01753-5}}; [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48943301/editions?editionsView=true&referer=br OCLC 48943301]

==External links==
{{EB1911 poster|Banners, Feast of}}
* [http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/calendar/may/children.html Kids Web Japan]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHznlNbpdms Video on Children Day in Fukushima, Japan]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoilg-mtEKw Video on Children Day in Coffs Harbour, Australia]

{{Japan Holidays}}

[[Category:Public holidays in Japan]]
[[Category:Buddhist festivals in Japan]]
[[Category:May observances]]
[[Category:Japanese words and phrases]]