Gosekku-zu by Kakizaki Hakyo (Hakodate City Museum)

The ''Gosekku'' (五節句), also known as ''sekku'' (節句), are the five annual ceremonies that were traditionally held at the Japanese imperial court. The origins were Japanese practices merged with Chinese practices and celebrated in Japan since the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...

in the 8th century CE. The Japanese culture and tradition incorporated this in a unique way that spread throughout the country. The festivals were held until the beginning of the Meiji era. Some of them are still celebrated by the public today. *''Kochōhai'': on New Year's, the nobles processed before the emperor during the ''

Jinjitsu ''Jinjitsu'' (, "Human Day") is one of the five seasonal festivals ( ''gosekku'') that were integrated into the Japanese Imperial calendar over 1,000 years ago. ''Sekku'' is the term given meaning special day of observance. The festival is now c ...

'' celebrations. *''Kyokusui'': on the third day of the third lunar month, courtiers floated rice wine down a stream in the palace garden. Each guest would take a sip and then write a poem. The ''

Hinamatsuri , also called Doll's Day or Girls' Day, is a religious (Shinto) holiday in Japan, celebrated on 3March of each year. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005)"Hina Matsuri"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 313. Platforms covered with a red carpet–mater ...

'' festival continues today. *''Ayame no hi'': on the fifth day of the fifth month,

mugwort Mugwort is a common name for several species of aromatic flowering plants in the genus '' Artemisia.'' In Europe, mugwort most often refers to the species ''Artemisia vulgaris'', or common mugwort. In East Asia the species ''Artemisia argyi'' is ...

was hung to dispel evil spirits. Celebrated as the

Japanese iris The term "Japanese iris" encompasses three species of Irises cultivated in gardens or growing wild in Japan: ''hanashōbu'' ('' Iris ensata''), ''kakitsubata'' ('' Iris laevigata'') and ''ayame'' ('' Iris sanguinea''). Of these three species, ''I ...

(ayame) festival at court, today it is known as ''

Tango no sekku , also known as , is one of the five annual ceremonies that were traditionally held at the Japanese imperial court called . It is the Japanese equivalent of Double Fifth and was celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon in the lunar calendar ...

''. *''Kikkoden'': on the seventh day of the seventh month, offerings were made during the ''

Tanabata , also known as the Star Festival ( 星祭り, ''Hoshimatsuri''), is a Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair re ...

'' festival, which celebrated the annual crossing of the Weaver (

Vega Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, a ...

) and Cowherd (

Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila and the twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinised from α Aquilae and abbreviated Alpha Aql ...

) constellations. *''Chōyō no en'': on the ninth day of the ninth month, a celebration was held that originally featured chrysanthemum wine, but later became associated with the autumn rice harvest. It is today known as the '' Kiku no sekku''. The artist Ikeda Koson (1801-1866) painted five hanging scrolls in around 1830, which depict the festivals.

References

* Arai Hakuseki, Joyce Ackroyd (trans.), ''Told Round a Brushwood Fire'', University of Tokyo Press (1979), 286n122. {{Authority control Annual events in Japan Japanese folk religion Japanese monarchy