NHK




 

The annual Tori-no-ichi festival got underway at Ootori Shrine in Tokyo's Asakusa district on Monday, drawing crowds of business owners and tourists looking to buy a traditional "lucky rake."

The Tori-no-ichi festival dates back to the Edo period, which spanned the 17th to 19th centuries, and is held across Japan each November on the tori -- or rooster -- days determined by the zodiac and lunar calendar.

The Asakusa event is one of the largest in the country, with lines of stalls selling ornate bamboo rakes called "kumade."

Available in a range of sizes, the kumade are believed to help people "rake in" good fortune and prosperity for the coming year.

They are decorated with ornaments such as gold coins and red sea bream, as well as a horse -- the zodiac symbol for next year. Some have ornaments modeled on Myaku-Myaku, the official mascot of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka.

Whenever someone buys a kumade, the vendors send them off with ceremonial clapping and chanting.

One visitor in his 60s said rising inflation makes him worried about his retail business, but he hopes the kumade he bought will bring luck to his family, employees and customers, and that next year will be one of "great leaps."
The Tori-no-ichi festival in Asakusa continues into the late hours of Monday.