Sweep in a person's good fortune

November is here. Surprisingly, there is only a little over a month left in this year. It seems that every year goes by faster and faster, and I am a little worried that I will wake up one day and find that it is the next year.

In November, there is a festival called "Tori-noichi" (rooster market), which is held mainly in the Kanto area. Tori-noichi" is a festival held on the day of the rooster in November, when many stalls are set up and "lucky rakes" are sold. As I write this, you may be asking yourself, "What is 'Tori-no-hi'? In Japan, the zodiac signs are assigned to each day, and the day when the Chinese zodiac sign "rooster" is assigned is called "Tori-no-hi" (day of the rooster). As some of you may know, the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac are: Child, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Noon, Mi, Shin, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. A detailed explanation of the Chinese zodiac would make it difficult to get back to the main topic, so I will leave it for another time. The "lucky rakes" sold at Tori-no-ichi are often displayed as a good-luck talisman for prosperous business, with the meaning of "gathering good luck and money.

I researched the origin of Tori-no-ichi and found that there are various theories, so here is a brief summary.

In Shinto, the festival is held on the day of the rooster in November (the first rooster day of December at Washinomiya Shrine), which is said to be the day of the death of Takemikoto, the god of the Otori Shrine (Washinomiya Shrine). The market that stands at this time is said to be the origin of the rooster market. According to the legend of Washi-jinja Shrine in Asakusa, it was on the day of the rooster in November that the Japanese warrior Takeshi paid a visit to the shrine to thank for his victory in battle, and on that occasion, he hung a rake, a weapon of war, on a pine tree in front of the shrine, which is said to be a lucky charm for him.

It is said that it is a good idea to gradually replace the "lucky rakes" with larger ones in order to increase business opportunities.

Since it was difficult for me to shout out to the crowd due to the Corona disaster, I was excited to see the bustle of the stalls and the lively atmosphere when the "lucky rakes" were sold with vigorous hand-clasping. If you have a chance to participate, please do so.

I have uploaded a 2-minute compilation of photos and videos of my visit to the rooster market on Youtube, if you would like to see it.

https://youtu.be/7YdC1Pugwb0

Also, do you have any good luck charms in your area? If so, please let me know.

See you again in the next blog.