[Koinobori]

As the cherry blossom season draws to a close, a gentle breeze rustles through the lush green leaves of the cherry trees. From late April to early May, all across Japan, you can see countless koinobori (carp streamers) swimming gracefully against the blue sky in parks, along riverbanks, and hanging from bridges.

The history of koinobori dates back to the Edo period. Originally, samurai families had a custom of erecting "nobori" (banners) and "hatasashimono" (flag symbols) in front of their gates for the Tango no Sekku (Boy's Day) festival. By the mid-Edo period, merchants began to emulate this tradition. Drawing inspiration from the Chinese legend of the "Dragon Gate," where a carp climbs a waterfall to become a dragon, they transformed the banners into carp shapes as a symbol of their prayers for their children's success and advancement in life.

The koinobori of that era typically consisted of a single black "magoi" (true carp) made of Japanese paper, and they gradually grew larger as the tradition spread. In Utagawa Hiroshige's 1857 masterpiece "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo," the print "Suidobashi Surugadai" vividly depicts koinobori swimming in the breeze of old Edo.

From the late Meiji to the Taisho period, koinobori began to evolve. In addition to the black carp, a pair was formed by adding a red "higoi" (scarlet carp). Reflecting the festival's samurai origins, these were initially viewed as "father and son" or simply as a pair of carp.

The reason koinobori became widely recognized as a "symbol of the family" lies in the 1931 nursery rhyme "Koinobori."

Higher than the roof, the koinobori swim,
The large magoi is the father,
The small higoi are the children,
They look so happy, swimming there.

However, looking up at the koinobori swimming in the sky, have you ever wondered about something? In the nursery rhyme, only the "father" and "children" appear; the "mother" is missing from the lyrics. I remember singing this song as a child and watching the black, red, and small blue carp swimming together, wondering: "If the red carp and the blue carp are both children, then where did the mother go?"

The reason is that in 1931, when the song was written, koinobori consisting of only two carp were still the norm. However, after the war, as the structure of the family changed during the period of high economic growth, so did the koinobori. By the mid-1960s, the red carp—previously considered a child—began to be seen as the "mother," and a new small blue carp was added as the "child." This is how the modern image of the entire family swimming together in the sky became established.

Due to modern housing conditions, it has become difficult to set up large outdoor poles as in the past. Yet, even as times and environments change, the wish for a child's healthy growth remains the same. This is where Kokokashiko's Koinobori comes in, designed to blend naturally into contemporary living spaces. Whether you hang them from the included rod, display them on a wall, or suspend them from the ceiling, you can enjoy decorating them freely each year. Despite their compact, space-saving design, they are authentic works of art, using hand-poured washi paper and traditional "katazome" (stencil dyeing) techniques by Keijusha in Yatsuo, Toyama. As auspicious charms that encourage health, good fortune, and success for the whole family, they add a festive touch to the Tango no Sekku season.

In today's changing lifestyle, we can still weave tradition into our daily lives and pass on our heartfelt wishes. These koinobori propose a new way to celebrate Tango no Sekku, reaffirming the warm bonds of family every time they are displayed.

Kokokashiko's Koinobori
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kokokashiko/koinobori.html

References
https://www.tamarokuto.or.jp/blog/blog/2023/05/01/carp-streamer/
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%93%E3%81%84%E3%81%AE%E3%81%BC%E3%82%8A
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%93%E3%81%84%E3%81%AE%E3%81%BC%E3%82%8A_(%E8%BF%91%E8%97%A4%E5%AE%AE%E5%AD%90)
https://weathernews.jp/s/topics/202204/250205/