Urbanities,
Vol. 3
·
No 1
·
May 2013
© 2013
Urbanities
66
factual political power and thus, the display of economic assets became an important
instrument to enhance status (Lindsey 2007). As a result, events that provided occasions for
public display grew in importance. Public festivals such as fairs became popular and the
emerging urban pattern of Shichigosan fit well in this context. The ritual form began to
include a showy procession of family members (and often servants) that accompanied the
child to the shrine. The shrine to be visited transitioned from the tutelary shrine of the family
to the town’s famous Shinto shrine, where the effect of public visibility was enhanced. In
brief, the flourishing urban merchant society of the 18
th
and 19
th
centuries gave its peculiar
imprint to the celebration, and the form that came into being would soon spread in the
following century to the rest of Japan.
Affirmation of the urban pattern
After the political changes of 1868, Japan underwent large-scale industrialization and
modernization.
13
Industrial growth, wider access to goods, and the development of
advertizing industry all contributed to the popularization of the urbanized form of
Shichigosan. Its commercialization proceeded hand in hand with the developing media,
publicity and textile industries. Up until World War II, the urban pattern of Shichigosan was
mainly limited to Tokyo, but within two decades it spread to every part of the country.
Newspaper articles reporting on the ritual during this period elucidate the development of
Shichigosan’s form and meaning within the urban context.
The two dailies I analyzed, Yomiuri Shinbun and Asahi Shinbun, acquired a large
readership not only in Tokyo but also in other parts of Japan soon after their first publications
in the 1870s. Reflecting urban society and its lifestyle, they exercised a strong impact and
helped shape the everyday views and life of people throughout the country. The topics that
were covered with greatest frequency regarding Shichigosan included: commentaries and
advice on practical matters such as the choice of adequate festive clothing, preparation of the
festive meal; explanation of the historical origins of the custom; reports on the actual
observance (appearing mostly on the day following the 15
th
of November, the official date of
celebration) and others. Photos featuring families and children at Shichigosan published
13
In 1855 Japan was forced by foreign authorities to reopen its borders and to end its policy of
seclusion. This resulted in the fall of the Tokugawa clan and the restoration of the imperial rule which
officially starts in 1868. An extensive modernization and industrialization started afterwards and this
brought about enormous changes in the political and social structure of the country.
