Urbanities,
Vol. 3
·
No 1
·
May 2013
© 2013
Urbanities
67
alongside articles rose in number during the 1920s and 1930s as the result of improving
photographic technology.
It is not possible to discuss in detail all results of this analysis, therefore I limit myself
to highlight some of the most important outcomes. In general, it can be established that while
in the first two decades (1880s and 1890s) an average of one-two article per year concerning
Shichigosan appeared in the two dailies, starting from the 1900s this number grew to six per
year. Similar trends can be discerned from advertisements which grew in number during the
1920s-1930s, reaching a peak of 16-19 adverts on goods related to the celebration of
Shichigosan in 1934-1936. Whereas in 18
th
century Tokyo the ritual was mostly observed by
well-standing merchant and samurai families, the ritual now enjoyed a growing popularity
among all segments of the Tokyo population, which can be demonstrated by the slowly
increasing media coverage of the event.
This development must be viewed against the background of the general socio-
economic changes of the period. The turn of the 20
th
century marked the beginning of
industrial mass production in Japan. Goods became increasingly available to a wider sphere
of the population. Large department stores, such as Mitsukoshi, were established and they
were soon regarded as symbols of the modern lifestyle (Tipton 2008).
14
Latest trends in
fashion and new technological innovations regarding housework were all prominently
displayed in department stores, which greatly influenced the consuming public. The
importance of festive attire in the celebration of Shichigosan was exploited by the textile
industry and retail sector. As living standards rose and mass-produced goods became cheaper,
more families were able to purchase new festive clothing for both mother and child.
The 1920s and 1930s are sometimes described as the beginning of hedonistic
consumption in Japan, which means that consumption started not only to fulfill needs but also
to provide pleasure and recreation (Clammer 1997). The first advertisements for the
Shichigosan festive dress appeared in newspapers as early as the 1910s-1920s. Some of the
major department stores launched special Shichigosan sales of festive outfits and accessories
and these sales were advertised far in advance of the official date of the celebration. The most
important department store, Mitsukoshi, built a whole marketing strategy on childrearing
issues and as part of this initiative set up thematic exhibitions on childrearing items. Jones
argues that these exhibitions can be seen as the first examples of modern marketing and as
14
On the role of department stores in the social life of the Japanese see among others the studies of
Creighton 1992 and Francks 2009.
