Urbanities,
Vol. 3
·
No 1
·
May 2013
© 2013
Urbanities
73
The social phenomena described above are reflected in trends regarding the
celebration of Shichigosan. Magazines, print and online, play an active role in the
dissemination of information on the celebration. They promote Shichigosan as a major event
in the life of the child and family. Personal accounts of families with celebration experience
from preceding years, advice from experts for fashion and etiquette specialists as well as
reports on new services and products are regularly published. In this way they provide an
important source of information for those who are planning the event. Magazines play out a
two-fold function: First, they introduce new services, goods and commercial opportunities,
thus playing an important role in the promotion of new trends. Second, by publishing a large
number of personal accounts of individual families (these accounts are only formally edited),
the editors offer a platform where mothers — the main organizers of the event — can share
their experience of the celebration. On the other hand, with continuously decreasing or
stagnating birth rates, the market needs to compete for children in lesser numbers and
accordingly, there is a perceived competitiveness in the market.
This trend has affected also religious institutions involved in the celebration of the
Shichigosan ritual. As already mentioned above, the religious institutions traditionally
involved in the celebration are Shinto shrines and to a much lesser degree, Buddhist temples,
the two principal religious institutions in Japan. While Shichigosan traditionally belongs to
the domain of Shinto, there are several Buddhist temples that are actively involved in the
celebration.
25
This especially occurs in temples which have a reputation of safeguarding
fertility related events.
26
After the separation of religion from the state defined by the 1947
Constitution, all religious institutions in Japan needed to cover their financial needs
independently and therefore they needed to seek support in alternative ways. The number of
worshippers thus became crucial as their contributions in the form of offerings and fees paid
for the rites represented a major income source for these institutions (Nelson 1997).
27
Accordingly, major shrines and temples adopted diverse and multi-fold strategies in their
25
In the Japanese religious context single ritual events are not always strictly appropriated by one or
another religion.
26
One such example is Nakayama-dera in the Kansai region, described in the study by Reader and
Tanabe, a Buddhist temple that capitalizes greatly from Shichigosan (Reader and Tanabe 1998:206-
207).
27
A significant number of rites (wedding rite, Shichigosan, baby’s first shrine visit) are offerred and
conducted by Shinto and Buddhist priests for the worshippers for a fee.
