This is a small snap shot of my visit to the Ebisu Shrine (ゑびす神社) and the Toka Ebisu Matsuri in Kyoto. Yamato Oji Dori, is a small street, and from Shijo Dori till the Ebisu Shrine, food and trinket stalls lined both sides. The “Toka Ebisu Matsuri” is one of the first matsuri of the new year and dedicated to Ebisu, the Japanese god of fishermen, luck, and workingmen, as well as the guardian of the health of small children. He is one of the Seven Gods of Fortune (七福神), and the only one of the seven to originate purely from Japan without any Hindu or Chinese influence. Everyone bought bamboo grass (fukuzasa), lucky bamboo leaves, and bought good luck charms such as koban coins and sea bream from a fukumusume (福娘), or lucky maiden. People filled past a line of shrine maidens to receive the individual lucky charms (engimono-縁起物). The fukumusume serves as a mediator and is able to confer good fortune on behalf of the gods.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 12:26:45 +0000
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