Koinobori
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Template:Nihongo, meaning Template:Gloss in Japanese, are carp-shaped windsocks traditionally flown in Japan to celebrate Template:Nihongo, a traditional calendrical event which is now designated as Template:Nihongo, a national holiday in Japan.<ref>"Trend Illustrated Japanese-English Dictionary of Things Japanese", Shogakukan, 1999</ref> Template:Transliteration are made by drawing carp patterns on paper, cloth, or other nonwoven fabric. They are then allowed to flutter in the wind. They are also known as Template:Nihongo.
Children's Day takes place on May 5, the last day of Golden Week, the largest break for workers and also a week in which many businesses, state schools, and some private schools close for up to 9–10 days for the designated national holidays. Landscapes across Japan are decorated with Template:Transliteration from April to early May, in honor of children for a good future and in the hope that they will grow up healthy and strong.
The Template:Transliteration is included in Unicode as Template:Unichar.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Description
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A typical Template:Transliteration set consists of, from the top of the pole down, a pair of Template:Nihongo with a ball-shaped spinning vane, a mounting Template:Nihongo, and finally the Template:Transliteration. For the windsock above the Template:Transliteration, two main kinds are used: the Template:Nihongo, based on the five elements of Chinese philosophy, and Template:Nihongo, often featuring a Template:Nihongo3.<ref name="fibre">Template:Cite web</ref> The number and meaning of the carp streamers or Template:Transliteration that fly beneath the windsock has changed over time. Traditionally, the set would contain a black Template:Transliteration representing the father, followed by a smaller, red Template:Transliteration representing his eldest son. This is why, according to the Japanese American National Museum, in the traditional "children's song," the red one (Template:Transliteration) represents the eldest son. If more boys were in the household, an additional blue, green, and then, depending on the region, either purple or orange Template:Transliteration were added. After the government's decree that converted Template:Nihongo into the present Template:Nihongo, the holiday came to celebrate the happiness of both boys and girls. As a result, the red Template:Transliteration came to represent the mother of the family and it is not uncommon for the color to be varied as pink. Similarly, the other colors and sizes of carp came to represent all the family's children, both sons and daughters.
At present, the Template:Transliteration are commonly flown above the roofs of houses with children, with the biggest (black) Template:Transliteration for the father, next biggest (red or pink) for the mother, and additional smaller carps of a different color for each child in decreasing order by age.
Template:Transliteration range from a few centimetres to a few metres long. In 1988, a Template:Cvt long Template:Transliteration weighing Template:Cvt was made in Kazo, Saitama.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
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Template:Transliteration have been in use since the 18th century. During the Edo period (1603–1867), samurai households began to decorate their yards with Template:Transliteration or Template:Nihongo flags, which were colored with Template:Transliteration (family crests) to represent military units, during Template:Transliteration. The Template:Transliteration and Template:Transliteration were then merged, and the first Template:Transliteration appeared in Edo (now Tokyo). The colorful Template:Transliteration as they are modernly known became popular in the Meiji era (1868–1912).<ref name="yurai">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="kiso">Template:Cite web</ref>
Though originally exclusive to samurai households, they eventually reached the rest of the population. They were traditionally flown as part of the Japanese Boys' Day, with one carp for each son, while girls found a counterpart to this custom in Template:Transliteration 'Doll's Day'. However, after the redesignation of May 5th as Children's Day in 1948, some families began flying koi for every child, regardless of gender.<ref name="AKS" /><ref name="Joya">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Buckley">Template:Cite book</ref> Despite this, the connection between the Template:Transliteration and male children remains, and many families still do not fly them for their daughters. The koi, known for its ability to swim upstream, represents courage, determination, and the hope that children will grow up healthily.<ref name="Buckley" /><ref name="Mingei">Template:Cite book</ref> This symbolism pays homage to the myth of longmen from the late Han dynasty, that a golden koi fish swam up a waterfall at the end of the Yellow River and became a dragon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The number of Template:Transliteration included on a pole and the variety of their colors have increased over time to accommodate more family members. They were originally made by hand-painting materials such as paper or cloth, but these have almost entirely fallen out of use in favour of synthetics, outside of some rural areas.<ref name="Mingei" /> Silk and paper models are still sold, but at a higher price than the synthetics.<ref name="Buckley" />
Related Template:Transliteration traditions include kite-flying, kite-fighting, the display of samurai dolls and miniature Japanese armor and Template:Nihongo in the home, the bathing with iris in the bathtub, the consumption of Kashiwa mochi (sticky rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves) and Template:Nihongo3, and, in some areas, the tradition of making young boys crawl through the Template:Transliteration for good fortune.<ref name="Joya" /><ref name="yurai"/><ref name="kiso"/> As a tradition, throughout Children's Day, children also thank and show respect for relatives, parents, and teachers for support throughout their life.<ref name="AKS">Asia Kids Society. (2009). Children's Day in Japan: Kodomo no Hi. Retrieved from http://kids.asiasociety.org/explore/childrens-day-japan-kodomo-no-hi</ref>
A famous Template:Transliteration song often sung by children and their families. It was published in Template:Nihongo3 in 1932. The lyrics are by Miyako Kondō (Template:Lang).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The composer is unknown.
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Gallery
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A large selection of Template:Transliteration in Higashishirahige Park, 2015
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Factory for large hand-made Template:Transliteration
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At Haguro Shinto shrine, Kurashiki
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Template:Transliteration at a rural home, 1955
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