Baby with koinobori

In Japan, on Children’s Day, May 5, it is customary to decorate the eaves of houses with boys with carp streamers.

Although the name is “Children’s Day,” March 3, when peach blossoms bloom, celebrates “Momo-no Sekku” for girls, so it is said that May of the lunar calendar, which is the noon month of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, became “Tango-no Sekku,” an event to celebrate boys’ growth.

Originally, “banners,” a type of flag, were erected, but in the Edo period (1603-1867), merchants began to display carp-shaped banners based on a Chinese legend that “a carp that climbs a waterfall becomes a dragon,” and this event is said to have become popular.

By from Portland, Oregon, EE UU – Boy’s Festival – Fish Kites, CC BY 2.0, Link

Initially, only black carp were used, but red scarlet carp were added to represent children. Later, the red carp came to represent the mother carp, the blue carp was added to represent the children’s carp, and for the first Tokyo Olympic Game in 1964, the green and yellow and other sibling carp were also created.

Today, however, with the increase in the number of high-rise houses, the sight of carp dancing in the blue sky has become less common in large cities such as Tokyo, but in the countryside, the custom of decorating carp streamers of various kinds remains, delighting the eyes of tourists.

koinobori at Tsuruudagawa (Gunma Pref.)

100 Best Japanese Songs

▼Another ‘Koinobori’ song.

Koinobori / irakanonamito (1913) - 鯉のぼり

"Iraka no nami to kumo no nami" Discover good old-fashioned Japan through lyrics and images: Roman readings, English translations, and reflections. Take a cultural journey through the melodies of "Doyo Shoka" (Children's Songs).

douyo-shouka.com

2025.05.02