๐ Why Are People Buying Giant Rakes in November? Tori-no-Ichi Explained
In November, you may notice something unusual around certain shrines and temples in Tokyo:
enormous bamboo rakes covered in gold coins, lucky faces, fans, treasure ships, and other decorations.
Some are small enough to hold in one hand.
Others are large enough that carrying them home becomes part of the spectacle.
These are called:
็ๆ โ kumade
And people are not buying them for gardening.
They are the most recognizable symbol of ้ ใฎๅธ (Tori-no-Ichi), a traditional November fair where people pray for good fortune and prosperity.
The rake itself carries a simple idea:
If a rake can gather leaves, perhaps it can also โrake inโ good luck.
Once you know that, the giant decorations, loud clapping, and November crowds suddenly become much easier to understand.
โญ Save this for November โ you may start noticing kumade around Tokyo once you know what they are.
๐ Why a Rake?
A normal kumade is a simple tool used to gather things toward you.
That made it a natural symbol for:
gathering good fortune
bringing in customers
attracting prosperity
Over time, practical bamboo rakes became decorative lucky charms.
Modern kumade may be covered with old-style gold coins, lucky masks, treasure ships, deities of good fortune, cranes, turtles, and other traditional symbols.
Some are simple.
Others look like someone tried to fit every lucky symbol in Japan onto one rake.
Today, kumade are especially connected with:
ๅๅฃฒ็น็ (shลbai hanjล) โ prosperity in business
That is why you may see them displayed inside restaurants, shops, offices, and other businesses.
The message is simple:
Bring good fortune in. Keep business growing.
๐ Why Is It Called โTori-no-Ichiโ?
The name ้ ใฎๅธ (Tori-no-Ichi) comes from the old zodiac calendar.
้ (tori) means rooster.
Japan's traditional calendar uses the twelve zodiac animals not only for years, but also for repeating days.
Because that cycle repeats every twelve days, November can contain two or sometimes three Days of the Rooster.
Tori-no-Ichi is held on those days.
So you may see:
ไธใฎ้
(Ichi-no-Tori) โ first Day of the Rooster
(Here, ไธ means โfirstโ; the ๅธ in Tori-no-Ichi means โmarket/fair.โ)
ไบใฎ้ (Ni-no-Tori) โ second Day of the Rooster
ไธใฎ้ (San-no-Tori) โ third Day of the Rooster, in years when one occurs
That is why the festival dates change every year.
It follows the old calendar cycle rather than a fixed modern date.
๐ฎ A Tradition from Edo
Tori-no-Ichi has been part of the Tokyo-area November calendar since the Edo period.
Its roots are connected with older religious and harvest traditions, but over time the event developed into the lively good-luck market people recognize today.
As Edo grew into a major commercial city, kumade became increasingly associated with merchants, customers, and business prosperity.
So the tradition gradually became:
pray for good fortune โ buy a kumade โ carry that wish into the next year
That basic idea has survived for centuries.
And that is what makes the modern festival interesting.
You are not just looking at a decorative object.
You are looking at something that connects today's Tokyo with the merchant culture of Edo.
๐ Why Is Everyone Clapping?
If you visit a large Tori-no-Ichi, it can be surprisingly loud.
When someone buys a kumade, the seller may celebrate the purchase with energetic calls followed by rhythmic hand-clapping.
This is a type of ๆ็ท ใ (tejime) โ ceremonial clapping used to celebrate or mark a successful conclusion.
At Tori-no-Ichi, it becomes part of the sale itself.
A customer chooses a kumade.
The purchase is finished.
Then suddenly:
clap-clap-clap
and everyone nearby knows someone just bought some good fortune.
Once you understand that, the noise stops feeling random.
It becomes part of the atmosphere of the fair.
๐ Why Are Some Kumade So Huge?
There is another interesting tradition:
start small.
Then, if things go well, buy a larger kumade the following year.
The idea is that the size of the rake grows together with the prosperity of the person or business.
That helps explain why some kumade at major fairs are enormous.
They may represent years of returning and hoping for continued growth.
You do not need to buy one, of course.
But once you know the tradition, seeing someone carry a giant decorated rake through Tokyo suddenly makes much more sense.
๐ When Can You See Tori-no-Ichi in 2026?
In Tokyo, Tori-no-Ichi fairs are held at several shrines and temples.
One of the best-known is the Asakusa Tori-no-Ichi, held around Otori Shrine and Chokokuji Temple.
For 2026, the dates are:
๐ Ichi-no-Tori โ Saturday, November 7
๐ Ni-no-Tori โ Thursday, November 19
You do not need to buy anything to enjoy the event.
You can simply walk through the fair, see rows of bright kumade, hear the sellers calling to customers, and watch the clapping after purchases.
It is one of those events where knowing what you are looking at changes the experience.
Before:
โWhy is everyone carrying giant rakes?โ
After:
โSomeone is trying to rake in a very successful year.โ
โจ One Strange-Looking Rake Tells a Bigger Story
Tori-no-Ichi is easy to overlook if you do not know what the kumade mean.
But once you understand the symbolism, everything connects:
The rake gathers luck.
The rooster determines the November dates.
The decorations represent prosperity.
The clapping celebrates the purchase.
And the tradition connects modern Tokyo with Edo-period culture.
So if you see someone carrying a giant golden rake through Tokyo this November, you now know:
They probably have not suddenly become extremely enthusiastic about yard work.
They may simply be trying to rake in a little more good fortune.
๐ฌ If you bought a kumade, what would you want it to bring you next year?
๐ GO TOKYO โ Asakusa Tori-no-Ichi Fair
Official Tokyo tourism information about the festival, kumade, and 2026 dates.
๐ Otori Shrine โ Tori-no-Ichi History
Official shrine information about the festival's history, Days of the Rooster, and traditional customs.
๐ Asakusa Tori-no-Ichi Official Website
Official information about the 2026 fair, dates, kumade, and related traditions.
We created articles explaining some useful ways to use SPCS. Please feel free to use them as a reference.
๐ป Useful SPCS Guide โ PC Version
๐ฑ Useful SPCS Guide โ Mobile Version
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Kevin | USA
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