The spirit of washi in daily life The washi of seasonal memories Annual events and festivals New Year's decorations, Mikuji, O-men, Hariko-zaiku Chochin, Choshi decorations, Kami-bina New Year's decorations Around the New Year, the most importan t time of year in Japan, people display shaped decorations made of washi on their kami-dana (family Shinto altar) or Buddhist altar, in the tokonoma, on the front door, and elsewhere, as they pray for prosperity and safety in the new year. These paper decorations, which vary from region to region, include cutouts of auspicious objects or lucky kanji characters and strips of paper hung with shimenawa (sacred straw braid), among others. They are expressions of people's faith in divinities.

New Year's decorations, Mikuji, O-men, Hariko-zaiku Chochin, Choshi decorations, Kami-bina Mikuji(sacred lots) Generally known as o-mikuji, these mes sages written on a thin piece of washi, replies from Shinto or Buddhist deities, are used to tell the fortunes of those who visit shrines or temples with their problems. The visitor draws a numbered stick from the small opening at one end of a prism-shaped container and exchanges the stick for a mikuji of the corresponding number. If the fortune is less than favorable, the visitor customarily ties the mikuji around a tree branch or in a designated location near the temple or shrine in hope that circumstances will eventually improve.

New Year's decorations, Mikuji, O-men, Hariko-zaiku Chochin, Choshi decor ations, Kami-bina O-men(masks) Paper masks first came about in the Edo period and took many forms, including those of children's toys. Okame to Hyottoko (round-faced woman and distorted face) are widely seen throughout Japan and have been used in festival parades since ancient times. Okame(right) was thought to bring good luck with its pleasant facial expression, and even today people use this mask as a talisman for festivals or house-building ceremonies, according to the region.

New Year's decorations, Mikuji, O-men, Hariko-zaiku Chochin, Choshi decorations, Kami-bina Hariko-zaiku (washi papier-mache) Hariko-zaiku is made by layering a wooden frame with wet sheets of washi and then removing the frame when the paper has dried. The resulting item is then painted. Hariko-zaiku are typically made as folkcrafts, and animals from the Chinese zodiac are often used as household ornaments for the New Year. The daruma is used as a charm for the fulfillment of a wish; the custom is for the purchaser to paint in its blank eyes when the wish is fulfilled. All images Copyright. 1997 Kansai International Public Relations Promotion Office. All Rights Reserved.