In Japan the passage to adulthood has a long ritual history. From the imperial court of the Heian period to today's municipal ceremonies, Japanese society has always marked with precise gestures the moment when a young person stops being a child. Two names sum up this history: genpuku, the ancient rite, and Seijin shiki, the modern ceremony.
Genpuku
The term genpuku is made of two characters meaning roughly "head" and "garment": it thus denotes the act of putting on adult headgear. The rite, of Chinese origin, became established among the court aristocracy and then spread among warriors.
The age was not fixed: genpuku could be celebrated between about ten and twenty, depending on family, rank and political circumstances. A young heir could receive it early if he had to take on important responsibilities.
The gestures of the rite
The sources describe some recurring elements:
- The hairstyle. The boy gave up the childhood hairstyle and received that of adults. In the samurai era shaving the front of the head was common.
- The headgear. He received adult headgear: the kanmuri for court nobles, the eboshi for warriors.
- The garment. He wore adult clothing for the first time.
- The name. He gave up his childhood name and took an adult name.
The "father of the cap"
An important figure was the person who physically placed the headgear on the young man's head, called eboshi-oya, "parent of the eboshi". He was often an authoritative figure, and a bond similar to that between godfather and godson arose between him and the young man. In warrior circles the eboshi-oya could grant the youth one of the characters of his own name, creating a tie of loyalty and protection. The rite was therefore also a political act.
The passage for girls
For aristocratic girls there was a parallel rite called mogi, "putting on the mo", a pleated garment worn at the back, the attire of adult women. In some periods and circles the passage was also marked by blackening the teeth, ohaguro, and shaving the eyebrows, which were redrawn higher on the forehead. These were aesthetic signs of adulthood and of being a marriageable woman.
From family rite to national holiday
With Japan's modernisation in the Meiji period, the traditional genpuku gradually disappeared. The need to mark the passage, however, remained. After the Second World War public ceremonies for young people spread, and in 1948 a national holiday was established: Seijin no Hi, Coming of Age Day.
Originally the holiday fell on 15 January. Since 2000, with a reform that moved certain holidays to Mondays, it has been celebrated on the second Monday of January.
The modern ceremony
On the day of the holiday, municipalities organise the Seijin shiki, the coming-of-age ceremony, for young residents who have reached the relevant age. The programme is usually simple: speeches by officials, sometimes a guest speaker, the handing out of small mementos.
What is most striking is the outward appearance. Many young women wear the furisode, the kimono with long flowing sleeves traditionally reserved for unmarried young women; many young men wear formal Western suits or, sometimes, traditional male dress. After the ceremony people often visit shrines, take photographs and celebrate with friends.
Eighteen or twenty?
For a long time the civil age of majority in Japan was set at twenty. In 2022 it was lowered to eighteen. Many municipalities, however, chose to keep inviting twenty-year-olds to the ceremony, sometimes changing its name, partly because at eighteen many young people are busy with university entrance exams. It is an interesting example of how a rite can separate from the legal definition of age.
A symbolic reading
| Stage | Genpuku | Seijin shiki |
|---|---|---|
| Separation | Giving up the childhood hairstyle and name | Leaving adolescence |
| Margin | Preparation for the rite | Waiting for the ceremony, dressing |
| Aggregation | Headgear, adult name, bond with the eboshi-oya | Public recognition by the community |
In short
- Genpuku was the traditional coming-of-age rite for Japanese nobles and warriors.
- The young man received adult hairstyle, headgear, clothing and name.
- The eboshi-oya, who placed the headgear, created a bond of protection with him.
- For girls there were parallel rites, such as mogi.
- Today Seijin no Hi is celebrated on the second Monday of January with municipal ceremonies.
