Hoozuki Ichi Festival Asakusa, Japan

Posted on | July 7, 2010 | 1 Comment

Every year on July 9th and 10th, the popular Hoozuki Ichi (Chinese Lantern Plant Market) is held at the Sensouji Temple in Asakusa. The market festival dates back to the Edo era when booths were first set up on the temple grounds to sell the plants. Today, as then, people dressed up in summer yukata stroll through the temple grounds, purchasing ground cherry pods, wind chimes and hoozuki plants. July 10th, the last day of the market, also coincides with Shiman Rokusen Nichi (46,000 days). It is believed that if you visit the Sensouji Temple to pray on this day it will be the equivalent of visiting 46,000 ordinary days. The festival often coincides with the end of the dreary rainy season and the beginning of summer.

The hoozuki, (aka lampionflower, physalis, winter cherry, husk tomato, Chinese lantern plant and “Demon’s Lantern”) is a native of southern Europe, east across southern Asia, and Japan. It is a perennial and a relative of the eggplant. In spring small pale yellow green flowers bloom and in summer red seed pods appear that are shaped like tiny lanterns which makes this a favorite plant to celebrate the season. In addition the orange color brings with it good luck. The seed pods are hollow with a small opening on one end which when blown into produces a noise, a favorite pastime of children.

Japanesque Accents Quilted Wall Hanging on Etsy

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One Response to “Hoozuki Ichi Festival Asakusa, Japan”

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August 11th, 2010 @ 3:40 am

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