What to expect at Senso-ji's Hagoita-ichi on December 17 to 19: what hagoita are, the Edo-period origins of the fair, the kabuki-style oshie paddles, and practical tips for visitors.
- Hagoita-ichi is held on December 17 to 19 at Senso-ji, around the temple's December 18 Kannon festival day.
- Hagoita are paddles from the New Year game hanetsuki; the ones sold at the fair are decorative charms.
- The fair began as an Edo-period year-end market and came to be called Hagoita-ichi by the mid-Showa era.
- Hours in recent years have been about 9:00 to 19:30; check the current notice.
Next Step
Write your own New Year piece
A 60-minute beginner class at Shitaya Jinja Kaikan, 2 stops from Asakusa, guided in English.
What hagoita are
Hagoita are wooden paddles used in hanetsuki, a New Year game similar to badminton played with a shuttlecock. Over time they also became good-luck charms. From the Edo period, they were given and displayed as charms for family prosperity and protection against misfortune.
The paddles sold at the fair are decorative rather than for play. The best-known style is oshie hagoita, in which padded cloth figures are built up into a raised picture. Popular designs include kabuki actors, women in kimono, and the zodiac animal of the coming year. Sizes range from small paddles to pieces close to 2 meters tall.
How the fair started
In the Edo period, December 17 and 18 were festival days for Kannon, the bodhisattva enshrined at Senso-ji. Stalls set up for the crowds sold goods for the New Year, such as household shrine items, shimenawa ropes, food, kites, and hagoita. This became known as the toshi-no-ichi, or year-end market.
Hagoita decorated with the faces of popular kabuki actors sold well, and the number of hagoita stalls grew. By the middle of the Showa era the market was commonly called Hagoita-ichi. According to the Tokyo tourism site, the fair has continued for about 360 years, including through the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and World War II.
What to expect
Senso-ji lists the hagoita market on December 17, 18, and 19, with December 18 as the temple's last Kannon festival day of the year. Stalls line the temple grounds, and the official tourism listing describes displays of about 10,000 oshie hagoita.
Recent official listings have given hours of about 9:00 to 19:30, closing earlier on the last day. Past programs have also included a memorial service for old hagoita, craft demonstrations, and taiko drumming. Details change each year, so check the GO TOKYO event page or Senso-ji's notices.
- Dates: December 17 to 19
- Free to enter and browse
- Paddles from small to very large sizes
- Program details change each year
Tips for visiting
Earlier in the day is often easier for looking at the stalls closely, and evening visits are also possible while the fair is open. Ask before photographing a stall up close, and carry cash, since many stalls do not take cards.
Large hagoita are fragile and awkward to carry. If you plan to take one home by plane, choose a size that fits your luggage, and ask the stall how it will be wrapped.
A New Year project of your own
Hagoita-ichi falls about two weeks before New Year, when many people in Japan write kakizome, the first calligraphy of the year. If you are in Asakusa for the fair, our classes at Shitaya Jinja Kaikan are 2 stops away on the Ginza Line, at Inaricho. The 60-minute beginner class is guided in English, and you take your finished piece home.