ZAMA, Japan, Nov 14 (Reuters) – A conventional ceremony for kids is catching on amongst pet homeowners in Japan, the place dogs and cats are receiving ever extra consideration amid the nation’s plummeting start charges.
Natsuki Aoki took her two Chihuahuas on a aircraft experience to Tokyo from the western metropolis of Hiroshima so her fur infants might get a particular blessing.
“There aren’t many shrines that welcome pets and permit them to walk inside, so I feel it might be nice to see extra locations like this,” Aoki, 33, mentioned on Tuesday.
The Zama Shrine, which dates again to the sixth century and lies about 35 kilometres (22 miles) southwest of Tokyo, established a particular prayer website for pets in 2012. It now hosts Shichi-Go-San rituals the place pet dad and mom can pray for the well being and happiness of their animals.
The ceremony, which suggests Seven-Five-Three in Japanese, is historically celebrated in mid-November for kids reaching these ages. Parents costume their women and boys in kimonos and produce them to a Shinto holy place for the ceremony.
[1/5]Pet homeowners pray with their pet dogs as they arrive for a Shichi-Go-San blessing, historically carried out for young kids to ask for well being and happiness, at Zama Shrine in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, close to Tokyo, Japan, November 14, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon Acquire Licensing Rights
On Tuesday, quite a few pet homeowners led their expenses up the steep steps to achieve the Inuneko Jinja, or Dog-Cat Shrine, to wish and obtain a blessing from a Shinto priest. Six Shiba Inu dogs wearing kimonos lined up for photos on the occasion.
Japan’s birth rate declined for a seventh straight yr in 2022 to a report low, whereas deaths elevated to an all-time excessive.
“The variety of kids is reducing every year, and in consequence, increasingly more individuals are pouring their love into their dogs and cats,” mentioned Zama Shrine priest Yoshinori Hiraga.
“We need to supply the pet homeowners a place at Zama Shrine for them to thank the gods when their dogs and cats attain the age of three, 5, and 7,” mentioned Hiraga, 33, who estimated about 120 pets could be dropped at the shrine this season.
Among them was Masayo Tashiro, who introduced her terrier and Pomeranian to the location as she made choices and prayers.
“They are essential to me, like my very own kids,” mentioned the 53-year old caregiver. “I got here right here to wish that they are going to have a secure and wholesome life with us collectively.”
Reporting by Irene Wang and Rocky Swift; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan
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