Heading for success
15:15 JST, December 16, 2021
Shrine maidens at Hofu Tenmangu Shrine in Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on Wednesday began washing hachimaki headbands that had been worn by students as they studied intensely for their school entrance exams.
The shrine is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, a Heian period (794-late 12th century) scholar who was deified as the god of learning. The shrine sells a charm set that includes an ema wooden votive tablet and a hachimaki. It asks those who pass their exams to return the hachimaki, which it then washes and distributes for free as good luck charms to other students preparing for their exams.
This year, about 3,000 were returned, some bearing handwritten messages, such as “I will definitely pass the exam.” The shrine maidens carefully hung them to dry in the sun.
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
-
Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
-
Whaling Mother Ship Built in Japan for 1st Time in 73 Years
-
Tsunami Advisory for Okinawa Lifted at Noon (UPDATE 2)
-
Strong Earthquake Rocks Southern Part of Kyushu; No Risk of a Tsunami
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Japan Lags in Efforts to Gain Value from Human Resources; Govt Working to Increase Usage
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- Cherry Blossoms Draw Crowd to Tokyo’s Ueno Park; Viewing Season Kicks Off to Slow Start
- Shohei Ohtani’s Former Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara Appears in School Textbook; Publisher Considers Replacing Content
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers