Japan Town Installs Unique Kadomatsu New Year Ornaments; Ornaments Made Without Using Pine Wood to Follow Hakone Tradition

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:12 JST, December 27, 2024

HAKONE, Kanagawa — A pair of kadomatsu New Year’s ornaments that do not use pine wood were installed in front of the Hakone Sekisho checkpoint museum in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday.

The ornaments, traditionally used as landmarks to welcome gods on New Year’s Day. were erected by town officials on both sides of the facility’s Kyoto-facing gate. They are made with bamboos that are about 4 meters tall and are surrounded by branches of trees such as arakashi Japanese blue oak and plum. Kadomatsu are usually also made with pine wood, but the town does not use the material because of a tradition dating back to the Edo period (1603-1867).

Hakone does not use pine wood because of the legend of a god at Hakone Shrine that had its eyes pricked by pine needles. A record of kadomatsu made without pine wood can be found in documents from later years in the Edo period.

Hakone Sekisho, a major Edo-period checkpoint for travelers that has been restored as a museum, has been using pine-less kadomatsu for more than 15 years. The ornaments are rarely seen in the town these days, so the facility hopes to pass them on for prosperity.

“I’d like to let people in the town and tourists know about kadomatsu in Hakone’s own style,” said the director of Hakone Sekisho.

The kadomatsu will stay on display until Jan. 7.