Choyo no Sekku at Namiyoke Shrine

Namiyoke Shrine stands beside the old Tsukiji market and, as its name — "warding off waves" — suggests, is revered for protection from misfortune. It is also notable for observing all five seasonal festivals in full: seven-herb rice gruel served free at Jinjitsu in January, a doll festival rite at Joshi in March, and festival amulets for Tango in May and Tanabata in July. Choyo on September 9 is one of these. Here the customs of the Heian court are recreated: chrysanthemum sake made with real petals scattered in the sacred sake, a shuyu-no pouch of dogwood berries believed to drive off misfortune, and kiku-no-kisewata, silk floss laid over the blooms to gather their dew. Most distinctive is the nochi no hina display, which preserves the Edo-period custom of setting out hina dolls a second time around Choyo. Few places in central Tokyo show the five festivals so completely.