This Saturday, Nov. 13, Shinto Shrine of Shusse Inari in America will host its annual Aki-matsuri and Shichigosan children’s blessing, at the Miyako Hybrid Hotel in Torrance.
Aki-matsuri is a yearly ceremony of thanksgiving, to show appreciation to Kami-sama, who gave or helped us to harvest, to gain achievements, success and connections in the year, and ask Kami-sama for their continued blessings. All are welcome to join and show appreciation, and pray for the coming year.
Shichigosan is a ceremony that honors children, and dates back to the 17th century in Japan. It is celebrated by families with children who are three, boys who are five, and girls who are seven. It’s a big day for the children who participate.
Children are dressed in their best traditional, age-appropriate clothes, and their parents take them to shrines to be blessed by priests. The parents and children both offer their thanks to the Kami-sama in appreciation.
For the parents, this marks a significant step in their child’s life and one in which the parents are grateful for the child’s health and well-being. For details of Shichi-gosan, please visit our website.
If you are interested in participating in Aki-matsuri, and/or would like to request Shichigosan ceremony or gokito in person, please make an appointment using our contact page at http://shintoinari.org.
The offered children’s blessing kimono photo packages are all booked, but to be added to the wait list, please use our contact page.
Aki-matsuri begins at 10 a.m. on the hotel patio, with the children’s blessing and gokito taking place from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Miyako Hybrid Hotel is located at 21381 S. Western Ave. in Torrance.
Shinto Shrine of Shusse Inari in America, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the American branch of Shusse Inari Shrine located in the city of Matsue in the Izumo region of Shimane Prefecture.
Shusse Inari Shrine has been respected by the feudal lords of Matsue, as well as the area’s local people, since the 12th century.
We are working to introduce the nature-friendly, eco-conscious, traditional Japanese way of living to the world so that the next generation may enjoy nature as we do.