A trend of blessing dogs and cats in Japan during a traditional coming-of-age festival for children is catching on amongst pet owners, as the nation faces a plummeting birth rate.
A group of Shiba Inu dogs yesterday dressed in kimonos were lined up together at a shine for a commemorative photo to celebrate "Shichi-Go-San", a Japanese tradition for parents to take their children when they are at three, five and seven years of age, to a local shrine to make a wish for a prosperous future.
The dog owners led their charges up steep steps to reach the Inuneko Jinja, or Dog-Cat Shrine, to pray and receive a blessing from a Shinto priest.
The Zama Shrine, which dates back to the 6th century and lies about 35 kilometres southwest of Tokyo, established a specific prayer site for pets in 2012. It now hosts Shichi-Go-San rituals where pet parents can pray for the health and happiness for their animals.
For many pet owners attending the ritual ceremony, their four-legged friends are an important part of the family, as Japan's birth rate fell for a seventh consecutive year in 2022 to a record low.
"We celebrate Shichi-Go-San for human children in November. For me this is my child, so I decided to come here (to pray) at the same time as children’s Shichi-Go-San being celebrated," said 47-year-old Mamiko Yamaura, an owner of a three-year-old Shiba Inu dog.
The shrine said this year about 120 pets would be brought in for blessings for this special occasion and the number would be rising going forward.
"The number of children is decreasing each year, and as a result, more and more people are pouring their love into their dogs and cats. We want to offer the pet owners a place at Zama Shrine for them to thank the gods when their dogs and cats reach the age of three, five and seven, and to receive blessings so that they will have a healthy and prosperous life together," said Zama Shrine's priest Yoshinori Hiraga.
