Historical Background

The tradition of "Kasa-fuku" is inheritanced from City Sakata Yamagata since late Edo period. In late Edo period, people lived in a difficult life. Since that, women began crafting small handmade ornaments and attaching them to umbrellas. They worshiped them at shrines and temples, and prayed for the happiness of whole family. These charms were hung on umbrellas because it was thought that "an umbrella houses a spirit." Moreover, tradition dictates that each string should have an odd number of charms on it. This is meant to represent the wish that "the prayers embedded in these decorations remain unbroken."

Characteristics

There are approximately 100 different types of handmade ornaments in Kasa-fuku. Each of them carrying deep symbolic wishes. For example:

• "Okurumi Ningyō" (Swaddled Baby Dolls): Crafted to pray for a child’s healthy growth.

• "Sarukko" (Little Monkey): Made from red cloth—a color believed to ward off evil—to symbolize driving away misfortune and illness ("saru" means "to leave" in Japanese, echoing the wish for troubles to disappear).

• "Nasu" (Eggplant): Represents the fulfillment of great wishes ("nasu" sounds like "to achieve" in Japanese).