January 12 marks “Seijin no Hi” (成人の日) in Japan. Interpreted as “Coming of Age Day”, those who turn 20 are celebrated as adults. These individuals attend a “Seijin shiki” (成人式) or “Coming of Age ceremony” in their local area, where they dress up in fine outfits; while boys generally wear a western style suit¹, girls adorn themselves in high quality furisode kimono (振袖着物). There are many establishments that hold some form of Seijin shiki, making it easy for these young adults to meet up with their peers, take pictures and celebrate together as they become legal adults.
CHANGES TO SEIJIN NO HI
Being a national holiday, Seijin no Hi falls on the 2nd Monday in January, but this was a recent change made in 2000. Before that, it was celebrated on January 15th. This day was also previously intended for those who turned 18, but the age was raised to 20 in 2022². Many small adjustments like these were made to accommodate other holidays that were observed close together.
GENPUKU
Another interesting point is how Seijin no Hi has its roots in much more ancient practices. Before this, boys would celebrate becoming an adult through a ceremony called “Genpuku” (元服), where they would don on a specific head wear to symbolize this growth, which would either be a kanmuri (冠) if they were from a family of nobility status, or an eboshi (烏帽子) if they come from a military family.
Girls too celebrated their own Genpuku, but they would get this honor through a different ceremony called “Mogi” (裳着). Here, they have their hair tied up in a method called kamiage (髪上げ), and dress in a special multi-layered kimono called mo (裳)³. This attire was designated for girls who were not married yet.
Dating back centuries ago, the age in where boys and girls became adults was much lower (around 11~ 16 for boys, 11 ~ 14 for girls). Both survived to the 1600s of Edo period, before receiving changes. Over time, these unique Genpuku celebrations that were enjoyed by the elite phased out, and later replaced by today’s celebratory style in which everyone despite their class can partake in.
ENDING
In closing, Seijin no Hi is a special day many young adults look forward to. It symbolizing the transition from one’s youthful times to growing up and taking responsibility in life. Wish anyone you know who just turned into an adult a happy coming of age!
1) Boys can also wear a more traditional style monpuku (紋服), which entails a familiar kimono worn by men with a dark colored montsuki (紋付) top, and a white sensu (扇子) fan. Nowadays, very few boys dress in this for Seijin no Hi, while most would only turn to this for very formal events, if needed at all. On the other hand, those who choose to wear a monpuku have turned to a more flashier style, rivaling the colorfully appealing version worn by girls.
2) While the majority of areas, especially big cities, observe the holiday for age 20, there are few places that still celebrate Seijin no Hi for age 18. One of them being Mie Prefecture, although a different day is designated for the celebration of turning 18. Note that since the legal adult age is now 20 on a national level, 18-year-olds are still regulated by the law as minors, which prevents them from engaging in age-restricted activities (i.e. cannot drink alcohol).
3) The name generally implies 12-layer garment. It was not unusual for girls to be subjected to wearing something heavy like this. In fact, there’s accounts of some noble families going overboard and adorning their girls with a dress made of 21 layers! Fortunately, the dress for Mogi got regulated and became standardize to a reasonable number of layers at some point.