Shichi-Go-San, meaning "Seven-Five-Three," is a traditional Japanese celebration held annually on November 15th, honouring the spiritual growth and well-being of children aged three, five, and seven. While it is often viewed as a cultural rite of passage, it also contains layers of deep spiritual significance, esoteric numerology, and symbolic artistry. At its heart, Shichi-Go-San is about more than growing up — it’s about the sacred transition from vulnerability to vitality, from innocence to consciousness, from being carried to walking one’s own path.
The ages three, five, and seven are not chosen arbitrarily. In many Eastern esoteric traditions, these numbers hold spiritual resonance. Three signifies birth and new beginnings — the divine triad of body, mind, and spirit. Five is the number of life-force, of dynamic energy and individuality, associated with the five elements. Seven is the sacred number of completion and harmony — a symbolic threshold where the soul begins to awaken to a deeper rhythm of self. Together, these ages map the soul’s unfolding through the early stages of incarnation.
Shichi-Go-San ceremonies often take place at Shinto shrines, and the presence of the kami — the spirits that dwell in nature and sacred places — is invoked to bless the children. The act of donning traditional garments, especially the ornate kimono for girls and hakama trousers for boys, is itself a ritual of transformation. These are not costumes — they are vestments of transition. The body is dressed in ancestral patterns and ceremonial fabric, making the child a living altar for the divine to bless. Each embroidered crane, pine branch, or wave motif speaks of longevity, resilience, and the soul’s journey through the elements.
Within this visual beauty lies a deeper spiritual contract — one of honouring life as sacred from its earliest moments. Parents, too, play a role as spiritual stewards, walking beside their children not as possessors, but as witnesses and protectors of their unfolding paths. The offerings made at the shrine — often including chitose ame (“thousand-year candy”) in bright red and white wrappers — symbolise the sweetness of life and the wish for enduring vitality. The long shape of the candy itself mirrors the hope for longevity and smooth transition through the cycles of life.
The arts surrounding Shichi-Go-San are tender and layered. Photography plays a ritualistic role, capturing not just the child’s appearance but their presence — the subtle soul-moment of standing between worlds. Traditional poems, written in elegant calligraphy, may accompany family offerings, echoing the seasonal and emotional landscape of this rite. Contemporary Japanese artists often depict the event in watercolours or soft ukiyo-e-inspired prints, filled with maple leaves, shrine torii gates, and swirling winds — blending the temporal with the timeless.
The celebration is also marked by a heightened attentiveness to nature — autumn in Japan is rich with crimson leaves, cooling air, and the scent of soil preparing for winter. Shichi-Go-San aligns the child with this seasonal arc, suggesting that they too are leaves turning toward maturity, petals opening to light, small souls beginning to find their place in the world’s sacred rhythm.
Shichi-Go-San is not just a celebration of youth — it is a spiritual bookmark in the story of becoming. It honours the fragility and strength of childhood with reverence, reminding all who witness it that growing up is not simply biological, but profoundly metaphysical — a flowering of soul within the vessel of time.
