3Kinma (Wooden Horses)
It is said that the kinma, or wooden horse, started with an offering of five wooden horses by Juzo Isaka, a retainer, in celebration of the 70th birthday of the lord of Yatsushiro Castle in 1738. In the late 1800s, wealthy merchants in the castle town dedicated 12 wooden horses in honor the festival for children celebrating their third, fifth, and seventh years.
However, offerings fell off since the kinma were very expensive. The last donation of a single wooden horse was in 1966.
Since then, with the restoration of festival scrolls and other objects in 1987, today, all 12 wooden horses are dedicated every year, with advertisements showing pictures of adorable children in their finest clothes straddling the glittering horses.
People are openly invited to take part and the festival has spread to other parts of the world with people participating from the United States, Britain, China, and other countries.
