Genpuku
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Genpuku (元服?), also called Kakan (加冠?), was a historical Japanese coming-of-age ceremony.
To mark the entry to adult life of boys between the ages of 12 and 16, they were taken to the shrines of their patron kami. There they were presented with their first adult clothes, and their boys' hairstyles (角髪 mizura?) were changed to the adult style. They were also given new adult names (烏帽子名 eboshi-na?).
In Heian times, the ceremony was restricted to the sons of noble and samurai families. During the Muromachi era, it gradually spread to include men of lower ranks.
The equivalent ceremony for women was called mogi (裳着?); this was performed for girls aged between 12 and 14, and was similarly based around the presentation of adult clothing.
In modern Japan, these ceremonies have been replaced by annual coming-of-age ceremonies for 20-year-olds of both sexes called seijin shiki.
