Children in Festive Attire

Accompanied by their mother, two young girls are on their way to a hatsuho festival, as noted in some of the accompanying poems. Hatsuho, literally the first ears of rice, is an annual harvest celebration held in early autumn. People gather at a local shrine or temple and make offerings of food and sake to the gods. The procession of a mikoshi, a portable shrine, or dance and music performances sometimes follows the rite. Here, the girls' cheerful countenances and colorful attire, especially the older girl's flower-adorned hat, conveys the celebratory nature of the occasion. Holding red lanterns and white fans emblazoned with butterflies, the girls seem ready to join the festival procession.