Little-Known Trivia and Fun Facts About Koinobori (Carp Streamers)
As Children’s Day on May 5 approaches, we see carp streamers (koinobori) more and more often here and there.
Traditionally, many families have the custom of displaying them when a baby boy is born.
These days, however, due to housing conditions and the like, we don’t see many large ones anymore, but there are more compact versions you can display indoors and designs with a stronger decorative flair.
In this article, we’ll share some trivia and fun facts related to koinobori.
You might find yourself thinking, “Come to think of it, I didn’t know that…”—they’re great conversation starters once you do.
If you have children, try talking together as a family about the roots of koinobori.
- [For Kids] Fun Facts & Trivia Quiz about Koinobori (Carp Streamers)
- [For Seniors] Introducing trivia related to May!
- Rainy season trivia roundup: fun facts you'll want to share with someone
- Handmade ideas for Koinobori: easy projects using everyday materials
- A childcare quiz to enjoy on Children's Day! Learn about traditions and customs
- Will you like May even more once you know? Fun May trivia elementary schoolers should know
- [Handmade] A collection of stylish DIY koinobori (carp streamer) ideas
- Surprisingly, there’s a lot we don’t know? A quiz to learn trivia about May!
- Mother’s Day trivia roundup: origins and customs around the world
- Make your summer festival even more fun! Trivia quizzes and fun facts for kids
- [For Elementary School Students] Trivia About April
- Recommended for Children's Day! DIY samurai helmet ideas [May 5]
- Trivia quiz with useful tips to know: fun facts that come in handy at school or at home [for kids]
[Surprisingly Little-Known] Trivia and Fun Facts About Koinobori (Carp Streamers) (1–10)
In the past, on koinobori (carp streamers), black represented the father and red represented the child, and there wasn’t a koinobori for the mother.
A typical set of koinobori features three carp: a black magoi, a red higoi, and a smaller carp.
The magoi represents the father, the higoi the mother, and the small carp the child.
However, in the past there were only the magoi and the higoi, and the higoi represented the child rather than the mother.
In the children’s song “Koinobori,” the lyrics also introduce the magoi as the father and the higoi as the child.
In fact, koinobori only became as numerous and colorful as they are today after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Incidentally, during the Edo period, people displayed just a single magoi.
The streamer displayed above carp streamers has a different meaning in carp streamer displays and in Tanabata.
Did you know that although the streamers displayed with carp kites and the streamers used as a classic Tanabata decoration are both called “fukinagashi,” they actually have different meanings? The five-colored streamers on the carp kites are said to represent the four seasons plus the midsummer period, or the five elements—wood, fire, earth, metal, and water—and are believed to ward off evil.
Meanwhile, the Tanabata streamers represent the threads woven by Orihime and are displayed with the wish to improve one’s sewing and weaving skills.
It’s interesting that although they’re the same kind of streamer, their meanings and reasons for display are completely different.
The five-colored streamers on koi-shaped windsocks are meant to ward off evil.
The streamers displayed together with carp streamers are often in five colors.
Green and purple are sometimes used, but it’s usually blue, red, yellow, white, and black.
This comes from the Chinese theory of the Five Elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water), which holds that things in the natural world are made up of these five elements.
These five elements are said to ward off evil, and when represented as colors they become blue, red, yellow, white, and black.
That’s why these five colors came to be used for the carp streamer streamers.
In the mid-Edo period, it was not the samurai class but ordinary households that decorated with carp for the Boys’ Festival and popularized koinobori.
The custom of displaying banners on Boys’ Day (Tango no Sekku) began among the samurai class in the Edo period.
At that time, only banner poles with streamers and small flags were displayed, and there were no carp shapes.
As for how the carp shape came to be used, it seems to have started among ordinary households.
Commoners also had the custom of putting up banner poles, but townspeople were not allowed to display the same type of streamers as the samurai, so instead they began to display streamers in the shape of carp.
That practice spread and evolved into the form we see today.
Recently, pink carp streamers for girls have also been sold.
Koinobori are traditionally displayed on Children’s Day (Tango no Sekku) to celebrate boys’ births and wish for their healthy growth, but these days you can also find koinobori sold for girls.
There are many cute designs that girls would love, such as koinobori in pink, warm tones, or soft pastel colors.
Many people may still think “koinobori for boys, hina dolls for girls,” but perceptions of gender have changed a lot in recent years.
If your child wants one, by all means, display it for them.