Hamaya

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Hamaya in the Ikuta Shrine in Kobe

Hamaya ( Japanese 破 魔 矢 , demon ban arrow ) are decorative arrows that are sold as good luck charms in Shinto shrines for the Japanese New Year .

With the associated bows ( Hamayumi ), the Hamaya were popular gifts on the occasion of the first birthday of a male child from the Edo period to the early Meiji period . Since the early Meiji period, the arrows were also sold separately.

A custom still practiced in Japan today is to set up Hamaya and Hamayumi in the northeast and southwest corners of a new house when the ceremonies for the erection of the ridge beam ( 上 棟 eiern , Jōtōsai ) are held. According to ideas taken from China, the southwest and northeast are the directions that are associated with the demon gate ( kimon ) and that favor evil influences. Hamaya and Hamayumi are supposed to keep these influences away.

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