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Why do Japanese people use umbrellas even when it's sunny?

2025-08-10 20:16:20Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Why do Japanese people use umbrellas even when it's sunny?
Why do Japanese people use umbrellas even when it's sunny?

In Japan, umbrellas not only serve to protect from rain or sun, but they are spiritual tools capable of summoning spirits.

In most parts of the world, umbrellas are used simply to protect people from the rain or to provide shade from the sun. Although visitors to Japan may see locals using them for these reasons, umbrellas (especially traditional ones) have a much more powerful role in Japanese culture: they are seen as spiritual vessels.

According to Tatsuo Danjyo, Professor Emeritus of Humanities at Beppu University in Ōita Prefecture, Japan, Japanese tradition believes that certain objects including tents can serve as yorishiro (objects that attract deities or spirits).

This belief is deeply rooted in history. Umbrellas first appeared in Japan between the 9th and 11th centuries, but they were not originally used for protection from the weather; they were symbols of spiritual or political power. Early umbrellas, such as the long-handled sashikake-gasa, were reserved for religious and political figures and carried by servants on important persons.

At the Yasurai Matsuri festival in Kyoto, tents decorated with flowers are believed to ward off illness and evil from people.

“The Japanese tend to have an animistic way of thinking,” Danjyo told the BBC. “The circular shape of the tent, which resembles the shape of the spirit, and the handle, which resembles a pole… were considered a place where the spirit could easily descend.”

Kanazawa umbrellas are handmade over two months using thick washi paper, strong bamboo, and special strengthening techniques.

As early as the 12th century, according to Danjyo, tents began to be used by common people, and over the centuries they have maintained their spiritual significance.

The same spiritual significance is still evident at various festivals in Japan today. At the Yasurai Matsuri in Kyoto, flower-adorned tents are believed to ward off illness. At the Hakata Dontaku in the northern city of Fukuoka (May 3-4), giant kasaboko floats are paraded; walking under them is said to bring health and good fortune.

Why do Japanese people use umbrellas even when it's sunny?

On the island of Okinoshima in Kōchi Prefecture, from August 13 to 16, residents create ornate tent structures to house the spirits of the dead during the Obon festival. Every two years, on the night of August 16, these tents are held in a ritual dance around a central platform, symbolically guiding the spirits back to the spirit world.

Tents have also inspired one of Japan's most popular supernatural figures: the Kasa yokai (tent spirit). These spirits appear in historical art, such as in the work The Night Parade of a Thousand Goblins, which depicts abandoned household items coming to life.

Typically depicted with a single eye and strange features, yokai figurines reflect the Japanese animist belief that even objects can have souls, especially those that have been used, loved and ultimately discarded.

Travelers who want to explore the history and craftsmanship of traditional Japanese umbrellas can do so through workshops and museums around the country.

So, the next time you open an umbrella in Japan, especially a traditional wagasa, remember that it can do more than just protect you from the rain.

Source: BBC


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