Changes are now being seen in centuries-old gender-based traditions concerning children in Japan.

May 5, which is Children’s Day, used to be called Boys’ Day to celebrate the growth of strong male children.

Traditionally on this day, families have displayed virile decors, such as “Kintaro” dolls and “kabuto” samurai warrior headpieces.

Recently, however, customers have been looking for something less “macho.”

Furacoco Inc., a doll store in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district, conducted a survey from November to January on customers who had purchased dolls for Children’s Day.

Dolls given to boys on May 5 have usually been in the image of Kintaro, a folklore hero of considerable power and bravery.

But according to the survey results, parents now want appearances of “smartness” rather than “strength” in the dolls.

Furacoco has manufactured dolls based on eight wishes that typical parents have for their children, such as “growing up strong and tough” and “becoming an up-front and straightforward child.”

However, in the survey, most parents said, “I want my child to become someone who is bright and cares about the reason for things.”

“Things have changed a lot in the modern world, such as the novel coronavirus and the Ukrainian situation,” said Furacoco President Hidehiro Hara, 60. “I think that parents these days have increasingly intensified their wishes that their children will grow up wise and can explore the essence of things.”

The company debuted a doll holding a notebook and a brush as symbols of wisdom.

It has sold fairly well, Hara said.

Kyuhodo, a doll store in Osaka’s Chuo Ward, has sold kabuto products that are far removed from the traditional “manly” image of the helmets.

The products are called “irodori kabuto,” and they feature pastel colors such as pink and purple. Some of them are made of wood instead of metal.

The compact products are about 15 centimeters high and fit more easily into modern-day interiors.

“It is our new proposal to the generation of people who never want a kabuto,” Kotaro Matayoshi, 31, a director of the company, said.

Boys’ Day was considered the counterpart to Girls’ Day on March 3.

Boys’ Day was changed to Children’s Day in 1948 “to value children’s characters and happiness, and appreciate mothers.”

Girls’ Day is now more commonly known as Hinamatsuri, a day when parents display “hina” dolls in honor of their daughters.

Typically, the dolls are of one man and one woman.

But Suzuki Ningyo, a doll company in Saitama’s Iwatsuki Ward, started selling hina dolls of same-sex pairs last year.

The company said a female couple requested two dolls of women because they plan to adopt a child and want to display “two mothers” at their home.

Akito Suzuki, the company president, accepted the request and told the couple: “It is our foremost pleasure for customers to enjoy seasonal festivals. We should defy the old boundaries.”

The couple was delighted, saying their request had been rejected by many stores.

Word of Suzuki Ningyo’s openness spread.

About 10 pairs of same-sex hina dolls, including two male dolls, have been sold this year, Suzuki said.

At Onishi Ningyo Honten in Nagoya’s Naka Ward, a customer bought a hina doll for a boy who likes the dolls.

“There is no difference between the sexes in terms of loving beautiful things and putting their wishes into dolls,” Yoshihiko Onishi, a 41-year-old staff member at the store, said. “As the awareness of gender equality and diversity has heightened, I want customers to have dolls that they think they would like.”

According to Kumiko Mase, 73, a researcher of Japanese history who specializes in traditional events, seasonal festivals initially started as ceremonies to drive away evil spirits and had nothing to do with gender.

The origin of May 5 celebrations can be traced back to the ancient habit of using irises to remove negative vibes, Mase said.

Samurai families believed the flowers brought luck in battle.

But during the Edo Period (1603-1867), ordinary families started celebrating the day in hopes for the healthy growth of their boys.

“We should continue to cherish the tradition and celebrate it in a way that goes with the times, and not impose it based on what other people think it should be,” Mase said.

(This article was written by Midori Iki, Misuzu Tsukue and Erina Ito.)