An old Japanese proverb goes, “Edokko (people from Edo) are like carp streamers fluttering in the May wind.”

This means they may be blunt in their speech, but they are basically frank, open-hearted people who don’t get bogged down in trifles.

It is said the practice of floating “koinobori,” or carp-shaped streamers, began in the Edo Period (1603-1867). Carp streamers were a common sight throughout the vast expanse of Edo, the seat of power for the Tokugawa Shogunate, now known as Tokyo.

The proverb probably originated from the widespread custom of displaying carp streamers in this season.

Kiichiro Kikuichi, or Utagawa Hiroshige IV (1849-1925), a ukiyo-e artist born in the late Edo Period, wrote in his book “Edo Funai Ehon Fuzoku Orai” (An illustrated guide to the customs and manners of Edo), “There is no place in the city where you cannot see large banners, large carp streamers and flags.”

Putting up carp banners was a response by townspeople to the samurai class custom of raising flags with family crests and a way for commoners to express their wishes for their children’s growth and prosperity.

Nowadays, this tradition is a shadow of its former self.

During this holiday-studded Golden Week, it was even difficult to find small carp streamers fluttering on the balconies of apartment buildings in the city.

In the past, if people extended their journey to the suburbs, they would enjoy the picturesque sight of carp streamers gracefully waving atop poles at farmhouses.

However, when I traveled by train for about three hours to a mountain village in northern Kanto, surprisingly few streamers were seen along the railway line.

It is easy to overlook the gradual disappearance of once-commonplace things. It’s only when people suddenly glance around that they realize how much the world has changed. But even that scenery is no doubt just a passing phase of the declining birthrate.

The other day, I read a newspaper article about the gloomy prediction that Japan’s population will shrink to the 30 million range, the same level as in the Edo Period, in 100 years.

What has become of the prosperity that Japan has been pursuing since the Meiji Era (1868-1912), the period of Japan’s modernization following the end of the feudal Edo Period?

No matter how many wishes we entrust to carp streamers, we can never return to the era of continuous, uninterrupted growth.

So, what kind of society should we strive for in the future? What is true affluence? May 5 is Children’s Day, but it is also a day for adults to reflect on some big questions.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 5

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.