Tango no Sekku (端午の節句), also known as Ayame no hi , originally referred to an annual ceremony held at the Japanese imperial court on May 6. It was one of the five annual court ceremonies called Gosekku. Since the Kamakura period (1185–1333), when the samurai class seized power, Tango no Sekku has become an event to ward off evil spirits for samurai boys. Japanese armour, kabuto (helmets) and Japanese swords were displayed in houses from the Kamakura period to the Muromachi period (1333–1573). From the Edo period (1603–1867), samurai dolls were displayed in homes, koinobori were hung in gardens. From this period, the custom of decorating houses with offerings on Tango no Sekku spread to the peasant and chōnin classes, and paper kabuto began to be displayed. Since the Showa era (1926–1989), miniatures of samurai armor have become more popular than samurai dolls.
