The Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha-Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine’s annual Shichigosan Children’s Festival features special blessings for children ages 3, 5 and 7 — three good luck numbers in Japanese numerology.

The festival will start Oct. 19 and wrap up Nov. 23, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A donation of $50 is requested for the blessing, chitose-ame candy, omamori (amulets) and a gift. Children’s kimono rental and other traditional costume attire and hair-styling are complimentary, but a $10 suggested donation will go to the temple’s Kimono Preservation Fund. Reservations are now being accepted. Parents may bring their own kimonos and serve as an active participant in the spirit of the ceremony. Visitors may take photos on the shrine grounds.

According to a news release issued by Hawaii Kotohira Jinsha-Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu, the Shichigosan tradition is said to have originated in the Heian period (794-1185) among court nobles who celebrated the passage into middle childhood. Eventually, the custom passed to the samurai class, who added several rituals.

Among them: Children were required to have shaved heads until age 3. Then, they were allowed to grow their hair out in a ritual called "kamitoki," the release said. The "haka­magi" ritual introduces 5-year-old boys to wearing "hakama," traditional garments of the samurai, for the first time along with carrying a dagger. In the "obitoki" ritual, 7-year-old girls replace simple cords they use to tie their kimono with the traditional obi sash.

By the Meiji period (1869 to 1912), the practices were adopted by commoners and included visiting a shrine to wish for a long, healthy life, the release said.

The Shinto shrine is at 1239 Olomea St. For additional information about the festival, call 841-4755 or send an email to kotohira@hawaiiantel.net.