Decorative Kumade Rakes ‘Rake In’ Good Luck for New Year

Workers assemble decorative fuku-kumade “lucky rakes” at the workshop of a cooperative in Nara City. To meet demand for auspicious charms for New Year shrine visits and Toka Ebisu festivals to be held on Jan. 10, they carefully attached good-luck ornaments to the rakes by hand: masks of Ebisu (one of Japan’s Seven Lucky Gods), sea bream and oval gold coins. The kumade has evolved from a farm tool to a talisman for “raking in” prosperity. The cooperative ships its kumade to about 1,000 shrines and temples nationwide. “We’ll keep working with the hope that many blessings come your way,” a representative said.