While most of the Japanese New Year good luck charms (daruma doll, kumade or hagoita) are sold at dedicated fairs, where hundreds of artisans are displaying varied creations, hamaya, the “demon-breaking arrow", is sold only at Shinto shrines.

The hamaya design is unique to every shrine, the length, the color, the shape of the arrow and the attached objects varying widely. Also, the hamaya is often adorned with ema representing the New Year, as you can see in this photo taken one year ago at Fushimi Inari, Kyoto.

Shamusho, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Hatsumode crowd in Kamakura