Chōyō: The Ninth Day of the Ninth Month

A Day When Yang Doubles, and Wishes Are Made

September 9, 2026 (Reiwa 8)

2026 is the year of Hinoe-uma. Both hinoe and uma belong to yang, making this a year in which yang meets yang. Within that year, the ninth month rises to a further peak as the month of greatest yang. And within that month falls September 9: Chōyō, the last of the five seasonal festivals.

In the ancient Chinese philosophy of yin and yang, odd numbers were understood as yang. Nine, the greatest of them, doubles on the ninth day of the ninth month, and this day came to be called Chōyō, meaning "double yang." As the festival that closes the yearly cycle, it has long held a place of particular importance.

Nine is yang. And as the highest of the yang numbers, it was regarded as the sacred number of heaven. A day on which that number appears twice was therefore held to be extraordinarily auspicious.

A day when the power of yang gathers most fully. In the currents of the wider world and in the course of a single life alike, this is the turning point of a year that may itself become a turning point.

March 3rd, the Peach Festival. May 5th, the Boys' Festival. July 7th, Tanabata. And September 9th, Chōyō. Across a year marked by days when odd numbers meet, this final one, carrying the largest yang number of all, stands at the close.

Yet odd numbers are yang, and it was believed that when their energy grows too strong, balance is lost. For this reason, observances arose to drive away misfortune. Chōyō was a day of purification precisely because yang reaches its height.

The flower entrusted with that work of purification was the chrysanthemum. Chōyō is also known as the Chrysanthemum Festival, and tradition tells of steeping chrysanthemum blossoms in sake and drinking it to celebrate health and long life.

The chrysanthemum blooms for a long season, and it was believed to hold the power to dispel misfortune. From this arose the custom of admiring the flowers on Chōyō and sipping sake infused with their petals, praying for health and longevity.

The chrysanthemum has also long been known as a plant of remarkable medicinal virtue. A text written in the fourth century records the legend of the Chrysanthemum Water: villagers who drank from a stream flowing down through a valley where chrysanthemums grew in abundance were said to have been granted long life.

The chrysanthemum, however, was not only for drinking.

People floated the blossoms in the bath, soaking in a chrysanthemum bath known as kikuyu, and slept on kikumakura, pillows filled with dried chrysanthemum, in the hope of beauty and good health. The flower used for kikuyu is the ryūnōgiku, a wild species of chrysanthemum that can still be found in the hills and fields of Japan today.

There was also a most elegant custom called kisewata, the "laid cotton." On the eve of the festival, silk floss was placed over the chrysanthemum blossoms, and the following morning the cotton, now holding the flower's dew, was used to wipe the skin.

This is also the season when chestnuts ripen, and so Chōyō carries another name, the Chestnut Festival. In some regions, the day is celebrated with a pot of chestnut rice.

The observance continues in our own time. At Kamigamo Shrine (Kamowakeikazuchi Shrine), chrysanthemum flowers are offered before the deity on September 9, and the Chōyō rite is conducted before the main hall in prayer for long life and protection from misfortune.

How to Spend This Day

This is a day for wishes to be fulfilled, and so it is said to be a good day to set an intention. A small wish is perfectly welcome, though there is much to be said for setting a large one, the kind that makes you think, "if this came true, it would be wonderful."

Share chrysanthemum sake or chrysanthemum tea with family and friends and speak your hopes to one another, or simply write your wish down on paper. Either is a lovely way to mark the day.