hyoshigi wooden clappers illustration

On cold winter evenings at 8 o’clock, neighborhood children gathered at a street corner. Mostly 6th graders, these children took hyoshigi wooden clappers, walked around the neighborhood and chanted “A single match can cause a fire”—clap, clap—“Caution to lighting and caution to fire”— clap, clap, to remind people to take care of the fire. It was something that young children did to help and to be part of the community.