Gembuku
It is requested that this article be . Please improve it in any way that you see fit, and remove this notice and the listing on the request page once the article is no longer a stub.
Coming of age is time at which young persons legally (or otherwise) become adults. It can be at different ages in different countries. Many cultures have ceremonies to test or mark the coming of age.
The term coming of age is also used in reference to stories, movies, etc. that have a young character or characters who, by the end of the story, have matured in some way, usually through the acceptance of responsibility.
Australia, NZ, etc.
In Australia, New Zealand and numerous other countries, a party known as the Twenty First has long celebrated the coming of age. On their 21st birthdays, young people and their families and friends traditionally gather together for social parties where gifts are presented to the birthday boy or girl. The practice is gradually waning.
Japan
Japan, since 1948, has held an annual ceremony called the Coming of Age day (成人の日; seijin no hi), the second Monday of January, for those becoming 20 years old in the new calendar year. Until 1999, the day was held on January 15. The day is a national holiday and local governments generally hold some ceremony. Females tend to wear yukata, a traditional Japanese formal dress. After this age, the right to smoke, drink and vote is granted to them. It was known as genpuku (see the section below) among samurai in the past.
Genpuku
Genpuku (元服) in Japan was a celebration that showed a samurai was considered to be an adult. The age of genpuku varied roughly from 12 to 18.
They usually changed their names from their birth names to adult names, changed their hair styles by shaving the forelocks, received their first swords, and began to be treated as adults. They separated from their mothers or governesses, and they became able to take on the dominant role in shudo (male-male love) relationships. Some were even given a territory to protect. No samurai was allowed to marry before genpuku, though they could be engaged. Females did not have genpuku or any equivalent ceremony. On a rare occasion, genpuku was held on someone younger than 12 just to have a marriage.
Alternate Spellings include gembuku, genbuku, gembaku, and genbaku.
Reference
See also
