Five-year-old Kevin Bly fiddled with his traditional Japanese hakama outfit while remarking that his favorite accessory was the knife holder.

His mother arranged his pleated robe as he prepared to go before a Shinto priest and receive a blessing.

The Kahala Elementary School student was one of scores of young participants in the Shichi Go San ceremony yesterday at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i. Children were dressed in traditional attire, photographed and seated before a makeshift shrine where a Shinto priest performed the sacraments of the ceremony, quietly chanting amid a cacophony of squealing youngsters and scrambling parents filing through the center's ballroom.

"It's a part of his culture and I feel he should have some of it," said Katherine Bly, as she waited for Kevin to go before the priest. She added that exposing her son to Japanese tradition is especially important in Hawai'i because "it's such a melting pot."

In Japan, Nov. 15 is Shichi Go San, "a day of prayer for the healthy and prosperous growth of young children," according to the Japanese cultural Web site Ginkoya.com. Shichi go san translates as "seven, five, three." In most parts of Japan, 3-year-old boys and girls, 5-year-old boys and 7-year-old girls visit a Shinto shrine with their parents, according to the Web site. It's a day-long affair that includes a family dinner and buying a new outfit.

Most girls wear kimonos when making their temple visit, while boys suit up in haori jackets and hakama trousers.

The Shichi Go San customs of today evolved during Japan's Meiji era (1868 to 1912), when aristocratic and samurai families celebrated the growth of infants into healthy boys and girls in three ways, according to the Web site. The custom eventually included most Japanese children.

"It's a coming-of-age celebration," said Brandon Hayashi, the 30-year-old program director at the Japanese Cultural Center, in the Mo'ili'ili area.

"In Japan, families go out, buy clothing, then they go to the shrine, then they go have dinner. It's a full day," Hayashi said. "We brought the shrine here. It's kind of a one-stop shop sort of thing."

Because the date is not a national holiday in Japan, most families pay their Shichi Go San respects on the weekend before or after Nov. 15, according to the Web site.

Charlotte Hakikawa of Kaimuki brought her son Jett, a Waolani Judd Nazarene School student, to the ceremony yesterday because she wanted to expose him to his Japanese roots.

"He's part Japanese and he needs to have part of the culture," she said.

Wayne Taketa, a 40-year-old Mililani resident, attended the ceremony yesterday with his 3-year-old daughter, Tiffany.

"It's traditional. I want my kids to participate in our culture." Taketa said. "And the grandparents want to see their grandkids dress up."

In Japan, following the shrine visit, parents buy "chitose-ame" (longevity candy) for the children, according to the Web site. The candy is shaped like a stick and is sold in a bag illustrated with cranes and turtles — meant to symbolize long life.

Longevity candy was available at yesterday's event, which was part of the JCCH fundraising effort Kodomo No Tame Ni: For the Sake of the Children to benefit children affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Volunteers handed out free food and displayed a variety of traditional Japanese arts, crafts and games at the festival. Music, storytelling and art displays were all part of the event. Volunteers conducted a book drive and accepted donations.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.