Lucky draw - lottery

Japanese: 福引き - ふくびき

Today, it generally refers to a game in which players draw lots to win prizes. Its prototype is said to have originated in an entertainment held by Emperor Shomu in 730 (Tenpyo 2) during a New Year's banquet, when ministers were asked to draw cards with the characters for benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, and trustworthiness written on them, and those who drew the correct cards were given ashiginu (cotton thread), thread, cotton wool, cloth, and regular cloth. Much later, during the Genroku period (1688-1704), attempts were made to play a game in which items were tied to the end of a rope and pulled by players, and given to the person who drew them. Furthermore, during the Kan'en and Horeki periods (1748-64), a game called "tsujitakara-hiki" (treasure-drawing game) appeared in which street vendors would prepare 100 thin ropes, tie toys to dozens of them, and have children pull them while chanting "sagozai, sagozai."

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

今日では，一般にくじ引きをして景品を取りあう遊戯をいう。その原型は，730年(天平2)に聖武天皇が正月の酒宴を開催した際に，諸臣に，仁，義，礼，智，信の一文字を記した短籍（たんざく）を抜きとらせ，引きあてた者それぞれに，絁（あしぎぬ），糸，真綿，布，常布を下付した余興に由来するとされる。その後，時代はずっと下るが，元禄年間(1688‐1704)には，縄の先に品物をゆわえて引かせ，それを引きあてたものに与える遊戯が試みられるようになり，さらに寛延･宝暦年間(1748‐64)には，〈辻宝引き〉と称して，街頭で100本の細縄を用意して，うち数十本には玩具を結びつけ，〈さござい，さござい〉とはやしながら，子どもたちを客にして引かせる大道商人があらわれる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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