Yes it is that time of year, at least according to the old Chinese calendar. Spring is almost here and it is time for the people of Japan to purge the bad spirits of the previous year and invite in the good energy that is to come with the new year.
What I am talking about of course, is Setsubun. Every year on February 3rd, the people of Japan enjoy dressing up as demons so that they can scare the crap out of their children while having roasted soy beans thrown at them to drive away the evil "demon". This practice mainly takes place in the home where the father will dress up and act as the "demon", however, many temples across Japan hold their own ceremonies where you can partake in the event. (For a price of course)
This yeah was actually the first time that I had the day off of work on the holiday, so I made my way downtown to one of the local hot-spots, Osu Kannon Shrine, and spend the day watching the event. While it was not the most exciting thing to see, it was interesting the people gathered up to either throw beans off of the make-shift platform into the crowd of onlookers, or stand below with bags open in hopes that they would be able to catch some of the beans that were being thrown at them.
While the weather was not the best, cold and rainy the atmosphere of the event was enjoyable. People from all of the city were gathered, many families and couples, to enjoy the ceremony. Laughter filled the air as did the screams of excitement and fear, caused mainly by the local flock of pigeons that occupy the shrine and terrorize unsuspecting girls and children.
Even though I did enjoy myself at the ceremony, I found that after a couple of hours of hanging around, I had had as much as I could take of the cold rain and crowds and was ready to call it a day. However, just as I was about to pack it up and make my way home for the day, I found that I was stuck in the crowd that had gathered and made a pathway allowing the "special guests" of the ceremony to make their way to the platform. Much to my surprise and enjoyment, this group of guests was nothing more than the demons and other creatures of local folklore who had finally made their appearance. A long and cold afternoon was worth the wait to see the interesting costumes and excitement that came with the arrival of these characters whom I would have missed if I left 10 minutes earlier.
Check out some pictures from the day below!
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Entrance Gate to Osu Kannon Shrine
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Fortunes tied to the shrine to bring good luck
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More fortunes
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Families throwing beans into the crowd
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Trying to catch some beans
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A family thrown beans into the crowd
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Girl in Kimono throwing beans
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| Folklore Character making his way through the crowd |
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| Demons making their way through |
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| Red Demon throwing beans |
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| Red demon throwing beans |
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| A cast of characters getting ready |
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| Cast of characters getting ready |
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