Demon at Kyoto’s Rozanji temple

Feb 3 is Setsubun and a time for throwing beans at demons.  It takes place at shrines, temples and people’s homes.

Here’s Wikipedia’s succinct overview of the custom and its origins:

Setsubun is the day before the beginning of Spring in Japan.  The name literally means “seasonal division”, but usually the term refers to the Spring Setsubun celebrated yearly on February 3 as part of the Spring Festival.  In its association with the Lunar New Year, Spring Setsubun can be and was previously thought of as a sort of New Year’s Eve, and so was accompanied by a special ritual to cleanse away all the evil of the former year and drive away disease-bringing evil spirits for the year to come. This special ritual is called mamemaki (literally “bean scattering”). Setsubun has its origins in tsuina, a Chinese custom introduced to Japan in the eighth century.

For an explanation of the beans, click here.
For some interesting facts about the festival, see here.
For a description of the festival at Kyoto’s Yasaka Jinja, see here.
For a photo story of Setsubun at Shimogamo Jinja, see here.

Purification of place prior to a Shugendo ceremony
The Shugendo ceremony involves smoke from burning pine as wooden prayer tablets are thrown into the flames to be ritually burnt
Maiko descend from the stage after distributing lucky beans at Yasaka Jinja in Kyoto
Geisha join senior parishioners to throw lucky beans at Heian Jingu in Kyoto
Demons personifiying all things bad appear at many festivals
Eating a specially fat sushi roll (ehomaki) in the year’s lucky direction is a Setsubun custom
Priests at Shimogamo Jinja show there’s a religious aspect to all the jollity

Related posts:

  1. Matsuo Taisha Setsubun
  2. Setsubun is here
  3. The Plague
  4. Shimogamo First Zodiac Festival (Hatsuetosai)