Setsubun

Two weekends back, Goran, Dan K, Emma and I visited Nagata shrine for the Setsubun festival. Technically, there is a setsubun at the beginning of each season, but the one at the beginning of "Spring" (I use the scare quotes deliberately) is almost like a second New Year, when the locals cleanse themselves of ill fortune by throwing soy beans at Oni (a.k.a. demons).

Nagata Shrine lies close to the commercial school at which I teach on Monday afternoons, and according to legend it dates back to the 4th century CE, when it was founded by the Empress Jingu. On February 3rd of each year it plays host to the Tsuina ceremony, which involves the exorcising of demons by means of seven youths wearing demon masks and dancing to the music of a conch shell. If that description hasn't sold it for you, maybe the slideshow below will:

(Click the image above to see a slideshow)

Upon entering the shrine, we armed ourselves with soybeans in the hope of arcing them at some bad boys from Hades, but alas! no beans were to be cast that day, either on stage or off it. So Goran amused himself by squeezing his head into an Oni mask that was far too small for it, and frightening Japanese children (and Emma). The rest of us sampled some of the wares at the food stalls that always accompany Japanese festivals, including a delicious fish-shaped pancake waffle known as taiyaki.

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. (Click the image for a slideshow)