From morning til evening the bucket-clang of the prayer bell has been ringing as a steady stream of the faithful and not-so-faithful come to visit the shrine next to our house. From my desk in the bedroom I can peer down onto the fish-scale tiles of the main hall, but cannot see the crumbling stage where shrine maidens dance on festival days. Every few minutes the drums sound to signal that the maiden is again dancing with her bough of sacred sakaki, the shrill accompaniment of wailing flutes and bells distracting. Red lanterns are hung about the smaller shrines that circle the hall, trestle tables line the crumbing path and a sign announces Setsubun.
Most commonly known as 'The Bean Throwing Festival', Setsubun (Risshun) celebrates the traditional coming of Spring and the banishment of evil for another year. Falling on February 3rd, the festival acknowledges the lunar new year and reminds us that before the Western calender was introduced Setsubun hailed the Japanese New Year. Ceremonies are held in temples, shrines and households to cleanse them from evil accumulated during the previous months and to purify living spaces against disease-carrying spirits. The ritual of mamemaki literally means 'Bean Throwing', and many children still toss beans to scare away demons.
Despite the constant noise and irritation of the shrine bell ringing at all hours, it was surprising how the shrine miraculously came to life when so often it looks unloved. While not the prettiest shrine, it has a certain urban charm that grows special as darkness falls to hide the rotting wood and decaying concrete. The local convenience store (Family Mart) set up a stall to sell Eho-maki (uncut makizushi), a common food for Setsubun in Kansai. It is traditional to eat the rolled rice in silence while facing the yearly lucky compass direction (determined by the year's Zodiac symbol). Households may also decorate doors with holly and sardine head-shaped ornaments to scare away spirits in a similar vein to Halloween traditions.
During the cleansing of houses and temples, the head of household (more commonly children nowadays) will throw roasted soybeans (fukumame) out of doors. Occasionally someone will dress up in a demon (oni) mask, and the bean throwers will chant 'Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!' ('Demons out! Luck in!). Afterward it is customary to eat one soybean for each year of your life, plus one for luck. As it is a time to cleanse evil, many people visit shrines and temples, and bonfires can be seen burning prayer tablets and charms that have been exchanged for fresh amulets. To Western eyes it is a strange mix of Halloween and New Year celebrations, a wonderful way to welcome the Spring.
