Get Out
Ogre! Come In Happiness!
Setsubun
in Japan; A Lunar "New Years' Eve"
By Steve
Renshaw and Saori Ihara
February,
2000
(Revised
January 2015)
Setsubun
generally always precedes the lunar New Year, and in the ancient ideal was
often actually referred to as New Year's Eve. In 2008, solar and lunar cycles
coincided enough to make the ideal almost real in that February 4th marked Risshun
(Spring Begins), and February 7th was the actual lunar New Year in both China
and Japan. In 2015, Setsubun occurs about two weeks earlier than the
lunar New Year (February 19th).
Setsubun
has been celebrated in many ways, but perhaps the most common custom found
throughout Japan is the traditional Mame Maki or the scattering/throwing
of beans (mame) to chase away the evil oni (ogres, evil spirits,
as depicted in the illustration which heads this article). In some ritual
forms, the Toshi Otoko [literally "year man" but referring
either to the "man of the house" or to men who are born in the animal
sign of the coming year (sheep for the year 2015)] will throw mame
within the house or at someone perhaps dressed as oni and repeat the
saying Oni wa Soto; Fuku wa Uchi (Get out Ogre! Come in Happiness!).
After the ritual throwing of the beans, family members may then pick up the
number of beans corresponding to their age; eating these brings assurance of
good fortune in the coming year. These days, of course, it is not uncommon to
see children dressed in masks of oni, others madly throwing beans, and
all gleefully shouting for evil to hit the road. Prominent temples in Japan may
also find monks or celebrities showering large crowds of people with mame
to ward off spirits and welcome the renewal of the coming New Year.
Depiction
of an Edo Era celebration of Setsubun. The Toshi Otoko (left)
throws beans about family members of the house to chase away evil. (From
Sasama, 1995)
Several
stories relate to the origin of throwing beans at Setsubun, but perhaps
one of the most famous can be seen in a Kyougen (No Comedy)
performed at Mibu Temple in Kyoto. Roughly translating (and perhaps with
a bit of poetic license) the plot of this play goes something like this: One
day an ogre disguised himself and came to the house of an old widow. He
possessed a magic mallet, and with it, he fashioned a beautiful kimono.
Temptation got the best of the old widow, and she succumbed to its beauty. She plotted
to steal it away from the ogre by getting him drunk. Not satisfied with just
the kimono, she thought she would get the magic mallet as well. Surprised by
the abrasive greed of the old woman, the ogre revealed his true self. So
scared, the old widow got hysterical and starting throwing the first thing
handy, a bunch of beans she had on hand. They must have hurt, because the ogre
fled the scene leaving the widow without her greedy desires but nonetheless
wiser and healthier.
Other
celebrations of Setsubun involve eating Nori Maki, a special
sushi roll. Particularly in Western Japan, many may face a "lucky
direction" (in geomantic form) and try to eat the entire sushi roll
without saying a word. Those who are able to accomplish this feat (the roll is
about 20 cm long) are promised luck with their business, longevity, and freedom
from illness. In Osaka, where this tradition appears to have originated, some
people say the practice started when a young Geisha ate the tasty delicacy in
order to assure she would be with her favorite lover in the coming year. In
some areas, the Nori Maki is made with a stuffing of seven colors which
represent Shichi Fukujin (seven gods of happiness). These gods can be
seen in the illustration of "happiness beans" below.
Fuku
Mame (Happiness Beans) are sold at Setsubun.
Beans such as these may chase many an ogre away. This particular brand also
sports images of Shichi Fukujin (the Japanese seven gods of happiness)
sailing merrily along.
On
the night of Setsubun, many Japanese will decorate a holy tree in front
of their houses with a head of a sardine, a clove of garlic, or an onion. Such
talismans are designed to keep the oni away as the New Year approaches
(though the neighbor's cat may not be so intimidated). Oni are said to be
stung by the leaf of the holy tree (a vitalistic Shinto symbol in its own
right) and thus keep their distance from the home for the coming year.
In
more ancient times, with a Chinese based lunar calendar superimposed on
indigenous ritual, the seasonal significance of Setsubun was more
pronounced, incorporating traditional values of lineality, optimism, and
vitality in ritual behavior and in ritual objects themselves. Beans, seeds, the
source of life... rice rolled in seaweed, fruits of land and sea... all used to
ward off coming evil and insure future productivity... objects whose ingestion
assured vitality and purification. The centrality of this "last event of
the year" and its implication for activities of a culture dependent upon
an agrarian and marine base still hold at least symbolic significance for many
in Japan.
These
days, because of its solar orientation, Setsubun is one of the few
festivals celebrated in Japan relative to actual astronomical reckoning,
although most young Japanese have no idea that there is any incongruence
throwing beans on a day occurring over a month past their memory of a Gregorian
New Year. Of course, when a luni-solar calendar was in actual use, another
source of confusion regarding Setsubun occurred. As mentioned in our article
on The Lunar Calendar in Japan, years with leap
months could contain 383-385 days. "Leap" years could thus often have
2 "Spring Begins", one at the beginning of the year and another at
the end or 12th month. The confusion of having two "New Years' Eves"
was eloquently described by famed poet Motokata Arihara in Kokinshu
(see Watanabe, 1994), although our translation does not do justice to his dry
wit:
Before
the year is over
"Spring
Begins" comes
The
year is not over
It
is still the year
Oni
wa Soto! Fuku wa Uchi!
REFERENCES
Campbell,
A., D.S. Noble, et al (1993) Japan; An Illustrated Encyclopedia.
Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.
Nojiri,
H. (1992) Hoshi Sanbyaku Rokujyu Go Ya (365 Starry Nights). Tokyo:
Kouseisha Kouseikaku.
Okada,
Y. and S. Akune (1993) Gendai Koyomi Yomikaki Jiten (Modern
Calendar Dictionary). Tokyo: Kashiwa Shoubou.
Sasama,
Y. (1995) Fukugen; Edo Seikatsu Zuroku (Restorations; Picture
Book of Edo Era Life). Tokyo: Kashiwa Shobou.
Sasama,
Y. (1992) Shiryou; Nihon Rekishi Zuroku (References; Japanese
Historical Illustrations). Tokyo: Kashiwa Shobou.
Shinmura,
I. ed. (1994) Koujien (Japanese Etymological Dictionary). Tokyo:
Iwanami Shoten.
Watanabe,
T. (1994) Koyomi Nyumon; Koyomi no Subete (Introduction to the
Calendar; All about the Calendar). Tokyo, Yuzankaku.
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