Setsubun

Overview

Setsubun is a seasonal observance held throughout Japan, today generally referring to the day before Risshun, the first day of spring, which falls around February 3. It is well known for mamemaki, or bean-throwing, in which beans are scattered to the call of Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi, meaning demons out, fortune in, and it is widely cherished as an annual event in homes, temples, and shrines alike, a day for driving away evil and praying for a year of good health and happiness. Although it falls in the coldest part of winter, on the calendar it stands immediately before the arrival of spring, and it is an observance that makes people keenly aware of the boundary where one season gives way to another.

Rather than a festival belonging to one particular region, it is carried out in homes across the country, while temples and shrines in many places hold large-scale Setsubun events. In recent years the custom of ehomaki, silently eating a thick sushi roll while facing the lucky direction of the year, has also spread, and it has become established as an event by which people feel the turning of the season. More than a single rite, Setsubun is a layered accumulation of court ceremony, shrine and temple ritual, household custom, and food culture, and it can be read as a miniature of the Japanese ceremonial year as a whole.

History and Origins

The word setsubun originally meant the turning point of a season, referring to the day before each of Risshun, Rikka, Risshu, and Ritto, the first days of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In other words, it was a term that occurred four times in a single year. Of these, the day before Risshun, the turning point from winter to spring, came to be especially valued as an important juncture marking the start of the year, and today setsubun generally refers to this day alone. Because Risshun stood close to the beginning of the year in the old lunisolar calendar, the day before it was received as an equivalent of New Year's Eve, and a strong sense developed of sweeping away the defilement of the old year before greeting the new one.

The source of Setsubun's bean-throwing is said to lie in a court observance called tsuina, transmitted from ancient China. Tsuina was a rite for warding off misfortune by driving away the demons that symbolized epidemics and calamities, and in Japan it is said to be recorded in the Shoku Nihongi as having been performed by the time of Emperor Monmu, in 706, the third year of the Keiun era. An epidemic is said to have spread widely in that year, and behind the rite one can sense the urgent wish of people who gave the invisible cause of disease the visible form of a demon so that it could be driven out.

In the court tsuina, a functionary known as the hososhi appeared wearing a mask with four golden eyes and carrying a halberd and shield, taking the role of the one who drove the plague demons away. As the centuries passed, however, it is said that a reversal occurred in which this strange figure was itself regarded as a demon and came to be the one pursued. As the court observance spread among ordinary people, it is thought to have developed into the present form in which beans are scattered to drive away demons, and the exchange of roles between pursuer and pursued stands as one example of how a ritual can change its very meaning as it changes hands.

The throwing of beans is said to derive from wordplay meaning to destroy evil, and from the idea of warding off harm with the power that dwells in grain. Roasted beans are used, according to one account, because a sprouting bean would mean that misfortune had taken root once again. There are, however, various theories about the origins and the meanings attached to them, and no single settled explanation exists. What follows is an overview based on the principal traditions.

Highlights

Bean-Throwing in the Home The observance that symbolizes Setsubun is bean-throwing. Roasted soybeans are scattered while chanting Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi, and people eat the scattered beans in a number equal to their age, or their age plus one, praying for a year of health. Some regions use peanuts instead, a choice attributed to the practical reason that they are easy to pick up and remain clean even on snow or outdoors, which shows how a custom reshapes itself to suit local conditions. In homes one can also see the charming sight of a family member donning a demon mask to play the demon while the children throw the beans.

Setsubun Rites and Lucky-Bean Throwing at Temples and Shrines At temples and shrines in many places, large-scale Setsubun rites known as setsubun-e are held. The lucky-bean throwing, in which the men and women of the year's zodiac sign and well-known figures appear in formal kamishimo attire and throw beans toward worshippers, is a popular event that draws large crowds. The men and women of the year are those born under the same zodiac sign as the current year, and the practice rests on the idea that people standing in an auspicious year should be the ones to distribute good fortune. Behind the honor traditionally attached to being among the throwers lies the understanding that they have been entrusted with the power to dispel misfortune.

The Tsuina Rite and Karo-sai of Yoshida Shrine The Setsubun festival of Yoshida Shrine in Kyoto is known for preserving a form close to the ancient rite. On the evening of the day before Setsubun, the tsuina rite, popularly called oniyarai, is performed at the dance hall before the main sanctuary, where the hososhi appears in a mask with four golden eyes, accompanied by attendants bearing torches, and drives the plague demons away. Late on the night of Setsubun itself, the karo-sai is conducted at a great fire pit set before the third torii gate, where old talismans that have been returned to the shrine are burned. The distinctive character of this shrine's observance lies in the way the vestige of court ceremony and the popular sense of sending off the old year by fire stand side by side in a single sequence.

Fuku wa Uchi Alone at Naritasan Shinshoji The Setsubun rite at Naritasan Shinshoji in Chiba Prefecture is distinguished by its chant. Here the phrase demons out is not spoken at all, and only fortune in is repeated. This is said to rest on the understanding that even demons undergo a change of heart in the presence of the principal image, Fudo Myoo, so that there is no need to drive them away, and it shows how the manner of observance can differ according to the content of faith at each institution even within the same festival. In the fortune-inviting bean-throwing that follows the goma fire ritual, the men of the year take part, wearing tsuina robes as they throw.

Ehomaki This is the custom of facing the lucky direction of the year and eating a thick sushi roll whole and uncut, in silence, from beginning to end. In Osaka it is said to have been seen as a household custom from around the 1910s, and after the war a trade association of Osaka seaweed wholesalers carried out activities to promote it. Commercial expansion followed after a convenience store chain began selling the rolls at some outlets in Osaka and Hyogo in 1983, and as other chains followed suit the custom took hold beyond the Kansai region during the 2010s. It is an interesting case of a local custom carried to nationwide currency by distribution networks, and thus of relatively recent transmission.

Hiiragi-Iwashi and Sardines Chiefly in western Japan there is a custom of displaying at the doorway a hiiragi-iwashi, the grilled head of a sardine skewered on a holly branch. It is said to rest on the idea that the thorns of the holly pierce the demon's eyes while the smoke and smell of the grilling sardine keep the demon from approaching. Some households also grill and eat the sardines themselves, and where bean-throwing repels evil through sound and motion, this practice pursues the same end through thorn and odor, showing the breadth of thinking behind protective charms.

Event Information and Access

The date each year is the day before Risshun. In most years this is February 3, but because the date of Risshun shifts slightly from year to year, there are years in which Setsubun falls on February 2 or February 4. That the date is not fixed is itself an expression of the fact that Setsubun is governed by calendrical calculation.

The venues extend across the whole country. In homes each household performs its own bean-throwing, while temples and shrines hold setsubun-e. Alongside Yoshida Shrine in Kyoto and Naritasan Shinshoji in Chiba, large-scale events take place at renowned temples and shrines in many regions.

The content of the observance differs by institution. Some perform the tsuina rite according to ancient forms, some center on lucky-bean throwing with invited celebrities, and some combine rites that use fire, so that the structure varies considerably even within the same festival.

Methods of participation are not uniform either. Taking part as one of the throwers may require advance application and an offering, and the number of places and the conditions differ by institution. Those who wish to participate should check the guidance of each temple or shrine well in advance.

Preparation for crowds is necessary. Popular events gather large numbers of worshippers, and the surrounding roads and transport services become congested. Using public transportation and allowing ample time are recommended.

For the latest details, please consult the official announcements of each temple or shrine. Dates, times, event content, and conditions of participation can change from year to year, and official guidance is the reliable source, including on whether an event will be held at all.

Nearby Attractions

Because Setsubun observances take place at temples and shrines all over the country, visitors can enjoy them in various ways depending on the region. Attending the setsubun-e of a renowned institution offers contact with the history and faith of that locality, and the seasonal event can be enjoyed together with nearby sightseeing and food. In Kyoto, shrines and temples cluster around Yoshida Shrine, while in Narita the approach to the temple can be walked alongside its long line of shops.

The period around Risshun is also when the first news of plum blossoms begins to be heard, and in some regions one can enjoy touring famous plum-viewing spots. Although the cold is at its most severe, the observance can be savored together with the winter character of each region as a seasonal event that hints at the coming of spring.

Food is another pleasure of the season. Shops selling ehomaki prepare their offerings for the day, and some restaurants serve sardines. Tasting the local foods of Setsubun after attending an event brings home the realization that a single observance has taken different forms from place to place.

Related Information

Setsubun is one of Japan's representative annual observances, a rite of warding off misfortune and inviting good fortune that is bound to the calendrical juncture of Risshun.

While derived from the court tsuina, over its long history it spread outward into the bean-throwing of ordinary households and the setsubun-e of temples and shrines.

As the tradition that the hososhi turned from pursuer into pursued suggests, the meaning of the ritual has shifted with the passing of the ages.

Customs of relatively recent nationwide spread, such as ehomaki, have also become part of Setsubun today.

Regional differences are considerable, from hiiragi-iwashi to the use of peanuts, and the observance does not fit into any single mold.

Please note that there are regional variations and competing theories concerning the origins, the meanings attached to them, the manner of bean-throwing, and customs such as ehomaki, and that this article offers an overview of general features seen nationwide. Because the specific date and the content of each institution's events differ by year and place, please check the latest information before attending.

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