Mythical Creatures of Japan
In February, the Japanese hold a rather unique, informal ceremony at their homes called Setsubun. This involves the members of the family getting together and scattering beans around the house to drive away demons and evil spirits. One or two of the members of the household - usually the unlucky dad, for example - is chosen to be the demon. He puts on an oni mask (explained below) and runs around the house, making sure to hit each room, while the rest of the family pelts him with handfuls of dry soybeans, chanting "Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi," or "demons out, good luck in!"
After the pelting is done, each member of the family has to eat a number of soybeans equivalent to their age. They actually taste pretty good; a little dry, but a bottle of beer helps them go down smoothly! Then, of course, unlucky dad has to go around and clean up all the soybeans lying on the floor.
Families may also visit the nearby shrine or temple on setsubun for the mamemaki or bean-throwing. People from the local community -- often business or local government leaders, or males whose Chinese birth signs are the same as the current year (e.g. this year is the Rabbit) -- dress as samurai and such and toss candy and small toys from the temple out into the waiting crowd.
Since we just had setsubun last month, and since I notice that there are some topics now on Suite101 about Magickal Beings and Folktales, I thought this month I'd feature some of these Japan's magical critters, the "demons" and other imaginative figures that often appear in folktales, legends and proverbs. You can easily find them in illustrated books, paintings and folk art.
Most of Japan's gods and demons come from Buddhism or the native Shintoism, which focuses on nature/ancestor worship, usually combining the two skillfully. For example, mountains may be worshipped as housing the spirits of gods, and a large tree or interesting rock may be thought to house the spirit of a family (or more accurately, clan) ancestor, thus that rock or tree might be used as a shrine for offerings, etc.
There are, however, some figures quite apart from the gods and Shinto spirits that have nonetheless worked their way into the Japanese collective psyche, in much the same way Europeans know of werewolves, ghosts, vampires, and other boogie men. Here are some of the best-known figures, with their Western equivalents in parentheses next to their names.
Latest Articles