The Roving Ronin Report

Fireworks and devils! Cool festival event in Noboribetsu in Hokkaido were Oni (Japanese devils) carry tubes that shoot fiery sparks high into the sky. The origin of the festival goes back to the misty past of a few years ago in an effort to drum up tourism. Works for me. Oni Hanabi goes on for about two months from June to the second week of August every Thursday and Friday starting at 8:30pm and lasting about 30 minutes.

Setsubun is a Japanese Spring Ritual where on the 3rd of February Japanese drive bad luck in the form of devils from their homes. At many temples and shrines throughout Japan, Setsubun activities take place. At Ishite-ji Temple in Matsuyama city on the island of Shikoku they have an interesting twist on the typical Setsubun activity of driving away devils. Usually on Setsubun devils known as Oni are driven away by beans thrown at them. Japanese say at the same time "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" which means "devils out, good luck in!" At Ishite-ji Temple, the devils actually bring the good luck to people in the shape of bamboo staffs that they use to beat people lightly in a rhythmic cadence. The staff they use is a variation of a keisaku stick which is used in meditation sessions of Zen Buddhism. Keisaku is a "warning stick" wielded by a Zen priest known as a Jikijitsu who is in charge of the zazen meditation sessions at Zen Temples. If a st...

Japanese Devils Scare the Laziness out of Kids Namahage – Japanese Devils with a Strong Work Ethic Namahage – the bane of lazy children “ Twas the night before my skinning…” Imagine you were a young child living in the Northwestern part of Japan on the small peninsula of Oga. It’s the holiday season and instead of waiting eagerly for fat jolly old elf with a sack full of toys to bring you presents, you’re dreading the arrival of a bunch of hairy scary devils with a handful of butcher knives who threaten to peel off your skin if you’ve have been lazy all year. It makes the lump of coal Santa Claus leaves with naughty children pale in comparison. If you can get your head around that, perhaps you can understand this bizarre bit of psychological child abuse known as the Namahage. Part of the Oga Welcoming Committee Namahage come in a variety of shapes and colors throughout Oga The Namahage are Japanese devils who visit villages on the Oga peninsula every New Year’s Eve. They wear s...