The Roving Ronin Report

Setsubun at Nagata Shrine in Kobe. Setsubun is a spring exorcism ritual on February 3rd which used to be on the old Chinese New Year's Eve. Bad luck in the form of devils (oni) are driven away with a handful of tossed beans. At Nagata Shrine though the oni are actually the good guys and they drive away evil with fire and sword. The men who are to perform the ceremony prepare themselves with fasting and purification rituals such as misogi. Misogi is plunging into cold water to cleanse one's self body and soul. Tsuina Shiki or Oniyari is the exorcism ritual to drive away evil and disaster. Nagata Shrine is unique in that oni perform the ritual. This particular ritual is believed to be over 500 years old. These two particular oni are known for their healing properties. They will touch their temples then lay their hands on a person to heal them and protect them. Sickness is part of the evil that oni drive away.  In olden days sicknesses was just a...

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.