Week 1
Discussion
The Advent of Spring
Bean-Casting Holiday
What is Setsubun?
In Japan's traditional lunar calendar--before Japan's adaptation of the Gregorian calendar in 1873--the beginning of the year corresponded with the beginning of spring (haru). But "spring" in Japan isn't the same as "spring" in the West, though the two overlap. In the West, spring begins with the vernal equinox. Japan's haru marks the beginning of the lunar year which is usually Feb. 3 or 4. This year, it is on Feb. 4, 2024. That first day of haru is called risshun, The day before risshun has special significance.
This week's painting subject is setsubun (literally: seasonal division). The word was originally used to mark the last day of each season, but over time, it has come to be used almost exclusively to refer to the last day before the beginning of haru; i.e., it is the last day of winter (fuyu). Since haru this year begins on Feb. 4, Setsubun will be celebrated on Feb. 3, 2024. Setsubun is not an official, government declared holiday, but it is a widely celebrated cultural holiday or festival.
Based on traditions going back more than a thousand years, Setsubun (the one before haru) is dedicated to casting out ills that have accumulated over the past year and invite in good fortune for the new year, In a rough sense, Setubun is like Halloween. Christian tradition has it that Nov. 1, All Hallows Day, is the holiest day of the year. Halloween (All Hallows Eve) is the opposite.
The ills being cast out during the Setsubun festival are represented by oni (demons) like the one in this ukiyo-e by Totoya Hokkei (1780 – 1850) titled An Oni Preparing to Write in an Account Book (1830). The poetry is supposed to be humorous.
Hokkei originally studied painting in the Kanō school of art, but later became one of the first students accepted by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849).
Setsubun Rituals
It was believed that the world was most susceptible to evil during the transition between seasons, with the transition from winter to spring being the most dangerous. That is why that particular setsubun became the annual focus for ridding the world of oni. Rituals based on imported Chinese customs arose. Oni were driven away by the strong small of dried sardine heads, burning wood smoke, and loud drum noises. Most of these practices have fallen away, but some people still place fish heads mounted on holly tree branches at entrances to their homes.
A 15th century story told of oni appearing on Kyōto’s Mount Kurama and being driven away by throwing roasted soy beans at them, striking them in their eyes. Eventually, mamemaki (bean throwing) became the prime activity during Setsubun. The roasted soy beans thrown are called fukumame (lucky beans). Families do mamemaki in their homes. Kids may do the throwing at fathers wearing oni masks.
While throwing fukumame, one is supposed to shout “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!” (Out with devils, in with good fortune!). Afterwards, the beans are gathered, and people are supposed to eat as many as their age in years, plus one for good luck.
The 1890 print below by an unknown artist memorializes mamemaki.
In the photo above showing the kids throwing beans at their father with the oni mask in front of his face, note that the kids are holding wooden boxes containing the beans. To make preparations for mamemaki easy, stores sell kits with the wooden boxes, fukumame beans, and oni masks.
Much more elaborate oni masks are available if one wants to be fancy.
Another Setsubun practice is to eat ehomaki, special sushi rolls. It was traditional for families to make them themselves, but those, too, have gone commercial.
Ehomaki are the same as maki sushi, except that ehomaki are not sliced. Here is what maki sushi normally look like. The ingredients in the center can vary.
Ehomaki are eaten whole during Setsubun, not sliced, while remaining silent and facing in a lucky direction. The lucky direction varies based on the year. If the rules are not followed, the luck will leak away.
Public Setsubun Festivals
Setsubun rituals are not reserved for homes, work places, and schools. Though practices vary from place to place, many temples and shrines celebrate the occasion before crowds. Some are hugely popular.
Rozan-ji in Kyōto is a Buddhist temple known especially for its setsubun festival. Among the events there is the oni-odori (devil dance).
At Kyōto's Yoshida Jinja (Shintō shrine), the Setsubun festival lasts three days with the main event occurring on Setsubun. Roughly 800 stalls line the path to the shrine. The event typically draws roughly 500,000 visitors.
Another popular public Setsubun event occurs at Ikegami Honmonji [Buddhist] Temple in one of Tōkyō's southern suburbs.
Here and at other pubic events, celebrities participate, geisha, kabuki actors, sumō wrestlers, etc. They cast fukumame into the crowd where it is considered lucky to catch one. There are many other events, like Japanese court music and dance, traditional poetry reading (imayō), and shishimai (lion dances). Public setsubun festivals are memorable occasions.
Haiga
My Setsubun painting is a haiga, a combination of a painting along with a haiku poem written by Seigyo, a contemporary Japanese poet. The poem is a reference to the practice of placing fish heads mounted on holly branches at the entrance of houses during setsubun.
Setsubun Ukiyo-e
Setsubun is memorialized in ukiyo-e, too. This print, produced in 1767 or 8 is by Susuki Harunobu (1725 – 1770), the first person to apply multi-color print technology to producing ukiyo-e. See the oni running out and the good fortune entering.
