A day ago I posted and overview of Setsubun which was yesterday. Go read about it if you haven't. It's a fun event involving kids fighting demons with soybeans. It is the day before the first day of spring on the old calendar.
On another Setsubun in 1819, our pal Issa wrote:
我国は子供も鬼を追ひにけり
waga kuni wa kodomo mo oni wo oi ni keri
in my country
the children also
chase demons
—Issa
“Young Man Throwing Beans at Setsubun” by Suzuki Harunobu
He is referring to the bean-throwing event (mamemaki, 豆撒き) on Setsubun where people throw soybeans to rid the house of demons while yelling "Demon out, good luck in!" You might imagine that kids love this event.
Typically the father of the household will dress up as a demon (or just wear a mask) and will chase the kids while they throw beans at him. Issa was a kid at heart, so we might imagine he really got into the event.
It really is fun to watch the kids get into it. Issa again:
闇がりへ鬼追出して笑ひ哉
kuragari e oni oi-dashite warai kana
into darkness
expelling the demons
while laughing
That pains a lovely scene. And who can blame the kids, eh? I didn't grow up with this event, but I can easily imagine how much I would have loved it if I had grown up with it. How often do kids get to run around throwing things?
After it's over, there is quite a mess as you might imagine. But the job of cleaning often falls to the parents.
Issa again:
鬼の出た跡はき出してあぐら哉
oni no deta ato hakidashite agura kana
after the demons leave
I sweep up and sit
relaxed
As much as we enjoy playing with the kids and watching them have fun, it is a pleasure to sit down and relax afterwards. These days afterwards we might then move on to another tradition, this time a modern one, and eat a sushi roll quietly while looking in the lucky direction for the year. In Issa's day they didn't have the sushi roll tradition yet. Probably he just sat down and relaxed with some tea and soybeans.
A very similar one, but describing maybe after they go to bed:
鬼の出た跡へ先さす月夜哉
oni no deta ato e saki sasu tsuki yo kana
after the demon
are gone...
moonlit night
I don't know the system well enough to say if it always falls on a full moon, but it was close to a full moon this year, so maybe it was when Issa wrote the above. I suppose I could check—he wrote the above in 1819 on setsubun, which usually falls either on Feb 2-4. That has to be a ChatGPT question if I ever saw one. Hmm...one moment.... and the answer is
Without more information it is difficult to say, but I can estimate it was between late January and early February.
Geez, sounds like Data from Star Trek... Anyway, there we go. So Issa was probably looking at either a full moon or close to a full moon.
I might add one of my own:
saved again
this year too
little demon hunters
My kids really enjoyed the event as well, as I'm sure many kids around the country did. We should be thankful Japan raises such good demon hunters!
| David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. |
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