Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival)

What Is Setsubun?

Setsubun literally means "seasonal division" and traditionally referred to the day before each of the four seasonal turning points in the old lunar calendar: the first days of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Since the Edo period, the eve of Risshun (the first day of spring, around February 3) has become the most important of these, marking the night before a new year of growth begins after the harsh winter. Through rituals such as bean-throwing, Setsubun is a traditional turning point for driving away the evil spirits (oni, or "demons") that are believed to gather at seasonal boundaries, and for welcoming good fortune instead.

Why Throw Beans?

Since ancient times, beans have been believed to hold life force and the power to ward off evil. The custom is also tied to a wordplay: "mame" (beans) sounds like "ma wo messuru" (to destroy evil). Using roasted soybeans called fukumame ("lucky beans"), families developed the custom of driving away demons. At night, the head of the household or a family member born in that year's zodiac animal throws beans while chanting "Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!" ("Demons out, good fortune in!"). Afterward, everyone eats one bean for each year of their age, plus one extra, to pray for good health throughout the year.

What the "Demons" Really Represent

The "oni" of Setsubun symbolize invisible misfortunes such as disasters, epidemics, and famine. In modern times, people also imagine the oni as their own inner struggles -- laziness, anger, or worry. Throwing beans is therefore both a ritual to keep external misfortune away and a way to purify one's own heart, preparing for a fresh and clear-minded spring.

The Wish Behind Ehomaki (Lucky Direction Sushi Rolls)

In recent years, a custom that has spread nationwide is eating ehomaki, a thick uncut sushi roll. People face the "ehou" -- the lucky direction determined by the position of the year's guardian deity (Toshitokujin) -- and eat the entire roll in silence while making a wish. The roll is left uncut "so as not to cut off good fortune," and is often filled with seven ingredients representing the Seven Lucky Gods, symbolizing wishes for business prosperity and a safe, happy household.

Hiiragi Iwashi: The Holly and Sardine Charm

Besides bean-throwing and ehomaki, many households decorate their entrances with "hiiragi iwashi" -- a sprig of holly (hiiragi) skewered through the head of a roasted sardine (iwashi). The pungent smell of the grilled sardine head and the sharp spines of the holly leaves are believed to keep demons from entering the house. This old custom, regardless of its scientific basis, shows how seriously and carefully Japanese ancestors worked to protect their families' health and well-being.

Ways to Enjoy Setsubun

• Mamemaki (bean-throwing): Drive bad luck out of the house while chanting "Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!" ("Demons out, good fortune in!")
• Ehomaki: Face this year's lucky direction and eat a whole sushi roll in silence to keep good fortune from "escaping."
• Fukucha (lucky tea): Pour hot water over the beans used in mamemaki, along with pickled plum (umeboshi) and salted kelp, and drink it while wishing for a safe year ahead.
• Warding off bad luck: Join large bean-throwing events held at shrines and temples to shed misfortune.
• Seasonal foods: Eat "Risshun Daikichi Tofu" (a special blessed tofu) or konnyaku (konjac jelly) to "clean out" the body.

Preparing Your Heart for a New Season

The day after Setsubun is Risshun, the first day of spring according to the traditional calendar. In a sense, Setsubun plays the role of a "New Year's Eve" for the seasons. By tidying up your surroundings and enjoying these traditional customs, you can reset the fatigue and stagnation that built up over winter. Honoring such turning points helps bring rhythm to daily life and lets us greet tomorrow with renewed energy.

Tips for Enjoying Setsubun

• Look up this year's lucky direction (ehou) with a compass or app, and enjoy ehomaki together with your family.
• Write down the "demon" you most want to drive out of your own heart, and imagine throwing it away along with the beans.
• After bean-throwing, sweep up the scattered beans while thinking ahead to spring -- for example, planning your seasonal wardrobe change.
• Visit a local shrine's bean-throwing event to experience the lively energy of Japanese tradition firsthand.

Come, Good Fortune. Come, Spring.

Setsubun is the "eve" that ushers in a hopeful spring after a harsh winter. The sound of beans being thrown, smiling faces enjoying ehomaki, and time spent talking with family -- all of these draw good fortune closer. On February 3, why not call out "Fuku wa uchi!" ("Good fortune, come in!") from the heart, wishing happiness for yourself and the people you love?