Setsubun in Japan: Bean Throwing, Oni and Ehomaki Explained

What Setsubun means

The word setsubun literally means seasonal division. In the old calendar it referred to the day before the start of each of the four seasons, but today it almost always means the one in February, the eve of risshun, when spring officially begins in the traditional calendar.

Because the change of season was believed to be a time when evil spirits could slip in, Setsubun became a day for purification. That is the background to the beans, the demon masks and the charms by the front door. For the wider calendar of seasonal events and greetings, see the post on seasonal greetings and yearly events.

Mamemaki at home and the famous chant

Mamemaki at home is usually done in the evening. Someone, often a parent, puts on a paper oni mask, and the others throw roasted soybeans at them while shouting. The beans are also tossed out of the front door or windows, which are then shut quickly so the bad luck cannot come back in.

The beans are roasted soybeans called fuku-mame, fortune beans, and they are often sold in small packets with a cardboard oni mask included. Some families place them in a square wooden box called a masu first. Roasted beans are used because raw beans that sprout from a crack in the floor were thought to be unlucky.

Note the particle wa in the chant: oni wa soto contrasts the two halves, demons are for outside, fortune is for inside. Learners sometimes say oni o soto, which is not the fixed phrase anyone shouts.

Regional variations and tidier beans

Customs vary. In some regions, including Hokkaido and parts of Tohoku, people throw peanuts in their shells rather than soybeans, because they are easier to find in the snow and can be eaten without washing. Many families in apartments now throw only a few beans and pick them up straight away.

A few shrines and families traditionally avoid shouting oni wa soto, for example where the family name contains the character for oni or where oni are treated as protective figures. Instead they may say fuku wa uchi, oni mo uchi, fortune in and demons in too. You are unlikely to need this yourself, but it is a nice detail to recognise.

Eating beans by age

After the throwing, people eat some of the beans for good health. The usual rule is to eat as many as your age, and many people add one extra. The extra bean reflects kazoedoshi, the old way of counting age in which a baby is already one year old at birth and everyone gains a year at the new year.

Older relatives sometimes joke that eating their share of beans is the hardest part of the day. Some families make fuku-cha instead: a few beans in a cup of hot tea, which counts as eating them.

Ehōmaki and the lucky direction

Ehōmaki is a thick, uncut sushi roll eaten on Setsubun. The custom is to face the year's ehō, the lucky direction, and eat the whole roll without stopping or talking, while making a wish. Cutting it is avoided because it would symbolically cut off good fortune or relationships.

The custom has strong roots in the Osaka area and spread across Japan in recent decades, helped a great deal by convenience stores and supermarkets. In late January you will see posters, pre-orders and many variations, from seafood rolls to sweet roll cakes. The lucky direction changes every year, and shops usually print it on the packaging.

At kindergartens, schools and shrines

Setsubun is a big event at nurseries and kindergartens. Children make oni masks in class, and a teacher or a volunteer parent bursts in dressed as an oni. The children throw beans or paper balls, and some of the youngest end up in tears, which is part of the story every year.

Many shrines and temples hold public mamemaki. People born in the current zodiac year, toshi-otoko and toshi-onna, throw beans or small packets from a stage, and at famous temples the throwers can include wrestlers, actors or local celebrities. Visitors stretch out their hands or hold up bags to catch the lucky packets. It can be crowded, so keep belongings close. The post on temple and shrine etiquette covers general manners for these places.

Other Setsubun customs and small talk

Some households hang a hiiragi iwashi at the entrance: a sprig of holly with a grilled sardine head on it. The sharp leaves and the smell are said to keep oni away. It is less common in cities today, but you may see it in rural areas or at shops that keep traditions.

Setsubun is also a good small-talk topic in early February. Asking whether someone did mamemaki, or which ehōmaki they bought, is light and friendly with colleagues and neighbours alike.