Raging demons, crying children, and tons of beans, beans, beans! 　Senzoin Temple holds the parade of ogres parade and bean-throwing ceremony.

こちらの記事は、「猛る鬼達　泣く子ども達　境内に散らばるは大量の豆 　長岡市千蔵院で恒例の鬼行列・豆まき式行われる」の英語版になります。

February 3 is called Setsubun in Japan. It’s a traditional holiday to celebrate the coming of spring in Japan. Some shrines and temples have resumed bean-throwing ceremonies this year after two years of self-restraint in order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. At Senzoin Temple (Seikou Morohashi, chief priest) in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, a demon parade and bean-throwing ceremony was held, and the temple grounds were crowded with people eager to participate in the bean-throwing ceremony.

From the worship reception building, the sound of heavy drumming of drums (dong-dong) was accompanied by a yell of “ooooh”. Children’s cries could be heard from everywhere in the grounds as brightly colored ogres in black, red, green, and other colors appeared. The ogres sometimes intimidated the people gathered in the precincts of the temple, and then headed directly toward the temple grounds through the approach to the temple. In the main hall of the temple, the New Year’s men and women who were to sow beans that day were praying by Seikou Morohashi, the temple’s chief priest, and others.

After that, the ogres climbed up to the upstairs where the beans were to be sown, and appeared again in front of the people waiting outside for the bean-throwing ceremony, before disappearing into the back of the building.

After ogres disappear from sight, an attendant gives a brief explanation, and finally the bean-throwing ceremony begins.

After chanting “Fuku wa uchi – Fuku wa uchi -, Oni wa soto -, Oni wa soto -, Ebisu daikoku Fuku no kami,” the beans were thrown four times, eight at a time, by the scatter men and women, and the participants in the hall were all eager to pick up the beans.

A 39-year-old man from Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, who participated in this event with his family for the first time, said with satisfaction that he and his 7- and 3-year-old children “picked up a lot of beans. In Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, bean-throwing ceremonies were also held at Hirakata Shrine, Koukokuji Temple, and so on.