Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū (石清水八幡宮) in Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture, is hosting its annual Oni yarai hito (鬼やらい人) or “driving out demons” festival today.
Chronological order of the “Driving out Demons” matsuri:
After the Shinto priest and staff gathered in front of the Honden (本殿), the sacred peach bow was symbolically shot towards the four lucky directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest), as well as this year’s lucky direction, south-southeast. This was followed by striking a budding peach branch in the same directions.
Then, four “demons” (Oni yarai hito - 鬼やらい人) entered the grounds, shouting and attempting to scare the children. The demons then tried to overrun the Shinto clergy, who defended themselves by throwing “Lucky beans” (Fukumame - 福豆) at them while shouting “Demons out! Luck in!” (鬼は外! 福は内! Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!).
The demons were driven out, and then the real fun began with the “Lucky beans” (Fukumame - 福豆) game, where the beans were thrown towards the eagerly awaiting crowd.
Canon EOS 60D
January 31, 2016
Setsubun at Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū, Yawata, Kyoto-fu. #kyoto #yawata #iwashimizuhachimangu #石清水八幡宮 #setsubun #節分 #japan #risshun #立春 #mamemaki #豆撒き #shinto #matsuri #festival
