color woodcut, ink, paper, 23.5x28.5 cm, artist's signature
Setsubun is a holiday to say goodbye to winter and symbolically prepare for the arrival of spring's warmer days. According to Onmyoudou, a type of religious cosmology based on astrology and observation of nature, the day before the change of season was supposed to be unlucky. It was believed that with it came negative energy in the form of Oni demons. To protect against them, purification rituals were performed. Japanese demons are usually depicted as troll-like beings with horns. They have colorful skin, red, blue or green. Their trademark is a hip band made of fur and a studded mace. By nature, they are evil, menacing and dangerous. In order to scare away the demons and carry out purification, beans are thrown at them. According to tradition, on Setsubun evening, the family gathers to throw the beans in front of the entrance to the house while calling out "Oni ha soto, fuku ha uchi," which means "Demons outside, happiness inside."
