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[[File:Straw namahage.2.jpg|thumb|Namahage costumes]]
[[File:Straw namahage.2.jpg|thumb|Namahage costumes]]
[[File:Namahage.jpg|thumb|A dancing drummer wearing a Namahage costume, performed Namahage-Daiko in [[Akita Station]].]]
[[File:Namahage.jpg|thumb|A dancing drummer wearing a Namahage costume, performed Namahage-Daiko in [[Akita Station]].]]
{{nihongo|'''Namahage'''|生剥}}<ref>{{Harvnb|Yamamoto|1978}}, ''The Namahage'', p.9, 35</ref> in traditional [[Japanese folklore]] is a demonlike being, portrayed by men wearing hefty [[oni]] (ogre) masks and traditional straw capes (''[[mino (straw cape)|mino]]'') during a New Year's ritual<ref name=bocking>{{Harvnb|Bocking|1998}}, ''Shinto Dict.'', p.98</ref> of the [[Oga Peninsula]]<ref name=heibonsha>{{Harvnb|Heibonsha|1969}}, vol. 17, p.46, article on Namahage by Makita, Shigeru (牧田茂)</ref> area of [[Akita Prefecture]] in northern [[Honshū]], Japan.<ref>{{Harvnb|Yamamoto|1978}}, ''The Namahage'', p.13, passim.</ref>
{{nihongo|'''Namahage'''|生剥}}<ref>{{harvp|Yamamoto|1978}}, ''The Namahage'', pp. 9, 35</ref> in traditional [[Japanese folklore]] is a demonlike being, portrayed by men wearing hefty [[oni]] (ogre) masks and traditional straw capes (''[[mino (straw cape)|mino]]'') during a New Year's ritual<ref name=bocking/> of the [[Oga Peninsula]]<ref name=heibonsha/> area of [[Akita Prefecture]] in northern [[Honshū]], Japan.<ref>{{harvp|Yamamoto|1978}}, ''The Namahage'', p. 13 and passim.</ref>


The frightfully dressed men, armed with [[Deba knife|deba knives]] (albeit wooden fakes<ref name=heibonsha/> or made of [[papier-mâché]]) and toting a {{Nihongo3|"hand pail" made of wood|手桶|teoke}},<ref name=bocking/> march in pairs or threes going door-to-door making rounds of people's homes, admonishing children who may be guilty of laziness or bad behavior,<ref name=bocking/> yelling phrases like {{Nihongo|"Are there any crybabies around?"|泣く子はいねがぁ|Nakuko wa inee gā?}}<ref name=shincho>{{cite journal|ref=harv|author=|title=秋田県男鹿市の民俗行事「なまはげ」の由来|journal=Shūkan Shinchō|volume=41|number=1|year=1996|format=snippet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h9rlAAAAIAAJ}}, p.40 "「ウォー、泣く子いねがあ」; "鬼どもに一夜のうちに村から五社堂まで一千段の石段を築くこと、という条件を出す。石段が完成する直前に、村人が一番鶏の.."</ref> or {{Nihongo|"Are naughty kids around?"|悪い子はいねえか|Waruiko wa inee ka?}} in the pronunciation and accent of the local dialect.
The frightfully dressed men, armed with [[Deba knife|deba knives]] (albeit wooden fakes<ref name=heibonsha/> or made of [[papier-mâché]]) and toting a {{Nihongo3|"hand pail" made of wood|手桶|teoke}},<ref name=bocking/> march in pairs or threes going door-to-door making rounds of people's homes, admonishing children who may be guilty of laziness or bad behavior,<ref name=bocking/> yelling phrases like {{Nihongo|"Are there any crybabies around?"|泣く子はいねがぁ|Nakuko wa inee gā?}}<ref name=shincho/> or {{Nihongo|"Are naughty kids around?"|悪い子はいねえか|Waruiko wa inee ka?}} in the pronunciation and accent of the local dialect.


==Older tradition==
==Older tradition==
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===Season===
===Season===
The namahage visits nowadays take place on New Year's Eve<ref name=shogakkan>{{cite book|title=日本大百科全書|volume=1|publisher=Shogakkan|year=1984|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WlAEAAAAYAAJ|isbn=9784095260013}}, under "Akita", p.177</ref> (using the Western calendar). But it used to be practiced on the so-called {{Nihongo|"Little New Year"|[[:ja:小正月|小正月]]|[[Koshōgatsu]]}},<ref name=heibonsha/> the first full moon night of the year. This is the 15th day of the first lunar calendrical year, which is not the same thing as January 15;<ref>Though January 15 is stated by {{Harvnb|Greene|2005}}, p.57, and a number of other sources without proper explanation</ref> it usually falls around mid-February, exactly two weeks after the [[Chinese New Year]] ({{lang-ja|Kyūshogatsu|script=Latn}}).
The namahage visits nowadays take place on New Year's Eve<ref name=shogakkan>{{citation|title=Akita |script-work=ja:日本大百科全書 |work=Nihon daihyakka zensho |volume=1 |publisher=Shogakkan |year=1984 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WlAEAAAAYAAJ |page=177 |isbn=978-4-095-26001-3}}</ref> (using the Western calendar). But it used to be practiced on the so-called {{Nihongo|"Little New Year"|[[:ja:小正月|小正月]]|[[Koshōgatsu]]}},<ref name=heibonsha/> the first full moon night of the year. This is the 15th day of the first lunar calendrical year, which is not the same thing as January 15;<ref>Though January 15 is stated by {{harvp|Greene|2005}}, p. 57, and a number of other sources without proper explanation</ref> it usually falls around mid-February, exactly two weeks after the [[Chinese New Year]] ({{lang-ja|Kyūshogatsu|script=Latn}}).


===Etymology===
===Etymology===
The namahage's purpose was to admonish laggards who sit around the fire idly doing nothing useful.<ref name=heibonsha/><ref name=demente>{{cite book|ref=harv|last=De Mente|first=Boye|title=Everything Japanese|publisher=Passport Books|year=1989|format=snippet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z5BwAAAAMAAJ}}, p.80.</ref> One of the refrains used by the namahage in the olden days was {{Nihongo|"Blisters peeled yet?"|なもみコ剝げたかよ|namomi ko hagetaka yo}}.<ref name=heibonsha/> ''Namomi'' signifies heat blisters, or more precisely {{Nihongo|''hidako''|火だこ|hidako}} ([[Erythema ab igne]] or EAI), a rashlike condition caused by overexposure to fire, from sitting by the dugout [[irori]] hearth. Thus "fire rash peeling" is generally believed to be the derivation of the name ''namahage''.<ref name=demente/>
The namahage's purpose was to admonish laggards who sit around the fire idly doing nothing useful.<ref name=heibonsha/><ref name=demente>{{cite book|ref=harv|last=De Mente|first=Boye|title=Everything Japanese|publisher=Passport Books|year=1989|format=snippet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z5BwAAAAMAAJ}}, p.80.</ref> One of the refrains used by the namahage in the olden days was {{Nihongo|"Blisters peeled yet?"|なもみコ剝げたかよ|namomi ko hagetaka yo}}.<ref name=heibonsha/> ''Namomi'' signifies heat blisters, or more precisely {{Nihongo|''hidako''|火だこ|hidako}} ([[Erythema ab igne]] or EAI), a rashlike condition caused by overexposure to fire, from sitting by the dugout [[irori]] hearth. Thus "fire rash peeling" is generally believed to be the derivation of the name ''namahage''.<ref name=demente/>


Some of the namahage's other spoken lines of old were {{Nihongo|"Knife whetted yet?"|包丁コとげたかよ|hōchōko togetaka yo}}<ref name=heibonsha/> and {{Nihongo|"Boiled adzuki beans done yet?"|小豆コ煮えたかよ|azuki ko nietaka yo}}.<ref name=heibonsha/> The knife apparently signified the instrument to peel the blisters,<ref>{{Harvnb|Akita Prefecture|2003}} (website)</ref> and it was customary to have azuki gruel on the "Little New Year".<ref>{{cite journal|ref=harv|last=Hasegawa|first=Kai (長谷川櫂)|title=Time in Saijiki|journal=Japan Review|volume=14|year=2002|format=pdf|url=http://shikon.nichibun.ac.jp/dspace/handle/123456789/1454|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.is/20120721152826/http://shikon.nichibun.ac.jp/dspace/handle/123456789/1454|archivedate=2012-07-21}}, p.168 ([google snippet https://books.google.com/books?id=9Pg-AQAAIAAJ])</ref>
Some of the namahage's other spoken lines of old were {{Nihongo|"Knife whetted yet?"|包丁コとげたかよ|hōchōko togetaka yo}}<ref name=heibonsha/> and {{Nihongo|"Boiled adzuki beans done yet?"|小豆コ煮えたかよ|azuki ko nietaka yo}}.<ref name=heibonsha/> The knife apparently signified the instrument to peel the blisters,<ref>{{harvp|Akita Prefecture|2003}} (website)</ref> and it was customary to have azuki gruel on the "Little New Year".<ref>{{cite journal|ref=harv|last=Hasegawa |first=Kai |authorlink=:ja:長谷川櫂 |title=Time in Saijiki |journal=Japan Review |volume=14 |year=2002 |url=https://nichibun.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=275&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1 |page=168 |jstor=25791260}}</ref>


Although the ''namahage'' are nowadays conceived of as a type of ''[[Oni (folklore)|oni]]'' or ogre, it was originally a custom where youngsters impersonated the [[kami]] who made visitations during the New Year's season.<ref name=heibonsha/> Thus it is a kind of [[toshigami]].
Although the ''namahage'' are nowadays conceived of as a type of ''[[Oni (folklore)|oni]]'' or ogre, it was originally a custom where youngsters impersonated the [[kami]] who made visitations during the New Year's season.<ref name=heibonsha/> Thus it is a kind of [[toshigami]].
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==Legend==
==Legend==
<!--{{References|date=May 2012}}-->
<!--{{References|date=May 2012}}-->
The legend of the Namahage varies according to an area. An Akita legend has developed regarding the origins of namahage, that [[Emperor Wu of Han]] (d. 87 BC) from China came to Japan bringing five demonic ''[[oni]]'' to the Oga area, and the ''oni'' established quarters in the two local high peaks, {{Nihongo|Honzan|本山}} and {{Nihongo|Shinzan|真山}}. These ''oni'' stole crops and young women from Oga's villages.<ref name=shogakkan/><ref name=akitaken>{{Harvnb|Akita Prefecture|2003}}, Namahage wepbpage</ref>
The legend of the Namahage varies according to an area. An Akita legend has developed regarding the origins of namahage, that [[Emperor Wu of Han]] (d. 87 BC) from China came to Japan bringing five demonic ''[[oni]]'' to the Oga area, and the ''oni'' established quarters in the two local high peaks, {{Nihongo|Honzan|本山}} and {{Nihongo|Shinzan|真山}}. These ''oni'' stole crops and young women from Oga's villages.<ref name=shogakkan/><ref name=akitaken>{{harvp|Akita Prefecture|2003}}, Namahage wepbpage</ref>


The citizens of Oga wagered the demons that if they could build a flight of stone steps, one thousand steps in all, from the village to the five shrine halls<ref name=shincho/> (variant: from the sea shore to the top of Mt. Shinzan<ref name=akitaken/>) all in one night, then the villagers will supply them with a young woman every year.<ref name=akitaken/> But if they failed the task they would have to leave. Just as the ogres were about to complete the work, a villager mimicked the cry of a rooster, and the ogres departed, believing they had failed.<ref name=shincho/><ref name=akitaken/>
The citizens of Oga wagered the demons that if they could build a flight of stone steps, one thousand steps in all, from the village to the five shrine halls<ref name=shincho/> (variant: from the sea shore to the top of Mt. Shinzan<ref name=akitaken/>) all in one night, then the villagers will supply them with a young woman every year.<ref name=akitaken/> But if they failed the task they would have to leave. Just as the ogres were about to complete the work, a villager mimicked the cry of a rooster, and the ogres departed, believing they had failed.<ref name=shincho/><ref name=akitaken/>


==Interpretations==
==Interpretations==
An obvious purpose of the festival is to encourage young children to obey their parents and to behave, important qualities in Japan's heavily structured society. Parents know who the Namahage actors are each year and might request them to teach specific lessons to their children during their visit.<ref>{{cite book|last=Yamamoto|first=Yoshiko|title=The Namahage: a festival in the northeast of Japan|year=1978|publisher=Institute for the Study of Human Issues, Inc.|location=Philadelphia|isbn=978-0-915980-66-6|pages=113}}</ref> The Namahage repeat the lessons to the children before leaving the house.<ref>{{cite book|last=Yamamoto|first=Yoshiko|title=The Namahage: a festival in the northeast of Japan|year=1978|publisher=Institute for the Study of Human Issues, Inc.|location=Philadelphia|isbn=978-0-915980-66-6|pages=114}}</ref>
An obvious purpose of the festival is to encourage young children to obey their parents and to behave, important qualities in Japan's heavily structured society. Parents know who the Namahage actors are each year and might request them to teach specific lessons to their children during their visit.{{sfnp|Yamamoto|1978|p=113}} The Namahage repeat the lessons to the children before leaving the house.{{sfnp|Yamamoto|1978|p=114}}


Some ethnologists and folklorists suggest it relates to a belief in deities (or spirits) coming from abroad to take away misfortune and bring blessings for the new year,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Namahage Festival|url=http://www.namahage.co.jp/namahagekan/english/namahage.php|accessdate=19 August 2012}}</ref> while others believe it is an agricultural custom where the kami from the sacred mountains visit.
Some ethnologists and folklorists suggest it relates to a belief in deities (or spirits) coming from abroad to take away misfortune and bring blessings for the new year,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Namahage Festival|url=http://www.namahage.co.jp/namahagekan/english/namahage.php|accessdate=19 August 2012}}</ref> while others believe it is an agricultural custom where the kami from the sacred mountains visit.
Line 46: Line 46:
* {{Nihongo|{{Interlanguage link multi|Amaburakosagi|ja|3=あまぶらこさぎ|vertical-align=sup}}|あまぶらこさぎ}} in [[Ehime Prefecture]] ([[Shikoku]])
* {{Nihongo|{{Interlanguage link multi|Amaburakosagi|ja|3=あまぶらこさぎ|vertical-align=sup}}|あまぶらこさぎ}} in [[Ehime Prefecture]] ([[Shikoku]])
*{{Interlanguage link multi|Toshidon|ja|3=トシドン|vertical-align=sup}}, parallel practice in [[Koshikijima Islands]], [[Kagoshima prefecture]]<ref>{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Bocking|first=Brian|author2=|title=A Popular Dictionary of Shintō|publisher=Psychology Press|year=1997|format=previewpreview|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0TIfrZuq_YC&pg=PA98|isbn= 9780700710515}}, p.98 under ''marebito'' notes the parallel</ref>
*{{Interlanguage link multi|Toshidon|ja|3=トシドン|vertical-align=sup}}, parallel practice in [[Koshikijima Islands]], [[Kagoshima prefecture]]<ref>{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Bocking|first=Brian|author2=|title=A Popular Dictionary of Shintō|publisher=Psychology Press|year=1997|format=previewpreview|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0TIfrZuq_YC&pg=PA98|isbn= 9780700710515}}, p.98 under ''marebito'' notes the parallel</ref>
*{{Interlanguage link multi|Akamata-Kuromata|ja|3=アカマタ・クロマタ|vertical-align=sup}}, a parallel but secretive practice of the [[Yaeyama Islands]], [[Okinawa]]<ref>{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Plutschow|first=Herbert E.|author2=|title=Chaos and Cosmos: Ritual in Early and Medieval Japanese Literature|publisher=Brill|year=1990|format=preview|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pwfUl-sHReYC&pg=PA60|isbn= 9789004086289}}, p.60 notes the parallel, but mistakenly says the islands are controlled by Kagoshima</ref>
*{{Interlanguage link multi|Akamata-Kuromata|ja|3=アカマタ・クロマタ|vertical-align=sup}}, a parallel but secretive practice of the [[Yaeyama Islands]], [[Okinawa]]<ref>{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Plutschow|first=Herbert E.|author2=|title=Chaos and Cosmos: Ritual in Early and Medieval Japanese Literature|publisher=Brill|year=1990|format=preview|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pwfUl-sHReYC&pg=PA60|isbn= 9789004086289}}, p.60 notes the parallel, but mistakenly says the islands are controlled by Kagoshima.</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 61: Line 61:


==References==
==References==
;Citations
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
⚫
<ref name=bocking>{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Bocking |first=Brian |author-link=B<!--rian Bocking--> |title=A Popular Dictionary of Shintō |publisher=Psychology Press |year=1997 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0TIfrZuq_YC&pg=PA98 |page=98|isbn=978-0-700-71051-5}}</ref>

<ref name=heibonsha>{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Makita |first=Shigeru |authorlink=:ja:牧田茂 |chapter=Namahage |title=Sekai hyakka jiten |script-title=ja:世界百科事典 |volume=17 |origyear=1968 |year=1969 |page=46 |lang=ja}}</ref>

<ref name=shincho>{{cite journal|ref=harv|author=Anon. |title=Akita-ken Oga-shi no minzoku gyōji namahage no yurai |script-title=ja:秋田県男鹿市の民俗行事「なまはげ」の由来 |journal=[[Shukan Shincho (magazine)|Shūkan Shinchō]] |volume=41 |number=1 |year=1996 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h9rlAAAAIAAJ |page=40 |quote=<!--鬼どもに一夜のうちに村から五社堂まで一千段の石段を築くこと、という条件を出す。石段が完成する直前に、村人が一番鶏の.. -->}}.</ref>

}}

;Bibliography
{{Refbegin}}
{{Refbegin}}
⚫
*{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Greene |first=Meg |authorlink=<!--Meg Greene--> |editor-last=Bharati |editor-first=Agrhananda |editor-link=<!--Agrhananda Bharati--> |title=Japan: A Primary Source Cultural Guide |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group |year=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mvhArG29mAgC&pg=PT58 |page=57 |isbn= 9781404229129}}<!--This source and many other sources give the date of "January 15", without properly commenting that this is the lunar calendar date used in old times (closer to mid-February, two-weeks after Chinese New Years, as explained above).-->
;(dictionaries and encyclopedias)

*{{cite book|ref=harv|author=Heibonsha|title=世界百科事典(Sekai hyakka jiten)|origyear=1968|year=1969}}(world encyclopedia, in Japanese).
⚫
*{{cite journal|last=Nakamura |first=Takao |authorlink=<!--中村たかを--> |title=Notes on namahage (Possible remnants of primitive secret societies on the Japanese archipelago) |script-title=ja:ナマハゲ覚書―日本列島における祭祀的秘密結社について― |journal=Minzokugaku kenkyū<!--民族学研究--> |volume=16 |number=3–4 |year=1952 |pages=311–320}}
⚫
*{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Bocking|first=Brian|author2=|title=A Popular Dictionary of Shintō|publisher=Psychology Press|year=1997|format=previewpreview|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0TIfrZuq_YC&pg=PA98|isbn= 9780700710515}}, p.&nbsp;98
⚫
<!--*{{cite journal|ref=harv|last=Naumann |first=Nelly |authorlink=Nelly Naumann |title='Yama no Kami': die japanische Berggottheit (Teil I: Grundvorstellungen) |journal=Asian Folklore Studies |year=1963 |url=https://dl.ndl.go.jp/view/download/digidepo_10208388_po_568.pdf?contentNo=1&alternativeNo= |language=de}}-->
⚫
*{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Greene|first=Meg|author2=Agrhananda Bharati (ed.)|title=Japan: A Primary Source Cultural Guide|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|year=2005|format=preview|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mvhArG29mAgC&pg=PT58|isbn= 9781404229129}}, p.&nbsp;57. This source and many other sources give the date of "January 15", without properly commenting that this is the lunar calendar date used in old times (closer to mid-February, two-weeks after Chinese New Years, as explained above).

;(monograms and folklore studies)
*{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Yamamoto|first=Yoshiko|author2=Institute for the Study of Human Issues|title=The Namahage: a festival in the northeast of Japan|place=Philadelphia|publisher=Institute for the Study of Human Issues|year=1978|format=snippet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zMqBAAAAMAAJ|isbn= 9780915980666}}
*{{cite book|ref=harv|last=Yamamoto |first=Yoshiko |others=Institute for the Study of Human Issues |title=The Namahage: a festival in the northeast of Japan|place=Philadelphia |publisher=Institute for the Study of Human Issues |year=1978 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zMqBAAAAMAAJ |isbn= 978-0-915-98066-6}}
⚫
*{{cite journal| first=Nelly |last=Naumann |authorlink=Nelly Naumann |title='Yama no Kami': die japanische Berggottheit (Teil I: Grundvorstellungen) |journal=Asian Folklore Studies |year=1963 |language=German }}
{{Refend}}
{{Refend}}
⚫
*{{cite journal|last=Nakamura|first=Takao (中村たかお)|title=Notes on namahage (Possible remnants of primi- tive secret societies on the Japanese archipelago)(ナマハゲ覚書)|journal=Minzokugaku Kenkyu (民族学研究)|year=1951|volume=XV}}


==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 07:33, 21 March 2020

Namahage costumes
A dancing drummer wearing a Namahage costume, performed Namahage-Daiko in Akita Station.

Namahage (生剥)[1] in traditional Japanese folklore is a demonlike being, portrayed by men wearing hefty oni (ogre) masks and traditional straw capes (mino) during a New Year's ritual[2] of the Oga Peninsula[3] area of Akita Prefecture in northern Honshū, Japan.[4]

The frightfully dressed men, armed with deba knives (albeit wooden fakes[3] or made of papier-mâché) and toting a teoke (手桶, "hand pail" made of wood),[2] march in pairs or threes going door-to-door making rounds of people's homes, admonishing children who may be guilty of laziness or bad behavior,[2] yelling phrases like "Are there any crybabies around?" (泣く子はいねがぁ, Nakuko wa inee gā?)[5] or "Are naughty kids around?" (悪い子はいねえか, Waruiko wa inee ka?) in the pronunciation and accent of the local dialect.

Older tradition

The practice has shifted over the years.

Season

The namahage visits nowadays take place on New Year's Eve[6] (using the Western calendar). But it used to be practiced on the so-called "Little New Year" (小正月, Koshōgatsu),[3] the first full moon night of the year. This is the 15th day of the first lunar calendrical year, which is not the same thing as January 15;[7] it usually falls around mid-February, exactly two weeks after the Chinese New Year (Japanese: Kyūshogatsu).

Etymology

The namahage's purpose was to admonish laggards who sit around the fire idly doing nothing useful.[3][8] One of the refrains used by the namahage in the olden days was "Blisters peeled yet?" (なもみコ剝げたかよ, namomi ko hagetaka yo).[3] Namomi signifies heat blisters, or more precisely hidako (火だこ, hidako) (Erythema ab igne or EAI), a rashlike condition caused by overexposure to fire, from sitting by the dugout irori hearth. Thus "fire rash peeling" is generally believed to be the derivation of the name namahage.[8]

Some of the namahage's other spoken lines of old were "Knife whetted yet?" (包丁コとげたかよ, hōchōko togetaka yo)[3] and "Boiled adzuki beans done yet?" (小豆コ煮えたかよ, azuki ko nietaka yo).[3] The knife apparently signified the instrument to peel the blisters,[9] and it was customary to have azuki gruel on the "Little New Year".[10]

Although the namahage are nowadays conceived of as a type of oni or ogre, it was originally a custom where youngsters impersonated the kami who made visitations during the New Year's season.[3] Thus it is a kind of toshigami.

The namahage would typically receive mochi from the households they visited,[3] but newlywed couples were supposed to play host to them in full formal attire and offer them sake and food.[3]

Legend

The legend of the Namahage varies according to an area. An Akita legend has developed regarding the origins of namahage, that Emperor Wu of Han (d. 87 BC) from China came to Japan bringing five demonic oni to the Oga area, and the oni established quarters in the two local high peaks, Honzan (本山) and Shinzan (真山). These oni stole crops and young women from Oga's villages.[6][11]

The citizens of Oga wagered the demons that if they could build a flight of stone steps, one thousand steps in all, from the village to the five shrine halls[5] (variant: from the sea shore to the top of Mt. Shinzan[11]) all in one night, then the villagers will supply them with a young woman every year.[11] But if they failed the task they would have to leave. Just as the ogres were about to complete the work, a villager mimicked the cry of a rooster, and the ogres departed, believing they had failed.[5][11]

Interpretations

An obvious purpose of the festival is to encourage young children to obey their parents and to behave, important qualities in Japan's heavily structured society. Parents know who the Namahage actors are each year and might request them to teach specific lessons to their children during their visit.[12] The Namahage repeat the lessons to the children before leaving the house.[13]

Some ethnologists and folklorists suggest it relates to a belief in deities (or spirits) coming from abroad to take away misfortune and bring blessings for the new year,[14] while others believe it is an agricultural custom where the kami from the sacred mountains visit.

  • Namahage-kan or Namahage Museum, Oga, Akita
    Namahage-kan or Namahage Museum, Oga, Akita
  • Namahage Museum
    Namahage Museum

Similar ogre traditions

Similar traditions in other regions are called:

See also

  • Kasedori [ja], where men dress taper-headed straw costume Kaminoyama, Yamagata
  • Krampus, a demonic creature, believed to accompany Saint Nicholas to punish children in some European countries during Christmas.
  • Ogoh-ogoh – demons of Bali who are celebrated on their new year.
  • Setsubun or mamemaki, practice of casting roasted soy beans to ward ogres or ghouls.
  • tsuina [ja], a more ancient form of ghoul-warding passed down from China.

References

Citations
  1. ^ Yamamoto (1978), The Namahage, pp. 9, 35
  2. ^ a b c Bocking, Brian (1997). A Popular Dictionary of Shintō. Psychology Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-700-71051-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Makita, Shigeru [in Japanese] (1969) [1968]. "Namahage". Sekai hyakka jiten 世界百科事典 (in Japanese). Vol. 17. p. 46. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  4. ^ Yamamoto (1978), The Namahage, p. 13 and passim.
  5. ^ a b c Anon. (1996). "Akita-ken Oga-shi no minzoku gyōji namahage no yurai" 秋田県男鹿市の民俗行事「なまはげ」の由来. Shūkan Shinchō. 41 (1): 40. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help).
  6. ^ a b "Akita", Nihon daihyakka zensho 日本大百科全書, vol. 1, Shogakkan, p. 177, 1984, ISBN 978-4-095-26001-3
  7. ^ Though January 15 is stated by Greene (2005), p. 57, and a number of other sources without proper explanation
  8. ^ a b De Mente, Boye (1989). Everything Japanese (snippet). Passport Books. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help), p.80.
  9. ^ Akita Prefecture (2003) (website)
  10. ^ Hasegawa, Kai [in Japanese] (2002). "Time in Saijiki". Japan Review. 14: 168. JSTOR 25791260. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  11. ^ a b c d Akita Prefecture (2003), Namahage wepbpage
  12. ^ Yamamoto (1978), p. 113.
  13. ^ Yamamoto (1978), p. 114.
  14. ^ "The Namahage Festival". Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  15. ^ Bocking, Brian (1997). A Popular Dictionary of Shintō (previewpreview). Psychology Press. ISBN 9780700710515. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help), p.98 under marebito notes the parallel
  16. ^ Plutschow, Herbert E. (1990). Chaos and Cosmos: Ritual in Early and Medieval Japanese Literature (preview). Brill. ISBN 9789004086289. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help), p.60 notes the parallel, but mistakenly says the islands are controlled by Kagoshima.
Bibliography
  • Nakamura, Takao (1952). "Notes on namahage (Possible remnants of primitive secret societies on the Japanese archipelago)" ナマハゲ覚書―日本列島における祭祀的秘密結社について―. Minzokugaku kenkyū. 16 (3–4): 311–320.

External links

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