Namahage
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Namahage is Japanese traditional folkways which is observed throughout Oga Peninsula, Akita Prefecture in northern Japan. Originally it is said to be a ritual for cleansing people's soul, and praying coming year to be a good one. It is a kind of toshigami.
On New Year's Eve, a group of young villagermen dressed up as fierce demons or bogeymen, or Namahage, visit each house in the village, interrogating loudly "any misbehaving kids live here?" They then come up to children in the house, to menace them telling not to be lazy or cry, though little children bursting out crying is usually the case. Then parents will assure Namahage there is no bad child in their house, and treat refreshments to the demons.
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.
Similar traditions in other regions are called:
- Amamehagi in Hokuriku.
- Amaburakosagi in Shikoku.
- Suneka, Anmo, Nagomi or Nagomihakuri in northern Iwate prefecture.
[edit] External links
[edit] Sources
Yamamoto Yoshiko: The Namahage: a festival in the northeast of Japan. Institute for the Study of Human Issues, Philadelphia 1978, ISBN 0-915980-66-5
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