Today is 節分 Setsubun, a fun day for anyone with small kids in Japan. A remnant of the old Lunar (Chinese) New Year that Japan used until 1873, it’s a day when oni (devils) who are dressed suspiciously like Lum from Urusei Yatsura will be symbolically chased out of the house by children so that happiness can reign in the home. The father of the house will assume the role of a devil, wearing a paper mask that makes him look scary. When the devil attacks, the children pelt him with baked soybeans and chase him off, shouting 鬼は外、福はうち！ oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi! (“Out with devils, in with happiness!”). When the devils are sufficiently vanquished, everyone eats their age in soybeans to help guarantee good health in the coming year. Another custom related to Setsubun is eating an entire roll of rolled sushi at once, which is called 恵方巻 eho-maki, which helps you determine your direction for the new year. The rolled sushi eating tradition can lead to some rather interesting fan art on Pixiv.
Setsubun is an important cultural day for Japan, though not so good for ogres.
