Rozanji Temple Setsubun Festival, Tsuina Ceremony, Oni-Horaku, Demon Dance

I was looking forward to the Setsubun at Rozanji Temple.

Every year on February 3rd, the Oni-Horaku (demon dance), procession, and ritual archery take place at 3:00 PM, followed by bean throwing at 4:00 PM and the burning of old amulets at 5:00 PM.

At 3:00 PM, the procession departs.
The procession, consisting of musicians, three demons, exorcists, Horai masters, holders of the demon-subduing mask, holders of the vajra, lucky maidens, the man of the year, temple samurai, the head priest, other priests, and the congregation, enters the hall.

From then on, a Goma fire ritual is performed inside the hall for warding off evil, bringing good luck, and increasing fortune and longevity.

It looks more like a severed demon head than a mask... creepy.

(By the way, among the visitors, there was someone cosplaying as Tanjiro. He's here to slay demons! It changes the history of the temple, so cosplaying here is a bit...)

Seeing children throwing beans at the demons and a dog barking was somehow heartwarming.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there were many visitors.
The temple grounds felt very popular.
The long-awaited demon dance finally begins!!

The demons stomp their feet slowly and raise their torches and axes as if doing squats. The demons begin to dance and then head into the hall.

Then, through the secret Goma fire ritual, the exorcist's ritual archery to ward off evil spirits, and the scattering of Horai beans and lucky rice cakes by the Horai masters and lucky maidens, the demons are driven away.

Rozanji Temple is famous for its bellflowers.
I look forward to the day I can come see them again.

Site of Murasaki Shikibu's Residence, Place where The Tale of Genji was written "Rozanji Temple"
397 Kitanobe-cho, Teramachi-dori Hirokoji-agaru, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-0852
TEL 075-231-0355
FAX 075-231-1357
rozanji@ktf.biglobe.ne.jp

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