Uchikura & Co., LLC

February 3: Setsubun, Ehomaki, and Mamemaki

 

Setsubun is observed on February 3, marking the seasonal turning point between winter and spring. On this day, people across Japan throw roasted soybeans (mamemaki), shout “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi,” and—more recently—eat ehomaki, a thick sushi roll, while facing the year’s lucky direction.

 

What fascinates me is not the food or the beans themselves, but the ambiguity behind these customs.

 

Mamemaki has relatively clear traditional roots. Throwing beans to drive away oni (demons) symbolizes removing bad luck and inviting good fortune. It is often practiced at homes, temples, and shrines, carrying a ritual-like atmosphere without strict religious doctrine.

 

Ehomaki, however, is neither Buddhist nor Shinto. It is not a religious ritual at all. It began as a local custom in the Kansai region and later spread nationwide through modern retail and marketing. Many people assume it has ancient spiritual origins—it does not.

 

Yet this mix causes no confusion in Japan.

 

Here, people are comfortable with ambiguity. Something does not need a precise definition to be accepted. Is Setsubun religion? Culture? Habit? Or business? The answer can be “all of them,” or simply, “it doesn’t matter.”

 

This morning, on February 3, I ate an ehomaki facing the lucky direction. I was not practicing faith—I was acknowledging the season.
And perhaps the most Japanese thing of all is that I bought my ehomaki at Seven-Eleven.

 

https://en.bloguru.com/ken/550683/february-3-setsubun-ehomaki-and-mamemaki