Setsubun Traditions, Sushi Roll and Fortune Beans

Setsubun??…What is that??…Actually I don’t know about this tradition guys…until one of my Japanese friend, named Miyu-san posted some of sushi roll pictures. Yeah…maybe you think it’s just ordinary sushi. But, when I saw it for the first time, it’s not like some kind of ordinary sushi. Why?? ‘Cause it looks like printed with character picture on another dish. The character picture it looks like some kind of ogre / evil / demon. So, I asked to my friend, and she told me, it’s Setsubun. And my friend told me many things about this tradition in Japan.

So, what is Setsubun exactly??…Falls annually, on February 3rd. Setsubun means “seasonal division”. Yeah, there are any 4 seasons in Japan, and the year starts in spring. So, you can call it as a part of spring festival. Yes of course, Setsubun is one of Spring Festival (haru matsuri). My friend said, Setsubun is more important. ‘Cause that is to mark the start of the spring season or called it “risshun”.

I was curious with sushi roll that my friend posted. So I ask her again, and again. Oh!! I ask too much! Sorry…Miyu-san Sushi roll is very important in Setsubun tradition. Why??..Why sushi roll is very important, everytime Japanese people loves to eat sushi, right?? So, why, why this sushi is speciall?!…There are a different sushi guys…It’s big sushi, and uncut sushi roll, called it ehou-maki. What, uncut sushi?! Yeah…it should never be cut like on picture guys…One of tradition to celebrate Setsubun is you must eat whole uncut sushi and make a wish. So it’s totally silence, don’t talk when you eat it ‘cause happiness will be vanished from your mouth. Sushi roll means roll of happiness into us. When you cut sushi, that means you cut your luck / happiness. Besides, it must contains with seven ingredients, ‘cause seven is a lucky number and represents seven Gods of Happiness, called it Shichihukujin.  The lucky seven ingredients are…dried shiitake mushroom, kanpyou (dried guard strip), tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette style), a small piece of sushi grade tuna/ another fish, denbu (pink flake cod), grilled anago eel , stick of cucumber. And one very important thing when eat sushi roll is…you have to eat it while facing the lucky direction which changes every year. The lucky direction was decided by guardian animal of the year. Guardian animal of this year is goat. When I searched on Google about lucky direction, I found it! Yeah…the lucky direction is north.

It’s not only sushi roll on Setsubun tradition. Another tradition is about roasted soybeans, called it Fortune beans. My friend said, It’s a legend in period Uta-Emperor, about year 870. The ogre or demon called Oni came from the mountain. People threw beans to attack in their eyes. After that, the ogre / demon came back to the mountain again, in their home. Until now, this has been a very special ritual, called mamemaki. Mame means beans, ma means ogre / demon, me means eye.

Throw the beans is still common practice in households. Roasted soybeans called “fortune beans” are thrown either out the door, or at member of family who wearing an Oni mask, while the people say “Demon out, Luck in!” (Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!) and slam the door. The beans are purify symbol of the house by driving away the evil spirits that bring misfortune and bad health with them. Then, the as apart of bringing luck in. And yeah…it’s customary to eat roasted soybeans, one for each year of one’s life. Even if still common practice in households but many people will attend a shrine or temple’s Spring festival where is done.

So, even if I haven’t came to Japan yet, but I can learn about Japanese culture from my friend (Miyu-san arigatōgozaimashita). Many thanks to my friend who shared Setsubun tradition to me, now I know what exactly Setsubun is. The journey is not only when we come to the another country, but when we learn about culture from another country, for me called “journey” 

Note :

• Photographed by Miyu Nakai
• Written by Acik Mardhiyanti / Acik Mdy
• Do not copy this article without permissions
• Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permissions