Antique Japanese Wood Netsuke Setsubun Oni Demon Yokai hit with Inlaid Beans
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$ Antique Japanese Stag Antler Netsuke Rat with Fish & Shimenawa Offerings - Depicts the custom of tying roasted sardine heads to holly sprig to decorate the gates of houses during Setsubun
Type: Katabori (Sculptural) Netsuke
Material: Wood with inlaid green-dyed stag antler soy beans.
Age: Edo Period (1603-1868)
Origin/Maker: Japan. Unsigned.
Size: 1.3" tall (3.3 cm), 1" wide (2.5 cm), 1" deep (2.5 cm)
Weight: 0.2 oz (7 g)
Provenance:
Present: Ryan Snooks collection of Japanese & Asian Decorative Art
Previous: Private Collection
Collected: Tokyo Japan antique show / market in Asakusa, 16 FEB 2020
Condition: Item is used in good condition commensurate with age, see photos. No cracks or chips. Some light surface wear.
Subject: Depicts an Oni (ogre, devil, or demon, a kind of Yokai (spirit or monster) holding a hat as a shield to protect itself from thrown roasted soybeans (unfortunately for the Oni, one bean has landed squarely between his horns), a reference to the Setsubun practice of Mamemaki, where roasted soybeans are thrown at people dressed as Oni while shouting "Devils out! Good fortune in!".
From Wikipedia:
"Setsubun (節分) is the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar in Japan.[1][2] The name literally means 'seasonal division', referring to the day just before the first day of spring in the traditional calendar, known as Setsubun" ... "Setsubun is now typically held on February 3 (in 2021 it was on 2nd February),[3] with the day after – the first day of spring in the old calendar – known as Risshun (立春)"" ... ""In its association with the Lunar New Year, Setsubun, though not the official New Year, was thought of as similar in its ritual and cultural associations of 'cleansing' the previous year as the beginning of the new season of spring. Setsubun was accompanied by a number of rituals and traditions held at various levels to drive away the previous year's bad fortunes and evil spirits for the year to come."
"The custom of Setsubun as we know it today began in the Muromachi period (1336–1573). Every household of the aristocracy and samurai class threw beans from their houses into the open air. The [[Ainōshō]] [ja],[8] a dictionary compiled during the Muromachi period, states that the practice of bean-throwing during Setsubun originated from a legend in the 10th century, during the reign of Emperor Uda, that a monk on Mt. Kurama escaped misfortune by blinding oni with roasted beans. The Japanese word for bean, 豆, is pronounced mame, which can be written as 'devil's eye' (魔目), and some believe that the pronunciation is similar to that of mametsu (魔滅), meaning 'to destroy the devil', which is why people began throwing beans during Setsubun.[9][10][6]From the Edo period (1603–1867), the custom of throwing beans at Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and homes of ordinary people spread throughout Japan as an event or festival to drive away evil spirits during Setsubun. It was also during this period that the custom of tying roasted sardine heads to holly sprig to decorate the gates of houses during Setsubun began. This custom was intended to scare away oni with the thorns of the holly leaves and the smell of the roasted sardines. The original form of this custom is recorded in the Tosa Nikki, compiled in 934 during the Heian period (794–1185). The diary describes a Shinto shimenawa (sacred rope) that was hung on the gate of a house during the New Year's holiday to mark the boundary of purification, and that a mullet head pierced with a sprig of holly was attached to the shimenawa.[9][11]"
"The main ritual associated with the observance of Setsubun is mamemaki (豆撒き, 'bean scattering'); this ritual sees roasted soybeans (known as fukumame (福豆, 'fortune beans')) either thrown out of the front door, or at a member of the family wearing an oni (demon or ogre) mask while shouting 'Devils out! Fortune in!' (鬼は外! 福は内!, Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!),[3] before slamming the door.[13] The beans are thought to symbolically purify the home by driving away the evil spirits that bring misfortune and bad health with them. Then, as part of bringing luck in, it is customary to eat roasted soybeans, one for each year of one's life (kazoedoshi), plus one more for bringing good luck for the year.[14][15][16]
The custom of mamemaki first appeared in the Muromachi period,[2] and is usually performed by either a man of the household born in the corresponding zodiac year for the new year (toshiotoko (年男)), or else the male head of the household.[17]
Because Watanabe no Tsuna, a retainer of Minamoto no Yorimitsu during the Heian period (794–1185), is associated with the legend that he vanquished oni historically considered to be the strongest, such as Shuten-doji and Ibaraki-doji, there is a tradition that oni stay away from people named Watanabe and their houses. For this reason, some families with the surname Watanabe have not practiced the custom of throwing beans on Setsubun for generations.[18][19] Watanabe no Tsuna was the first person to take the surname Watanabe, and Watanabe is the fifth most common surname in Japan, with approximately 1.08 million people as of 2017.[20]
Though still a somewhat common practice in households, many people will also or instead attend a shrine or temple's spring festival, where the practice of mamemaki is performed;[3] in some areas, such as Kyoto, this involves a dance performed by apprentice geisha, after which the apprentices themselves throw packets of roasted soybeans to the crowds. In other areas, priests and invited guests throw packets of roasted soybeans, some wrapped in gold or silver foil, small envelopes with money, sweets, candies and other prizes. In some bigger and more central shrines, celebrities and sumo wrestlers are invited to celebrations, usually to Setsubun events that are televised.[21] At Sensō-ji in the Asakusa neighborhood of Tokyo, crowds of nearly 100,000 people attend the annual festivities.[22]"
Location:
Antique Japanese Wood Netsuke Setsubun Oni Demon Yokai hit with Inlaid Beans
www.ebay.com/sch/xcoasterxtreme/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&rt=nc&LH_Auction=1
See also:
$ Antique Japanese Stag Antler Netsuke Rat with Fish & Shimenawa Offerings - Depicts the custom of tying roasted sardine heads to holly sprig to decorate the gates of houses during Setsubun
Type: Katabori (Sculptural) Netsuke
Material: Wood with inlaid green-dyed stag antler soy beans.
Age: Edo Period (1603-1868)
Origin/Maker: Japan. Unsigned.
Size: 1.3" tall (3.3 cm), 1" wide (2.5 cm), 1" deep (2.5 cm)
Weight: 0.2 oz (7 g)
Provenance:
Present: Ryan Snooks collection of Japanese & Asian Decorative Art
Previous: Private Collection
Collected: Tokyo Japan antique show / market in Asakusa, 16 FEB 2020
Condition: Item is used in good condition commensurate with age, see photos. No cracks or chips. Some light surface wear.
Subject: Depicts an Oni (ogre, devil, or demon, a kind of Yokai (spirit or monster) holding a hat as a shield to protect itself from thrown roasted soybeans (unfortunately for the Oni, one bean has landed squarely between his horns), a reference to the Setsubun practice of Mamemaki, where roasted soybeans are thrown at people dressed as Oni while shouting "Devils out! Good fortune in!".
From Wikipedia:
"Setsubun (節分) is the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar in Japan.[1][2] The name literally means 'seasonal division', referring to the day just before the first day of spring in the traditional calendar, known as Setsubun" ... "Setsubun is now typically held on February 3 (in 2021 it was on 2nd February),[3] with the day after – the first day of spring in the old calendar – known as Risshun (立春)"" ... ""In its association with the Lunar New Year, Setsubun, though not the official New Year, was thought of as similar in its ritual and cultural associations of 'cleansing' the previous year as the beginning of the new season of spring. Setsubun was accompanied by a number of rituals and traditions held at various levels to drive away the previous year's bad fortunes and evil spirits for the year to come."
"The custom of Setsubun as we know it today began in the Muromachi period (1336–1573). Every household of the aristocracy and samurai class threw beans from their houses into the open air. The [[Ainōshō]] [ja],[8] a dictionary compiled during the Muromachi period, states that the practice of bean-throwing during Setsubun originated from a legend in the 10th century, during the reign of Emperor Uda, that a monk on Mt. Kurama escaped misfortune by blinding oni with roasted beans. The Japanese word for bean, 豆, is pronounced mame, which can be written as 'devil's eye' (魔目), and some believe that the pronunciation is similar to that of mametsu (魔滅), meaning 'to destroy the devil', which is why people began throwing beans during Setsubun.[9][10][6]From the Edo period (1603–1867), the custom of throwing beans at Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and homes of ordinary people spread throughout Japan as an event or festival to drive away evil spirits during Setsubun. It was also during this period that the custom of tying roasted sardine heads to holly sprig to decorate the gates of houses during Setsubun began. This custom was intended to scare away oni with the thorns of the holly leaves and the smell of the roasted sardines. The original form of this custom is recorded in the Tosa Nikki, compiled in 934 during the Heian period (794–1185). The diary describes a Shinto shimenawa (sacred rope) that was hung on the gate of a house during the New Year's holiday to mark the boundary of purification, and that a mullet head pierced with a sprig of holly was attached to the shimenawa.[9][11]"
"The main ritual associated with the observance of Setsubun is mamemaki (豆撒き, 'bean scattering'); this ritual sees roasted soybeans (known as fukumame (福豆, 'fortune beans')) either thrown out of the front door, or at a member of the family wearing an oni (demon or ogre) mask while shouting 'Devils out! Fortune in!' (鬼は外! 福は内!, Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!),[3] before slamming the door.[13] The beans are thought to symbolically purify the home by driving away the evil spirits that bring misfortune and bad health with them. Then, as part of bringing luck in, it is customary to eat roasted soybeans, one for each year of one's life (kazoedoshi), plus one more for bringing good luck for the year.[14][15][16]
The custom of mamemaki first appeared in the Muromachi period,[2] and is usually performed by either a man of the household born in the corresponding zodiac year for the new year (toshiotoko (年男)), or else the male head of the household.[17]
Because Watanabe no Tsuna, a retainer of Minamoto no Yorimitsu during the Heian period (794–1185), is associated with the legend that he vanquished oni historically considered to be the strongest, such as Shuten-doji and Ibaraki-doji, there is a tradition that oni stay away from people named Watanabe and their houses. For this reason, some families with the surname Watanabe have not practiced the custom of throwing beans on Setsubun for generations.[18][19] Watanabe no Tsuna was the first person to take the surname Watanabe, and Watanabe is the fifth most common surname in Japan, with approximately 1.08 million people as of 2017.[20]
Though still a somewhat common practice in households, many people will also or instead attend a shrine or temple's spring festival, where the practice of mamemaki is performed;[3] in some areas, such as Kyoto, this involves a dance performed by apprentice geisha, after which the apprentices themselves throw packets of roasted soybeans to the crowds. In other areas, priests and invited guests throw packets of roasted soybeans, some wrapped in gold or silver foil, small envelopes with money, sweets, candies and other prizes. In some bigger and more central shrines, celebrities and sumo wrestlers are invited to celebrations, usually to Setsubun events that are televised.[21] At Sensō-ji in the Asakusa neighborhood of Tokyo, crowds of nearly 100,000 people attend the annual festivities.[22]"
Location:
Antique Japanese Wood Netsuke Setsubun Oni Demon Yokai hit with Inlaid Beans