namahage

The namahage's purpose was to admonish laggards, who sit around the fire idly and do nothing useful.{{cite book|last=De Mente |first=Boye |author-link=Boye De Mente |title=Everything Japanese |publisher=Passport Books |year=1989 |isbn=9780844285139 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z5BwAAAAMAAJ}}, p. 80. One of the refrains used by the namahage in the olden days was {{Nihongo|"Blisters peeled yet?"|なもみコ剝げたかよ|namomi ko hagetaka yo}}. Namomi signifies heat blisters, or more precisely {{Nihongo|hidako|火だこ|hidako}}{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|The Japanese name is misleading since it is called a type of tako (callus).}} (Erythema ab igne or EAI),{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|Foster identifies as cutis marmorata{{sfnp|Foster|2013|p=304}}}} which in Japanese is {{nihongo||大理石様皮斑|dairisekiyō hihan}}, but hidako is glossed as {{nihongo||温熱性紅斑|onnetsusei kōhan}} in medical literature, which corresponds to Erythema ab igne. Folklorist literature such as Ine mention hidako, but not the precise medical term for it. A rashlike condition caused by overexposure to fire, from sitting by the dugout irori hearth. Thus "fire rash peeling" is generally believed to be the derivation of the name namahage.{{sfnp|Foster|2013|p=304}}{{sfnp|Ine|1985|pp=28, 93}}

Although the namahage are nowadays conceived of as a type of oni or ogre, it was originally a custom where youngsters impersonated the kami who made visitations during the New Year's season. Thus it is a kind of toshigami.

The practice has shifted over the years.

According to 20th century descriptions, the namahage would typically receive mochi (rice cakes) from the households they visited, but newlywed couples were supposed to play host to them in full formal attire and offer them sake and food. The namahage still receive hospitality in likewise manner during the New Years, but in a reversal of roles, the namahage distribute mochi to visitors (tourists) during the {{nihongo|Namahage sedo matsuri|なまはげ柴灯まつり|Namahage Sedo Festival}} held in February.{{sfnp|Foster|2013|pp=317–318}}

This is a New Year's ritual, and the namahage visits nowadays take place on New Year's Eve{{citation|title=Akita |script-work=ja:日本大百科全書 |work=Nihon daihyakka zensho |volume=1 |publisher=Shogakkan |year=1984 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WlAEAAAAYAAJ |page=177 |isbn=978-4-095-26001-3}} (using the Western calendar). But it used to be practiced on the so-called {{Nihongo|"Little New Year"|小正月|Koshōgatsu}}, the first full moon night of the year. This is the 15th day of the first lunar calendrical year, which is not the same thing as January 15;Though January 15 is stated by {{harvp|Greene|2005}}, p. 57, and a number of other sources without proper explanation it usually falls around mid-February, exactly two weeks after the Chinese New Year ({{langx|ja-Latn|Kyūshogatsu}}).

The aforementioned Namahage Sedo Festival, which was not established until 1964, is held annually on the second weekend of February{{sfnp|Foster|2013|p=316}} (roughly coinciding with the "Little New Year"), at the {{illm|Shinzan Jinja|ja|真山神社|lt=Shinzan Shrine}}.{{sfnp|Foster|2013|p=316}}{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|Initially held at {{nihongo|Hoshitsuji Shrine|星辻神社}}.{{sfnp|Ine|1985|p=15}}}}

Some of the namahage's other spoken lines of old were {{Nihongo|"Knife whetted yet?"|包丁コとげたかよ|hōchōko togetaka yo}} and {{Nihongo|"Boiled adzuki beans done yet?"|小豆コ煮えたかよ|azuki ko nietaka yo}}. The knife apparently signified the instrument to peel the blisters,{{harvp|Akita Prefecture|2003}} (website) and it was customary to have azuki gruel on the "Little New Year".{{cite journal|last=Hasegawa |first=Kai |author-link=:ja:長谷川櫂 |title=Time in Saijiki |journal=Japan Review |volume=14 |year=2002 |issue=14 |url=https://nichibun.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=275&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1 |page=168 |jstor=25791260}}

The legend of Namahage varies from region to region. There are four theories or legends about the origin of Namahage on the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture.{{cite web|url=https://www.namahage-oga.akita.jp/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127085840/https://www.namahage-oga.akita.jp/|script-title=ja:男鹿のナマハゲ|language=ja|publisher=Oga City|date=|archive-date=27 January 2024|access-date=16 May 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.khb-tv.co.jp/seichi/10811662|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516104806/https://www.khb-tv.co.jp/seichi/10811662|script-title=ja:東北の聖地を訪ねて|language=ja|publisher=Higashinippon Broadcasting|date=|archive-date=16 May 2024|access-date=16 May 2024}}

The first theory is the Namahage creation, inspired by the appearance of {{nihongo3|Shugendō practionner|山伏|yamabushi}} who prayed in the houses of villages after their rigorous ascetic training in the mountains such as {{Nihongo|Honzan|本山}} and {{Nihongo|Shinzan|真山}}.

The second theory is the Namahage creation, inspired by the image of the messenger of the mountain kami. In this theory, the Oga Peninsula looks like a mountain from the sea and is revered as the place where the mountain kami resides to protect the lives of the villagers.

The third theory is the Namahage creation, inspired by the appearance of a foreigner who had washed ashore. In this theory, the people of Oga regarded the foreigner, who had a strange appearance and spoke a language they had never heard before, as an oni.

The fourth theory is the Namahage creation, inspired by the legend of Emperor Wu of Han.

According to this theory, the Namahage was inspired by the appearance of five bats that followed Emperor Wu to Oga peninshla and turned into oni. The oni established quarters in the two local high peaks, {{Nihongo|Honzan|本山}} and {{Nihongo|Shinzan|真山}}. These oni stole crops and young women from Oga's villages.{{harvp|Akita Prefecture|2003}}, Namahage wepbpage The citizens of Oga wagered the demons that if they could build a flight of stone steps, one thousand steps in all, from the village to the five shrine halls (variant: from the sea shore to the top of Mt. Shinzan) all in one night, then the villagers would supply them with a young woman every year. But if they failed the task they would have to leave. Just as the ogres were about to complete the work, a villager mimicked the cry of a rooster, and the ogres departed, believing they had failed.

An obvious purpose of the festival is to encourage young children to obey their parents and to behave. Parents know who the Namahage actors are each year and might request them to teach specific lessons to their children during their visit.{{sfnp|Yamamoto|1978|p=113}} The Namahage repeat the lessons to the children before leaving the house.{{sfnp|Yamamoto|1978|p=114}}

Some ethnologists and folklorists suggest it relates to a belief in deities (or spirits) coming from abroad to take away misfortune and bring blessings for the new year,{{cite web|title=The Namahage Festival|url=http://www.namahage.co.jp/namahagekan/english/namahage.php|access-date=19 August 2012}} while others believe it to be an agricultural custom where the kami from the sacred mountains visit.

Namahage the Japanese demonlike being 01.jpg|Namahage-kan or Namahage Museum, Oga, Akita

Namahage the Japanese demonlike being 02.jpg|Namahage Museum

The tradition where the ogres are called namahage occurs in the Oga Peninsula area of Akita Prefecture.{{harvp|Yamamoto|1978}}, The Namahage, p. 13 and passim.{{sfnp|Foster|2013|p=302}}

Although the namahage of Oga has become the foremost recognized, cognate traditions occur in other regions throughout Japan,{{harvp|Foster|2013|pp=302–303}} citing {{harvp|Nakamura|1952}}, Seki (1960), {{harvp|Ine|2005|pp=101–62}} {{linktext|viz.}}:

• {{Interlanguage link multi|Akamata-Kuromata|ja|3=アカマタ・クロマタ|vertical-align=sup}}, a parallel but secretive practice of the Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa{{cite book|last=Plutschow|first=Herbert E.|title=Chaos and Cosmos: Ritual in Early and Medieval Japanese Literature|publisher=Brill|year=1990|format=preview|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pwfUl-sHReYC&pg=PA60|isbn= 9789004086289}}, p.60 notes the parallel, but mistakenly says the islands are controlled by Kagoshima.
• {{Nihongo|{{Interlanguage link multi|Amaburakosagi|ja|3=あまぶらこさぎ|vertical-align=sup}}|あまぶらこさぎ}} in Ehime Prefecture (Shikoku)
• {{Nihongo|{{Interlanguage link multi|Amahage|ja|3=アマハゲ|vertical-align=sup}}|アマハゲ}} of Yamagata Prefecture.
• {{Nihongo|{{Interlanguage link multi|Amamehagi|ja|3=あまめはぎ|vertical-align=sup}}|あまめはぎ}} of Ishikawa Prefecture.
• {{Nihongo|{{Interlanguage link multi|Appossha|ja|3=あっぽっしゃ|vertical-align=sup}}|あっぽっしゃ}} of Fukui Prefecture.
• {{Nihongo|{{Interlanguage link multi|Nagomehagi|ja|3=ナゴメハギ|vertical-align=sup}}|ナゴメハギ}} of Noshiro, Akita.
• {{Nihongo|{{Interlanguage link multi|Suneka|ja|3=吉浜のスネカ|vertical-align=sup}}|スネカ}}, Anmo, Nagomi or Nagomihakuri in northern Iwate prefecture.
• {{Interlanguage link multi|Toshidon|ja|3=トシドン|vertical-align=sup}}, parallel practice in Koshikijima Islands, Kagoshima prefecture{{cite book|last=Bocking |first=Brian |author-link= |title=A Popular Dictionary of Shintō|publisher=Psychology Press|year=1997 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0TIfrZuq_YC&pg=PA98|isbn= 9780700710515}}, p.98 under marebito notes the parallel
• Yamahage in the former Yūwa, Akita, now part of Akita, Akita.

• Askeladden - Norwegian folklore character who abides by the fireplace
• Black Peter, a similar being who plays a similar role for Christmas celebrations in the Netherlands.
• {{Interlanguage link multi|Kasedori|ja|3=カセ鳥|vertical-align=sup}}, where men dress in taper-headed straw costume, in Kaminoyama, Yamagata
• Krampus, a demonic creature, believed to accompany Saint Nicholas to punish children in some European countries during Christmas.
• Kurentovanje - Slovenian folklore carnival
• Latvian masked processions
• List of Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties
• List of legendary creatures from Japan
• Ogoh-ogoh – demons of Bali who are celebrated on their new year.
• Straw bear
• Setsubun or mamemaki, practice of casting roasted soy beans to ward ogres or ghouls.
• {{Interlanguage link multi|Tsuina|ja|3=追儺|vertical-align=sup}}, a more ancient form of ghoul-warding passed down from China.

{{notelist}}

;Citations

{{Reflist|30em|refs=

{{cite book|last=Bocking |first=Brian |author-link=B |title=A Popular Dictionary of Shintō |publisher=Psychology Press |year=1997 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0TIfrZuq_YC&pg=PA98 |page=98|isbn=978-0-700-71051-5}}

{{cite book|last=Makita |first=Shigeru |author-link=:ja:牧田茂 |chapter=Namahage |title=Sekai hyakka jiten |script-title=ja:世界百科事典 |volume=17 |orig-year=1968 |year=1969 |page=46 |lang=ja}}

{{cite journal|author=Anon. |title=Akita-ken Oga-shi no minzoku gyōji namahage no yurai |script-title=ja:秋田県男鹿市の民俗行事「なまはげ」の由来 |journal=Shūkan Shinchō |volume=41 |number=1 |year=1996 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h9rlAAAAIAAJ |page=40 |quote=}}.

}}

;Bibliography

{{Refbegin}}

• {{cite journal|last=Foster |first=Michael Dylan |author-link=Michael Dylan Foster |title=Inviting the Uninvited Guest: Ritual, Festival, Tourism, and the Namahage of Japan |journal=The Journal of American Folklore |volume=126 |number=501 |date=Summer 2013 |pages=302–334 |doi=10.5406/jamerfolk.126.501.0302 |jstor=10.5406/jamerfolk.126.501.0302|s2cid=143644459 }}

• {{cite book|last=Greene |first=Meg |author-link= |editor-last=Bharati |editor-first=Agrhananda |editor-link= |title=Japan: A Primary Source Cultural Guide |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group |year=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mvhArG29mAgC&pg=PT58 |page=57 |isbn= 9781404229129}}

• {{cite book|last=Ine |first=Yūji |author-link= |title=Namahage |script-title=ja:ナマハゲ |place= |publisher=Akita bunka shuppansha |year=1985 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k8tJAAAAMAAJ |isbn=}}
• {{cite book|last=Ine |first=Yūji |author-link= |author-mask=2 |title=Namahage shinpan |script-title=ja:ナマハゲ新版 |edition=revised |place= |publisher=Akita bunka shuppansha |year=2005 |url= |isbn=9784870224841}}

• {{cite journal|last=Nakamura |first=Takao |author-link= |title=Namahage oboegaki (Nihon rettō ni okeru saishiteki himitsu kessha ni tsuite) |trans-title=Notes on namahage (Possible remnants of primitive secret societies on the Japanese archipelago) |script-title=ja:ナマハゲ覚書―日本列島における祭祀的秘密結社について― |journal=The Japanese Journal of Ethnology/Minzokugaku Kenkyū |volume=16 |number=3–4 |year=1952 |pages=311–320}}

• {{cite book|last=Yamamoto |first=Yoshiko |others=Institute for the Study of Human Issues |title=The Namahage: a festival in the northeast of Japan|place=Philadelphia |publisher=Institute for the Study of Human Issues |year=1978 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zMqBAAAAMAAJ |isbn= 978-0-915-98066-6}}

{{Refend}}

• {{cite web|author=Akita Prefecture|title=男鹿のなまはげ|website=美しき水の郷あきた|publisher=Akita Prefecture|year=2003|format=preview|url=http://www.pref.akita.jp/fpd/bunka/namahage.htm|access-date=June 19, 2019|archive-date=February 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222150622/http://www.pref.akita.jp/fpd/bunka/namahage.htm|url-status=dead}}

{{Japanese folklore long}}

Category:Culture of Japan

Category:Japanese folk art

Category:Japanese folklore

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Category:Yōkai

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Category:Winter traditions

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