Photo/Illutration A setsubun bean-throwing ceremony is held at Naritasan Shinshoji temple in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, in February 2021. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

In his iconic work "Tsurezuregusa" (Essays in Idleness), Buddhist monk and author Yoshida Kenko (1283-1352) noted that all human sentiments about the four seasons "have already been described in 'Genji Monogatari' (The Tale of Genji) and 'Makura no Soshi' (The Pillow Book)."

Griping that anything he has to say is already hackneyed, thanks to the authors of those classics, he nevertheless keeps writing and depicts in Passage 19 the annual ritual of "Tsuina."

On New Year's Eve, participants carrying burning torches take to the streets at night, knocking on every door and shouting loudly to drive away evil spirits.

This ritual is said to have evolved into the popular custom of scattering soybeans on setsubun (the day before the beginning of spring in Japan's traditional calendar) to exorcize evil and pray for health and good fortune.

Today, Feb. 3, is setsubun.

Figuratively speaking, the long uphill climb that was winter is finally over on this day, and the panorama of the fields in spring spreads below us.

In a nearby park yesterday morning, there were downy silver buds on pussy willows, waiting for their cue to break.

A haiku by Masami Ito goes to the effect, "Pussy willows are still cold/ Under the blue sky."

We can more or less guess the seasonal changes ahead, but not the spread of COVID-19 cases.

Tokyo logged more that 20,000 new cases for the first time yesterday. And with the hospital bed occupancy rate now exceeding 50 percent, the figure meets the criterion by which the metropolitan government will consider seeking a declaration of a state of emergency.

But there is no knowing how effective any conventional measures will be with the Omicron variant.

I imagine many temples and shrines are taking no chances and will decide to cancel their setsubun bean-scattering events for the second consecutive year.

At one of the shrines and temples I went to check out, I saw "ema" votive wooden plaques on which students taking school entrance tests write their prayers for success. And my eyes were drawn to one that bore a prayer in the handwriting of a child, saying, "I pray for help for people who are suffering."

This was like an endearing little bud of spring and it took my breath away.

Come to think of it, Kenko wrote that even if something has become an old cliche, "there is no reason why one shouldn't say it again now."

How true. There is no limit to the number of times one can say something that is important.

I thank the person who wrote that ema and refreshed my thinking.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 3

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

Related News