picture of the day

Night of demons

10 Comments

Fifteen "namahage" bearing torches of fire come down a mountain on Sunday night at the 51st Namahage Sedo Festival. Held over three nights every February in Oga City, Akita Prefecture, it is one of the five major festivals of the Tohoku winter. The "namahage" travel with a “naughty and nice” book in which is recorded information about the inhabitants of each house gathered in advance. Using this information the "namahage" will admonish children to behave better, study harder, wash behind their ears, or whatever it is that the child’s parents told the "namahage" earlier. More information can be seen here.

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Tanoshii! Love the annual "Namahage scare the children"-event!

0 ( +3 / -3 )

I think this is the main cause of most Japanese people's strange behavior, most of them were scared half to death by these Namahage when they were little kids, ha ha

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Flaming torches and costumes made of straw are always a good combination.

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man I lived just down the road fro Oga for 3 years.... loved that festival! The demons were the only thing more freaky to the children than a gaijin.

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Would love to see this.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Serrano said: I think this is the main cause of most Japanese people's strange behavior, most of them were scared half to death by these Namahage when they were little kids, ha ha

Nonsense. Namahage is a Tohoku tradition. You won't find them in southern Japan. There's also a very similar tradition in Europe.

Traditionally young men dress up as the Krampus in Austria, southern Bavaria, South Tyrol, northern Friuli, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia during the first week of December, particularly on the evening of 5 December (the eve of Saint Nicholas Day on many church calendars), and roam the streets frightening children with rusty chains and bells.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

House Atreides: "Namahage is a Tohoku tradition. You won't find them in southern Japan."

You'll find 'em in Japan's largest city, Tokyo.

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Wickedly cool!

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Serrano said: You'll find 'em in Japan's largest city, Tokyo.

Tokyo doesn't have a Namahage tradition or festival. The only place in Tokyo you'd regularly see Namahage is at an Akita themed restaurant. As the caption states:

... Namahage Sedo Festival. Held over three nights every February in Oga City, Akita Prefecture, it is one of the five major festivals of the Tohoku winter.

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