Setsubun Festival at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (鶴岡八幡宮 節分祭)

What Is the Setsubun Festival at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine?

The Setsubun Festival (Setsubunsai, 節分祭) is held every year on the day of Setsubun (節分) at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (鶴岡八幡宮) in Kamakura (鎌倉). Setsubun originally meant the dividing line between seasons, and over time it came to mean the day before Risshun (立春), the first day of spring in the traditional calendar, which was especially valued as the start of the year. After a ceremony at the Main Shrine (本宮) to pray for protection from misfortune and for good luck, the Meigen no Gi (鳴弦の儀), a rite of twanging bowstrings to drive away evil, and a bean-throwing by toshi-otoko and toshi-onna (年男・年女), men and women born under the same zodiac sign as the current year, take place at the Maiden (舞殿) to drive out evil spirits and misfortune.

Date and Time

The ceremony begins at 1:00 PM at the Main Shrine on the day of Setsubun, which falls between February 2 and 4 depending on the year. After the prayers at the Main Shrine, the priests and the toshi-otoko and toshi-onna come down the Grand Stone Staircase (大石段), usually pose for a group photo in front of it around 1:30 PM, and then move to the Maiden, which stands directly in front of the staircase. The Meigen no Gi follows, and the bean-throwing usually starts at the Maiden around 2:00 PM.

Highlights

At the Maiden, the priests first purify the worshippers gathered around it. Then two priests, who received a bow and arrows during the ceremony at the Main Shrine, perform the Meigen no Gi in the traditional manner. The sound of the bowstring being drawn hard and released is surprisingly loud and rings across the grounds.

For the bean-throwing, the toshi-otoko and toshi-onna, dressed in costumes called daimon (大紋), step up onto the Maiden and throw lucky beans wrapped in paper while calling out “Fuku wa uchi” (福は内, “In with good fortune”). They refill their beans along the way and throw them in several rounds, signaled by a drum. The bean packets carry a crane mark, and if you pick up one marked “atari” (当たり, winner), you can exchange it for a fukumono (福物), a lucky gift.

Watching the Festival

For safety, the number of people who can catch beans is limited. Numbered tickets are usually handed out on a first-come, first-served basis from around noon, and only ticket holders may enter the roped-off area around the Maiden. The tickets sometimes run out early. Older people and children of elementary school age or younger cannot join the bean catching, and instead receive vouchers for a fukumono, available in limited numbers. Even without a ticket, you can watch the Meigen no Gi and the bean-throwing from outside the ropes. Expect to wait about an hour between the ceremony and the bean-throwing, and the grounds get very crowded after the bean-throwing, so dress warmly.

You can also take part as one of the bean throwers. The bean-throwing service (santo hoshi, 撒豆奉仕) is open to anyone, not only toshi-otoko and toshi-onna. Applicants usually bring the application form and an offering fee (usually 30,000 yen) to the shrine office by the deadline in late January. Participants attend the prayers for protection and good luck at the Main Shrine, can wear the costume to throw beans if they wish, and join the naorai (直会), a meal after the ceremony, and a lucky draw. The ceremony takes place even in rain, but the bean-throwing may be canceled in stormy weather.

The shrine’s New Year events continue from Hatsumode at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (初詣), the New Year visit from New Year’s Eve through January 3, to the Chona Hajime Shiki at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (手斧始式) on January 4 and the Sagicho Shinji at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (左義長神事) on January 15.

Access | Visiting During Your Stay at Toshi’s Place

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine is about a 10-minute walk from the East Exit of JR Kamakura Station (鎌倉駅) or from Enoden (江ノ電) Kamakura Station. If you are staying at Toshi’s Place, take the Enoden from Hase Station (長谷駅) or Wadazuka Station (和田塚駅) to Kamakura Station, then walk along Wakamiya-oji Avenue (若宮大路).

Spending the day at the shrine, from collecting a ticket before noon to the bean-throwing, is relaxed when you stay overnight in Kamakura. At Toshi’s Place, fully unstaffed smart hotels with fully equipped kitchens and room-only stays, you can head out at your own pace.

Summary

The Setsubun Festival at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine begins at 1:00 PM on the day of Setsubun with a ceremony at the Main Shrine, followed by the Meigen no Gi at the Maiden and the bean-throwing by the toshi-otoko and toshi-onna, usually from around 2:00 PM. If you want to catch beans, be sure to get a ticket, usually handed out from around noon. For the shrine’s highlights throughout the year, see Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

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