Namahage

Namahage

Namahage ( 生 剥 剥 ) - kami- dressed, characteristic of the festivities of northeast Japan .

The word "Namahage" comes from the local word for a lazy person who sat for kotatsu for too long in the winter, and the word "crust". Some ethnologists and folklorists suggest that namahage are associated with the advent of spirits that take away misfortune and bring happiness, while others believe that this is a holy visit of spirits from the mountains. Namahage rallies the local community, as their duties include jokes on newly married brides, children and other “newcomers”, as well as calls to work hard ^{[1] [2]} .

On the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture, the arrival of namahage takes place during the New Year's festival; they are regarded as messengers of the gods who descended from the mountain. In another area, there is an Association for the Preservation of the Namahage Tradition ; there young people in straw cloaks and sandals and in frightening masks, with wooden similarities to knives, go around in pairs at home. Near the house, they scream terribly and shout: "Are there lazy people here?" Then they stomp ritually, they are served sake and snacks, and they leave, promising to return for next year ^[1] . It is believed that when visiting a home, Namahage takes away all the troubles and problems that have accumulated over the year, and in return leaves luck and prosperity.

According to one legend, Emperor Han brought five demons to Japan more than two millennia ago. They stole crops from both women and villagers, in order to get rid of them, offered to give them all the girls if the namahage built a stone staircase of 1000 steps in one night - or the demons had to leave. When the Namahage completed the 999th step, the villagers forced the rooster to scream ahead of schedule ^[1] .