Namahage, Oga, Oga Peninsula, Japan Sea, Akita なまはげ 生剥 男鹿 男鹿半島 日本海 秋田 by Kari Gröhn, karigohncom
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Piano Sonata No 21 in B flat, Second Movement, Andante sostenuto, Artur Schnabel (1882–1951)
The Namahage visit homes at the New Year’s Eve (Omisoka). They wear coats made from dried seaweed and straw. The female Namahage in blue mask bangs on wooden buckets with kitchen knives and the male one wears a red mask and carry gohei, sacred wooden wands hung with paper streamers that symbolize their status as Shinto gods.
The Namahage persist in searching for children and a new bride, who often hides quietly somewhere in the house. The Namahage frighten children by demanding to know whether any cry babies or lazy kids living in the house. Parents reassure that no such children live here. This concept is pretty similar to the Western concept of Santa Claus who is set to punish misbehaving children by not giving them gifts for Christmas. Before the Christian Era there was a ritual which associated with harvests and fertility in Scandinavia. Old men dressed up in horned goat costumes made from dried straw were evil spirits who would go door to door demanding gifts and leftovers from the Yule feast.
In Oga, sooner or later, everyone is found, and all return to the host’s room where he prepares sake, side dishes, and rice cakes. When the demons have been properly entertained they pray for the safety and well being of the family, bountiful harvests, and rich hauls of fish.
A Namahage group consists of three young men. They are called the first, second, and third Namahage. The first one announces that he came from Mt Shinzan in Oga, the second one from Mt Taihei in Akita, and the last one from nearby Lake Hachiro.
The legend of the Namahage varies according to an area. An Akita legend has developed regarding the origins of namahage, that Emperor Wu of Han (d. 87 BC) from China came to Japan bringing five demonic ogres to the Oga area, and the ogres established quarters in the two local high peaks, Honzan and Shinzan. These oni stole crops and young women from Oga’s villages.
The citizens of Oga wagered the demons that if they could build one thousand stone steps from the sea shore to the top of Mt Shinzan all in one night, then the villagers will 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.