Oni Out, Fortune In – The Vanishing Voice on Setsubun Night
What is Setsubun?
Setsubun is an annual Japanese tradition observed on February 3rd. It marks the transition from winter to spring and is meant to ward off evil spirits while inviting good fortune.
One of the most well-known rituals is mamemaki, or bean-throwing, where people chant “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (“Oni out! Fortune in!") while tossing roasted soybeans.
This practice dates back to the Heian period and is derived from a court ritual called Tsuina, where evil spirits were driven away to protect households from misfortune.
But does simply throwing beans really drive Oni away?
There is one house where something strange happened—where the beans failed to work.
The Oni That Would Not Leave
As usual, our family was preparing for Setsubun. My father opened a bag of roasted soybeans, my mother placed fukumame on the household altar, and together, we got ready for the bean-throwing ritual.
“Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!"
We tossed the beans toward the entrance. But the moment they left our hands, something felt…off.
“…Huh?”
There was no sound. The beans should have scattered across the ground outside, but instead, they made no noise at all, as if they had vanished into thin air.
“Must be my imagination."
Shaking off the unease, we moved to the window.
“Oni wa soto!"
This time, we heard it—the sound of beans pattering against the ground.
But then— clatter…
A noise came from behind us.
We turned around. Scattered across the tatami floor were the very same beans we had just thrown outside.
“What? How did they get back in?"
My mother picked up a bean, looking puzzled. My father furrowed his brow.
“Maybe the wind blew them back?"
His explanation seemed logical, and we almost believed it. But then, my grandmother spoke in a trembling voice.
“…Maybe the Oni… was never outside to begin with."
We all froze.
“What do you mean?"
With unsteady hands, my grandmother pulled out an old wooden box from the closet. Inside were aged sheets of paper, yellowed with time.
“A long time ago, this house had an Oni dwelling in it. The reason we do mamemaki every year is to drive it away. But if the beans don’t work anymore… if they can’t push it outside…"
She trailed off.
My father’s face darkened. A sinking feeling twisted in my gut.
“But we’ve done this every year. Nothing like this has ever happened before."
My mother’s voice wavered.
And then— footsteps echoed down the hall.
Tap… tap… tap…
“…Is someone there?"
My younger brother’s voice trembled.
But all of us were here.
We turned toward the hallway. In the dim light, a figure stood at the far end.
It looked like one of us.
But—
“Mom… are we really a family of five?"
The moment those words left my lips, the figure smiled.
3. Where is the Oni?
The silhouette in the hallway—it was undeniably one of us.
But something was wrong.
“…Are we really a family of five?”
The second I spoke, an overwhelming sense of wrongness hit me.
Yes, we were a family of five. But suddenly, I couldn’t remember— who, exactly, were those five?
“What the hell are you talking about?"
My father’s voice sounded uncertain. I turned to look at my mother—only to realize something was terribly off.
Her face. It was familiar, yet… different. Like her features had shifted, ever so slightly—enough to make my skin crawl.
“Aren’t you… my mother?"
My father’s voice shook.
And then, the figure in the hallway began to move.
Step… step…
It walked toward us.
It had my mother’s face.
Exactly the same.
I instinctively grabbed a handful of beans and threw them.
“Oni wa soto!!"
But she—no, it—didn’t even flinch.
Instead, it tilted its head slightly and smiled.
“Bean-throwing only works… when the Oni is outside."
My breath caught.
The beans were supposed to drive Oni away. But what if the Oni was already inside? Was there even a way to expel it?
I staggered back—only to feel a hand grip my shoulder.
I turned.
Standing there was another father.
“…Are you really our child?"
The family was multiplying. The Oni was already among us.
The mother. The father.
They both smiled.
And in perfect unison, they spoke.
“The Oni… is already here."
4. The Oni That Remains
The next morning, our family of five sat together in the living room.
But whether we were still the same five people from yesterday—no one could say for sure.
Mamemaki is meant to drive Oni outside.
But what if the Oni was already inside?
Or worse—what if we were the ones who had become Oni?
Tonight, you too might throw beans for Setsubun.
Just be sure to count your family members carefully.
This story is a work of fiction. Please enjoy it as entertainment and use it as an opportunity to learn about the fascinating traditions of Japanese culture.
In your culture, are there any rituals similar to Setsubun that ward off evil? Feel free to share in the comments!
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