Tokoji Oni-e

Festival highlights

A highlight is the way Ta-asobi is followed by the demons’ appearance.

Fukutaro and Fukujirō act out plowing the fields, preparing a rice seedbed, sowing seeds, twisting rope, and pulling up seedlings, then throw rice-filled paper packets toward the worshippers.

Next, the red demon brandishes a torch while the blue demon thrusts his halberd into the floor. Starting from the east and west sides of the inner sanctuary, they circle the outer sanctuary 6 times each, 12 times in total.

A distinctive scene features the demon children striking the floor with sticks.

Tokoji’s New Year’s event entrusts prayers for a good harvest and protection from misfortune to Ta-asobi and the demons’ procession.

What to expect

In preparation, pine wood is gathered from the mountains the previous December to make torches, and kagamimochi and demon flowers are made on January 6.

That day, the demon flowers and a large kagamimochi are displayed in the main hall. From evening, a naorai is held in the priests’ quarters, and the Daihannya Sutra is chanted in the main hall.

Once preparations are complete, the demon performers, carrying mask boxes on their heads, go from the priests’ quarters to Yakushido Hall and perform Ta-asobi inside.

After Ta-asobi comes the stick-striking ritual, followed by the red demon and then the blue demon, who circle the outer sanctuary.

Location and access

Venue and address

Tokoji (Yakushido Hall) / 392 Kamimanganji, Kasai, Hyogo Prefecture

Address 392 Kamimanganji, Kasai, Hyogo Prefecture

Dates and season

Season

Every year on January 8

Frequency

Every year

Accommodation and hotels PR

Origins and History of Tokoji Oni-e

Tokoji Oni-e has been passed down as part of the shusho-e New Year’s rites held at Tokoji.

Documents from the area suggest that Oni-e was already being held by the late Muromachi period.

Ta-asobi is said to have been revived in Kyoho 2 (1717), and residents of Kamimanganji and Shimomanganji have taken charge of its preparation and operation.

Tokoji was once called Ariakeyama Manganji. It burned down in Tenbun 7 (1538), was rebuilt in year 9 of the same era, and was renamed Tokoji.

Official information

The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties lists Tokoji Oni-e as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.

The name of the preservation group is “Tokoji Tsui-na Ceremony and Ta-asobi Preservation Society.”

Tokoji Oni-e at a Glance

Tokoji Oni-e is a New Year’s event in which a red demon and a blue demon walk through the hall with torches and halberds to ward off calamities.

Before the demons appear, Ta-asobi is performed, acting out tasks such as plowing the fields and sowing seeds, and prayers are offered for a good harvest.

Oni-e is thought to have been held in the late Muromachi period, while Ta-asobi is said to have been revived in Kyoho 2 (1717).

The venue is Tokoji in Kamimanganji, Kasai, Hyogo Prefecture.