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When you hear the word Oga, the first thing that comes to mind is the " Namahage. " Every year on New Year's Eve, demon-like figures wearing frightening masks and straw costumes visit houses, shouting, " Any lazy people here? Any crying children here ?" They carry kitchen knives and buckets in their hands.
Namahage are gods who pray for villagers to keep themselves busy in the winter, and for good health and bountiful harvests in the new year
Namahage may look scary at first glance, but they are actually gods who admonish lazy people who spend all their time sitting around a kotatsu or hearth during the winter farming off-season, and pray for good health and bountiful harvests. The etymology of "Namahage" is said to be "namomihagi" (skinning) . When you look at the literal meaning of "namomihagi," you might imagine it means "skinning off one's own flesh!" However, it actually refers to the peeling off of " namomi ," the brown bruises caused by low-temperature burns that occur when someone is exposed to fire for too long.
The commonly known Namahage mask has an ogre-like appearance and shape. They speak loudly and carry a kitchen knife, so they are nothing but a scary sight for children, but to the local community they are visiting deities who give warnings and blessings. When Namahage visits a home, food and sake are prepared and they are treated with courtesy
So, what was the origin of Namahage?
There are several theories about the origin of Namahage. The theory that it was caused by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty is one of them
Emperor Wu, the seventh emperor of the ancient Chinese Han dynasty (around the end of the Yayoi period in Japan), crossed the Sea of Japan with five bats and arrived in Oga in search of a medicinal herb that would grant immortality. The bats transformed into demons and served Emperor Wu, and it is said that these demons are the origin of the Namahage
about the origin of Namahage, including they are mountain ascetics who practiced in the mountains of Oga , mountain gods who have lived there since ancient times , but none of these theories have been confirmed.
Namahage, drawn by Edo period travel writer Sugae Masumi
Namahage is a traditional event that has been held in each village in the Oga region for a long time, but it is not known when it began. The earliest record of Namahage appears to be a written account with illustrations by travel writer Sugae Masumi, who was traveling through Oga on January 15, 1811 during the Edo period
The text accompanying the illustration describes the Namahage event at the time. Young men wearing masks with demonic expressions and masks with pursed lips like a hyōdō mask visit houses in the village on the night of the 15th of the New Year (now it is New Year's Eve, but at the time it was a Little New Year event on January 15th). Children hide when they hear that Namahage have arrived, just like today. It is not known whether they called out loudly, "Are there any crying children?"
The Namahage Museum in the grounds of Shinzan Shrine is decorated with over 150 different types of Namahage masks from around 60 regions, including some that are actually used in the Namahage New Year's Eve event. You'll be amazed at the variety of expressions they display.
Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum adjacent to the Namahage Museum , you can experience re-enactments of Namahage events all year round. Additionally, on the second Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of February every year, the Namahage Sedo Festival, a tourist event that combines Sedo Festival , is held within the grounds of Shinzan Shrine.
Under the snow and the lanterns burning in the shrine grounds, the solemn rituals held at Shinzan Shrine are truly mystical. In contrast, the Namahage's wild movements are powerful and impressive. The heroic sound of the drums reverberates throughout your body
" Oga Namahage " is a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and is also listed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage as one of the Visiting Gods: Gods in Masks and Costumes
Information
Facility name: Shinzan Shrine / Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum / Namahage Museum
Address: 97 Mizukuisawa, Kitaurayama, Oga City, Akita Prefecture
Public transportation: Approximately 40 minutes by Oga Peninsula Ainori Taxi "Namahage Shuttle" from Oga Station on the JR Oga Line
By car: Approximately 40 minutes from Showa Oga Peninsula IC on the Akita Expressway
Facility name: Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum」
Admission fee: Adults 770 yen, elementary, junior high and high school students 550 yen. Combined ticket for both museums: Adults 1100 yen, elementary and junior high school students 660 yen
April to November / 9:00 to 16:30 (approximately 20 minutes)
December to March: 9:30 to 15:30 (January 1st and 2nd: 9:00 to 15:00)
Closed: Open daily
Facility name: "Namahage Museum"
Admission fee: Adults 660 yen, elementary, junior high and high school students 330 yen, combined ticket for both museums: Adults 1100 yen, elementary, junior high and high school students 660 yen
Opening hours: 8:30-17:00
Closed: Open daily
Event name: "Namahage Sedo Festival"
Dates: Second Friday, Saturday and Sunday in February
Location: Shinzan Shrine grounds
Google Map
Oga's folk tale, the legend of the 999 stone steps
The five demons serving Emperor Wu were given a day off on the 15th of the New Year. On that day, they descended into the villages, plundering crops and livestock, and committing other evil deeds, including assaulting village girls
The troubled villagers came up with a plan. They made a bet: " Build 1,000 stone steps from the village to the middle of the main mountain before the first rooster crows. If you can do it, we'll offer you one daughter each year. If you can't, never come down to the village again ." The ogres thought it would be an easy goal, and happily piled up the stones. Before morning, they reached 999 steps, but then Amanojaku, who the villagers had asked to imitate the sound of a rooster, imitated the sound of a rooster crowing, "cock-a-doodle-doo." The ogres mistook this for morning, and thinking they had lost the bet, they never came down to the village again.
One theory is that when the demons realized they had been tricked and feared they would take revenge, the villagers began to worship them as gods, and this is the origin of Namahage
Akagami Shrine Goshado, a national important cultural property with the legend of its 999 stone steps
The 999 stone steps, said to have been built by demons, are located in a village called MonzenAkagami Shrine , which is located at the foot of the main mountain along Oga Shiokaze Kaido (Prefectural Route 59).The 999 uneven, hand-made stone steps continue.
Goshado , a row of five shrines . The current building was built in 1709 during the Edo period by Satake Yoshikatsu, the lord of the Kubota domain, and is designated as an Important Cultural Property by the national government as an extremely valuable example of Edo period temple and shrine architecture.
The five shrines of the Goshado are, from left to right, Juzenshido, Hachiojido, Akagami Gongendo, Maroudongongendo , andcouple and five shrines . Furthermore, the zushi (a box used to store important items such as Buddhist statues and memorial tablets) inside Akagami Gongendo is said to have been made in the Muromachi period and is a designated National Important Cultural Property.
Akagami Shrine is located on the middle slope of the Honzan (180m above sea level) of Mt. Shinzan (567m), Honzan (715m), and Mt. stand side by side Nisshakuji . During the Heian period, Shugendo, a form of asceticism in which asceticism was practiced in the mountains of Oga, was practiced, and Nisshakuji was its central temple. From the Heian period through the Edo period, there was an era of Shinbutsu-shugo (syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism), in which the gods of shrines were enshrined within temples. In the Meiji period, the coexistence of temples and shrines was prohibited (the Shinbutsu Bunri policy), and Nisshakuji was abandoned, and the temple was subsequently called Akagami Shrine. However, the main hall is still the Goshado hall that was built during the temple era, and although it is called a shrine, it has temple halls and a Buddhist statue enshrined there.
The Goshado Hall houses two statues: a wooden standing statue of the Bodhisattva Kannon (designated an Akita Prefectural Cultural Property), which is thought to have been made in the Heian period, and a wooden standing statue of the Bodhisattva Eleven-Headed Kannon (designated an Akita Prefectural Cultural Property), created by the Buddhist sculptor Enku in the early Edo period.
At the height of Shugendo's popularity, under the patronage of the Kubota domain, it is said that there were nine temples, centered around Nisshaku-ji Temple, and 48 lodgings for ascetics. However, after the Meiji Restoration, due to the separation of Shinto and Buddhism and the Haibutsu Kishaku (a policy to abolish Buddhism), most of the temples were abandoned, and all that remains are Akagami Shrine Goshado, which changed its name from Nisshaku-ji Temple, and Choraku-ji Temple
Information
Facility name: Akagami Shrine Goshado and 999 stone steps
Address: 35 Harakawa, front of the main temple gate, Funakawa Port, Oga City, Akita Prefecture (Akagami Shrine)
Phone number: 0185-24-9220 (Oga City Tourism, Culture and Sports Department, Tourism Division)
My love of travel led me to work for a travel magazine some time ago, and now I work as a travel writer for an online publication. I have visited all 47 prefectures in Japan, focusing on the Tohoku region, and I enjoy soaking in hot springs and experiencing traditional Japanese culture, including old townscapes, lifestyles, and performing arts and crafts
![matagi](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/matagi-150x150.jpg.webp "The popular "Matagi" tradition of wild game began in Kitaakita City! [Akita Prefecture]")
