Namahage [Great Mask]
The ritual of Namahage on New Year’s Eve is observed in most parts of Oga Peninsula. Namahage, sent by the gods of the Shinzan Shrine, visit every household to warn wrongdoers, exorcise disaster, and to bring an abundant harvest, fishing haul, and luck, yelling: “Is anyone Lazy? Is any child crying?” The “Namahage of Oga” is a folkloric event of long tradition, which was designated as a National Important Folk Cultural Property in 1978. The etymology of Namahage is sought in the imagined act of “namomi wo hagu (peeling off fire blisters).” Fire blisters appear on the hands and feet of lazy people who spend all day and night by the hearth in winter. The purpose of Namahage is to admonish laggards by peeling off their fire blisters. [Translated from the inscription in Japanese.]
For more about Namahage, read “Learning about Akita Lore – Namahage” by Fumiko Yabuki.
