Photos of a bean-throwing ritual to celebrate seasonal change and ward off evil at a Japanese shrine

HAKONE, Japan (AP) — Scores gathered at a shrine in Japan’s Hakone to try and catch “lucky beans,” hoping to ward off evil spirits as they celebrate the last day of winter in the Japanese lunar calendar.

Setsubun is also known as “mame-maki,” or bean-throwing. It falls around Feb. 3, on the eve of Risshun, marking the beginning of spring in Japan.

Long before modern calendars, the change of seasons was viewed as a vulnerable moment when illness and misfortune could enter lives. Setsubun was meant to contain that instability; people throw the same lucky beans at representations of demons to bring the loathed creatures misfortune.

As people pitch the soybeans, they chant, “Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi” — demons out, fortune in.

Families perform the custom at home, while temples and shrines conduct formal ceremonies.

Though the practice may appear playful, its origins lie in ancient purification rites.

Founded more than 1,200 years ago, Hakone Shrine stands beside Lake Ashi in the mountains of Kanagawa Prefecture, west of Tokyo, and for centuries, travelers crossing the mountains often stopped there to pray for protection before continuing through terrain known for sudden weather changes and difficult routes.

On Tuesday, winter still dominated the landscape as the shrine marked Setsubun.

Visitors arrived quietly, bundled against the cold. Shinto priests conducted formal rites, reciting prayers; their movements were deliberate, reflecting the shrine’s emphasis on continuity.

As part of the ceremony, a Shinto priest and a figure dressed as a demon were pulled across the surface of the lake, briefly skimming the water before disappearing in the distance. By carrying the “oni” across the lake, the ritual symbolically removes misfortune from the community.

The ceremony then continued on land. Roasted soybeans were thrown, voices briefly rising with the familiar chant before falling silent. The beans scattered across stone steps and earth, left where they landed.

A student depicting "Oni", demon-like figures in Japanese folklore, skims across the water on water skis during the annual Bean Throwing Festival near Hakone Shrine in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A student depicting a shrine priest skims across the water on water skis, with Mt. Fuji in the background, during the annual Bean Throwing Festival in Lake Ashi, near Hakone Shrine, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Lucky beans are thrown on an 'Oni', or demon-like figures in Japanese folklore, during the annual Bean Throwing Festival at Hakone Shrine in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People try to catch lucky beans during the annual Bean Throwing Festival at Hakone Shrine in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A student dressed as an 'Oni', demon-like figures in Japanese folklore, water skis during the annual Bean Throwing Festival near Hakone Shrine in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Locals dressed as Japanese folklore figures participate in the annual Bean Throwing Festival in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Locals dressed as Japanese folklore figures throw lucky beans to 'Oni', or demon-like figures, at Lake Ashi near Hakone Shrine during the annual Bean Throwing Festival in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A student depicting a shrine priest skims across the water on water skis during the annual Bean Throwing Festival in Lake Ashi, near Hakone Shrine, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Priests and guests throw lucky beans towards the gathering at Hakone Shrine in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Participants march towards Lake Ashi near Hakone Shrine during the annual Bean Throwing Festival in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A priest leads participants towards Lake Ashi near Hakone Shrine during the annual Bean Throwing Festival in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Participants thrown lucky beans to students dressed as 'Oni', or demon-like figures in Japanese folklore, during the annual Bean Throwing Festival, at Lake Ashi in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People try to catch lucky beans during the annual Bean Throwing Festival at Hakone Shrine in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Students dressed as Oni, or demon-like figures in Japanese folklore, bow to participants marching to Lake Ashi, near Hakone Shrine during the annual Bean Throwing Festival in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Local students dressed as shrine maidens participate in the annual Bean Throwing Festival in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A student depicting "Oni", demon-like figures in Japanese folklore, skims across the water on water skis during the annual Bean Throwing Festival near Hakone Shrine in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People try to catch lucky beans during the annual Bean Throwing Festival, a ceremony marked in the hope of warding off evil spirits and inviting good luck, at Hakone Shrine in Hakone, Japan, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

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