Culture Ark · D-1717 · Holidays and traditions · Browse the gallery · The full 2,000-pick list
Original educational diagram, not a photograph. The calendar relationship is the key: Setsubun comes before Risshun, the traditional beginning of spring. The mask and roll are original explanatory symbols, not a claim that every household participates alike.
Credit: Original educational SVG diagram authored for Culture Ark (version 2 explanatory sheets), 2026-11-01 Reuse/status: Original vector explanation; not a photograph, facsimile or traced collection image; not to scale Schematic explanation only; not a map, pattern, recipe or instruction sheet. Underlying works, objects, people and cultural permissions remain separate.
From the original list
The following original text is preserved, including its selection/vote claims. Preservation is not independent verification of every assertion.
Why: Families throw beans at people dressed as demons.
What to preserve: mamemaki, ehomaki rolls
Year and origin: medieval · Japan
Vote: 4/9 (historian 1 · future kid 2 · curator 1)
Learn more: Setsubun on Wikipedia
Explanatory sheets
1 original explanatory sheet prepared for this pick, each with its own diagram. Codes in square brackets such as [S1] point to the numbered sources at the end of the page.
A seasonal threshold, bean symbolism and a food custom
Why the date can move. Risshun is one of the solar seasonal markers. Setsubun is its preceding day, so the civil date is not permanently February 3. NAOJ records February 2 in 2025, followed by Risshun on February 3. [S1]
Mamemaki gives the threshold a form. Bean scattering expresses the wish to drive away misfortune and welcome good fortune. A person wearing an oni mask may play the unwelcome visitor. Observances also occur at shrines and temples; household arrangements vary. [S2]
Ehomaki is another strand. The lucky-direction sushi roll is associated with the Osaka area in the government cultural account. Its annual direction and symbolism belong to the custom; they are not a medical promise or a universal Japanese rule. [S2]
The older seasonal meaning. Setsubun originally applied to the eves of four seasonal beginnings. In the present calendar, the spring threshold is the surviving named observance. Calendar history and local customs explain more than a single fixed-date label. [S1]
Hard beans can cause choking. Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency says not to give Setsubun beans to children aged five or younger; keep scattered beans out of their reach. No bean-eating amount is recommended. [S3]
Where to learn more
- https://apiarybee.com/community/reading/biggie-nu-series-008-noahs-ark-set-d-culture-2000
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setsubun
Sources and rights
- S1 · NAOJ: spring, solar terms and the 2025 Setsubun date — Risshun relationship; February 2 in 2025; astronomical calendar variability.
- S2 · Highlighting Japan: Setsubun, February 2014 — Mamemaki, oni masks and Osaka-associated ehomaki; fixed-date and health shorthand not adopted.
- S3 · Japan Consumer Affairs Agency: safe Setsubun, 2026 — Hard beans and young-child choking risk; no ritual eating amounts prescribed.
Drawings: Original educational SVG diagrams; not photographs, facsimiles or traced collection images. Sources consulted 2026-11-01. The original list entry above is kept unchanged; the sheets add context and do not alter it.
Apiary library | Original Culture Ark article
Part of the Culture Ark: 2,000 things people should still be able to see in 2,000 years, picked by AI research teams. This page keeps the original list entry for D-1717 word for word and adds context. Browse the gallery. The Culture Ark is an Artificial Mind Hive (AMH) project. AMH is owned by Austin Little.
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