An oft overlooked pleasure of Japan is the lunar new year celebrated in rural communities. Kunisaki's Shujo Onie -
修 正鬼会 - festival rang in the Year of the Dragon this past weekend. The Oni - 鬼 - (devils but, in this instance, benevolent reincarnations of Buddha) are brought to life by chants and a liberal dosing of sake spat from the mouth of a monk.
Infused with life and branding flaming torches that shower burning embers, the Oni dance frenetically before encircling everyone present to hit them with their torches to ward off or cure illness - Lourdes could never make the lame walk again so thrillingly.
Shujo Onie has been held from at least the Heian Period (794 - 1185 AD) and it is thought most of the temples that once dotted the Kunisaki Peninsula celebrated the lunar new year in this way. Many of those temples have disappeared since the heyday of Buddhism in the Kamakura Period (1185 - 1333 AD) but three temples still host the Oni, bringing some excitement to the forlorn depths of winter. This year two of the locals-cum-Oni happen to be friends of mine. Both young monks, their usual polite and calm characters were completely transformed on the night.
Infused with life and branding flaming torches that shower burning embers, the Oni dance frenetically before encircling everyone present to hit them with their torches to ward off or cure illness - Lourdes could never make the lame walk again so thrillingly. 
Shujo Onie has been held from at least the Heian Period (794 - 1185 AD) and it is thought most of the temples that once dotted the Kunisaki Peninsula celebrated the lunar new year in this way. Many of those temples have disappeared since the heyday of Buddhism in the Kamakura Period (1185 - 1333 AD) but three temples still host the Oni, bringing some excitement to the forlorn depths of winter. This year two of the locals-cum-Oni happen to be friends of mine. Both young monks, their usual polite and calm characters were completely transformed on the night.
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