Kakurinji Temple Shushoe (Oni-oi Demon Rite)

Every year on January 8, Kakurinji Temple in Kakogawa holds this New Year service, a tradition dating back to the Heian period. It opens with an offering of Noh chant that tells the origin of the demon rite, followed by a keka service of repentance for past wrongs, during which the oni-oi begins. Young demon attendants beat out a rhythm with their staves, and two demons, one red and one blue, burst in and rampage among the worshippers. In the end, the power of the Buddha reforms them into good demons who drive misfortune away. A rare chance to see a temple's New Year ritual up close.

Shushoe is a Buddhist New Year service held to repent for the wrongs and mistakes of the past and start the year afresh. At Kakurinji, it has been held since the Heian period. After a Noh chant telling the rite's origin, the keka repentance service begins, and the oni-oi takes place within it: young demon attendants keep time with their staves, and a red demon and a blue demon leap out among the worshippers. The demons are not simply chased away — by the end they are reformed by the Buddha's power and become benevolent demons who drive off misfortune. Because the demons leap right in among the worshippers, onlookers see them up close.