Demons Vanquished By Beans And Peach Branch Swords

Children screamed, covered their eyes and hid behind their parents as a group of red and blue demons rampaged through the Iwashimizu Hachimangu shrine in the city of Yawata , January 31, 2016 in Yawata, Japan. The demons were eventually driven back by wooden swords and volleys of hurled soybeans, to the applause of spectators and the relief of the children. Bean-throwing ceremonies, called Mamemaki, are held every January as a way of driving out evil spirits and are popular throughout Japan. The Iwashimizu Hachimangu event also employed “demon slayers” armed with swords made from peach branches to dispatch the demons. Participants born under this year’s Chinese zodiacal sign--the Monkey--got to throw beans at the demons, who in reality were four members of the shrine’s youth club.