Hiroshima: Children Cry, Running Away Around, Festival Blesses Them by 3 Demons’ Scaring

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:17 JST, November 22, 2025

ONOMICHI, Hiroshima — Children’s cries echoed throughout a street in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, during an unusual festival in which three demons frightened them to wish for good health.

Kibitsuhiko Shrine oversees the annual Onomichi Betcha festival, which originated in 1807 during an epidemic. Held in early November, the procession of demons is the main event of the three-day festival.

On Nov. 3, three parishioners wearing masks to become the demons led a mikoshi portable shrine through the city center.

One of the parishioners wore a mask of a long-nosed tengu demon mask to be Shoki, while the other two wore traditional yokai masks to become Soba and Beta.

The legend says that children patted on the head with the demons’ bamboo sticks will grow up wise, and those prodded with their sticks will be blessed with children.

Amid the sounds of drums and gongs, some children cried in fear or ran away when they saw the three demons approaching with their sticks. The street overflowed with the healthy cries of children and the smiles of adults.