Earlier this February, people across Japan celebrated Setsubun — a holiday that takes place the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar in Japan — by throwing soybeans in and out of homes. However, over 1 million people were technically excused from the leaping legume rite because of the samurai, Watanabe no Tsuna, who was the subject of legends about one-armed demons, monster spiders and growling swords. What does he have to do with beans? Let’s find out.
Why the Watanabe Clan Don’t Need To Participate in the Yearly Bean-Throwing Ritual
Setsubun is heavily spring-themed. As winter gives way to the life-bringing season, people around the world want to cast off old worries and misfortunes and start the rest of the year with a clean, lucky slate.
In Japan, it’s customary to throw dried soybeans out of the house while yelling: “Demons out.” People then go outside and throw beans in while yelling “Good luck in.” There are regional differences here and there, but that’s the gist of it. Families with the surname Watanabe, though, may choose not to participate in the yearly ritual.
According to lore, Watanabe no Tsuna was the first person in Japan to use that family name. And since he reportedly killed a lot of demons in his life, the mythological representations of misfortune are said to tremble at the very sound of Watanabe and stay away from anyone with that name.
As a result, there’s no need for any modern Watanabes to hurl beans during Setsubun. It would simply be overkill. According to the most recent data, there are just over 1 million people in Japan named Watanabe or its variant written with the same characters (making it the sixth most popular name in the country). Here’s what Watanabe no Tsuna did to get them a lifetime of demon exemptions.
“Watanabe Tsuna” by Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi
A Disarming Samurai
Watanabe no Tsuna was a samurai and companion of folk hero Minamoto no Yorimitsu, with whom he shared many adventures and originally also a family name. He later changed it to Watanabe after the location of his fortress. It wasn’t too far from Rashomon, the famous gate where Tsuna defeated the fearsome demoness Ibaraki-doji, cutting off her arm. She later got it back by disguising herself as Tsuna’s relative. Then again, different people remember it differently.
The Ibaraki-doji legend is supposedly the source of the oni’s Watanabe-phobia, and for good reason. The defeat of the giant demoness was done in the dead of night with the monster having home-field advantage.
As depicted in the short story Rashomon by Ryunosuke Akutagawa (which later lent its name but not the plot to the Akira Kurosawa movie of the same name), for the longest time the gate was seen as a forsaken place of evil where murder victims and unwanted babies were often dumped. Ibaraki-doji had everything going for her, yet Tsuna defeated her single-handedly, both in means and the result.
Tsuchigumo Spider from “Bakamono no E” picture scroll | Wikimedia Commons
The Original Demon Slayer
Tsuna is also said to have defeated a Tsuchigumo, a terrifying human-turned-spider-monster and a popular topic of kagura plays that may have inspired the Demon Slayer manga and anime. His biggest enemy, literally and figuratively, was Shuten-doji, Ibaraki-doji’s 50-foot-tall boss and one of the most evil paranormal creatures in Japanese mythology, known for his immense magical powers.
Think of him as the mythological basis for Demon Slayer’s Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji. Shuten-doji was even ultimately defeated by the combined efforts of a demon-slaying group: the Four Guardian Kings, legendary warriors and retainers of Yorimitsu, of which Tsuna was one.
Additionally, Tsuna used a magic sword belonging to the Minamoto family that was lent to him for his supernatural slaughter escapades. It went by many names. After the Ibaraki-doji incident, it was known as “Onikiri” or “Onikirimaru” (Demon-Slasher) but its original name was “Higekiri” (Beard-Cutter) after it was supposedly used in the first, legendary test cutting of a sword on a human being.
At one point, it was also known as Shishi no Ko (Lion’s Cub) because of the roaring sound it emitted. You can try to hear it yourself at the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto, where the sword is still housed today.
Watanabe no Tsuna: Facts Be Damned
Watanabe no Tsuna was a real person who lived and died during the Heian period but who, through his association with Yorimitsu and perhaps his own magnetic personality, made people daydream about his battles against evil like he was some proto-superhero.
The legends surrounding him may have been attempts to immortalize his bravery, resilience and physical prowess in the most memorable ways possible, facts be damned. It definitely worked for fans of traditional Japanese theater, where Watanabe no Tsuna and his demon-slaying exploits are well-known.
He is also the reason why some people don’t have to throw beans in February, which gives him a kind of immortality. Most people don’t get any kind, so you take what you can get.
