Setsubun Ritual at Kinpusen-ji, 2018

In the courtyard of a Japanese temple, a large pile of evergreen boughs is burning, producing a thick plume of smoke and flame. Several performers dressed in red, green, and black oni costumes, characterized by horned masks and tiger-skin-patterned loincloths, are dancing and wielding spiked clubs (kanabō). A crowd of spectators, many wearing white ceremonial scarves, stands in the foreground watching the ritual. The background features the wooden architecture of the temple decorated with colorful striped banners.

This image documents the Setsubun festival at Kinpusen-ji, a head temple of Shugendō (the Japanese mountain ascetic tradition). The ritual, known as 'Oni-mame-maki', symbolizes the exorcism of misfortune and evil spirits to herald the coming of spring.