Chants of ¡±wasshoi¡± and ¡±soiya¡± are often heard at Japanese festivals, but at the annual Akutai Festival they¡¯re replaced with cuss words.
Akutai translates as ¡°abusive language¡± in English and according to lore, the festival in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, began during the middle of the Edo Period (1603-1868) as a way to ward off evil and get things off your chest. In any case, it¡¯s clear that the event continues to be an outlet for stress.
The cursing kicks up at 1:30 p.m. when 13 priests from Atago Shrine clad in white (they¡¯re pretending to be tengu, a type of goblin) begin trekking up the 306-meter-high Mount Atago. Participants who follow them are free to hurl insults like ¡±bakayaro,¡± a Japanese classic that translates a little harsher than ¡°idiot.¡± Just don¡¯t direct your cursing at the tengu, who are considered to be divine messengers.
On their journey, the priests will drop in at 16 hokora (small shrines) to offer up a set of lucky charms for health and safety. However, the charms aren¡¯t expected to stay on the altars for long as participants will scramble to grab them.
The festival will finish up at Atago Shrine with a scattering of rice cakes and snack bags around 3:30 p.m. It will then be followed by a closing ceremony of shouting ¡°bakayaro¡± three times.
Akutai Festival takes place at and around Atago and Iitsuna shrines in Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Dec. 17 (1:30-4 p.m.). Admission is free. For more details, visit .
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