Japanese Culture Craft: Blue Oni Mask (Aomaru Version)
Complete your Setsubun set with the “Blue Oni” (Ao-Oni) mask featuring the character Aomaru! In Japan, Red Oni and Blue Oni often appear together as a pair during the festival.
Learn Japanese: The Color Blue
This mask introduces a key Japanese color word along with cultural context.
- Ao (青 / あお): Blue.
- Ao-Oni (青鬼): Blue Demon/Ogre.
- Aomaru (あおまる): The name of this character, derived from “Ao” (Blue) and “Maru” (Round/Suffix for names).
Cultural Note: Red vs. Blue Oni
Why are there different colored Onis? In Buddhism (which influenced Setsubun), the colors represent different human afflictions to be overcome.
- Red Oni (Aka-Oni): Represents greed and desire.
- Blue Oni (Ao-Oni): Represents anger and hatred.
By throwing beans (Mamemaki) at the Blue Oni mask, people symbolically drive away their anger and pray for a peaceful year.
Activity Idea
Download both the Kimaru (Red Oni) and Aomaru (Blue Oni) masks. Have siblings or classmates wear different colors to act out the exciting scene of Mamemaki!