[Day Service] Setsubun decorations that bring smiles. Ideas for enjoying them with a variety of materials.

An ogre ornament made from a paper tube core

[Setsubun Decorations] Making Ehomaki and Oni Ornaments

The cardboard tubes from toilet paper rolls are something you’ll find in any household.

We tend to throw them away, but they actually have some unexpected uses.

So here’s an idea: a little oni (demon) figurine made from a tube.

First, cut a piece of thick paper to the same diameter as the tube to make a lid.

Then treat the whole tube as the oni’s body: create horns and hair for the top, and add facial features below using yarn and felt.

Finally, wrap yarn around the lower part of the tube to make pants, and you’re done.

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yamamoto

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sanpō (a Japanese term meaning “three sides/directions”; also a traditional wooden offering stand used in Shinto/Buddhist rituals)

[Origami] Easy! How to fold a Sanpō (offering stand). A traditional origami that can be used for moon-viewing decorations, Setsubun, Hinamatsuri, and more.

Traditional pastimes like beanbags (otedama), beigoma tops, cat’s cradle, and spinning tops—if you’re an older adult, you probably got hooked on all of them.

These days there’s so much fun all around us that I wonder if fewer children play with origami.

Many seniors can probably fold a sanpō with origami—the wooden stand used at New Year’s to display rice cakes.

It’s perfect for holding beans on Setsubun, so let’s fold lots of them for the festival.

It would be wonderful to fold sanpō together and have the folding method passed down from children to grandchildren.

Ehomaki wall decoration

[Easy crafts with construction paper & origami♪] I tried making a Setsubun Ehomaki wall decoration! Free template | February | Winter

Ehomaki rolls are eaten on Setsubun.

They’ve become familiar to people all across Japan, but they originally seem to have been a custom centered in the Kinki region.

This is inferred from the expression marukaburi (“eat it whole”) being in the Kansai dialect.

So let’s make an Ehomaki wall decoration to get into the Setsubun spirit.

You can make it with just one set of colored construction paper, so you don’t need to be especially handy.

It could be fun to divide up the work and make a lot together when everyone gathers at a day service, for example.

You’ll use a lot of black paper for the nori (seaweed) part, so be sure to prepare extra black paper.

A flat square with origami

[Origami] Setsubun 'Masu (flat)' ~Oriya Komachi’s original origami~

Speaking of Setsubun, we throw beans, and we use a masu box to hold those beans.

A masu is not only a tool for measuring rice or sake; it is also sacred as a container for offerings to the gods and is considered an auspicious item.

This craft is inspired by the masu, which is indispensable for such Japanese events.

Since the finished piece is flat, it should be easy to use as a large decorative ornament.

Using a single sheet of origami paper, you fold it into a shape that looks like a square seen from the front.

By creating folds and layers of paper, gaps are formed where items can be inserted, which also gives it a three-dimensional look—this is the key point.

If you insert paper of a different color into these gaps, the color contrast enhances the three-dimensional effect and adds a festive look that makes it even easier to use for decorations.

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Origami Otafuku and Little Oni

Often written as “otafuku” using characters that also mean inviting good fortune, Otafuku appears as a symbol of luck.

Some say her face is modeled after an image of a beauty from the Heian period.

Long ago, it seems that being slightly plump with narrow eyes was considered a mark of beauty.

Quite different from today, isn’t it? How about folding an Otafuku with origami? It’s not very difficult, so even older adults can quickly learn how to make it.

You can draw Otafuku’s facial features with a pen or cut colored paper and paste it on.

If you have grandchildren, making them together sounds like fun.