Chiba temple holds annual bean-throwing ceremony | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

Actors and sumo wrestlers have taken part in a traditional bean-throwing ceremony at a Buddhist temple near Tokyo.

The annual event was held on Saturday at Naritasan Shinshoji temple in Chiba Prefecture. The ritual is said to date back to the Edo Period. People prayed for a good harvest and recovery from the Noto Peninsula earthquake that hit central Japan on New Year’s Day.

Participants included sumo wrestlers Hoshoryu, who is of the second-highest ozeki rank, and Takayasu. Stars of NHK’s year-long historical drama series, Yoshitaka Yuriko and Emoto Tasuku, also joined in.

They threw beans from a stage set up in front of the temple’s main hall. People who gathered reached out with both hands, hoping to catch the beans and with them some good luck for the new year.

An office worker in her 20s said she was able to catch some beans. She said the year started with the shocking news of the earthquake but she hopes to be able to make it a happy one.

A high school student was delighted to get a glimpse of the sumo wrestlers and said she expects to have a good year. She says she is planning to study overseas and hopes to make friends there.