Onigiri Crowdfunding
Contributions towards promoting traditional culture in the Kunisaki Peninsula can be made through the local Onigiri Crowdfunding project. Onigiri are rice balls and oni are ogres in Japanese mythology. For each onigiri sold at participating shops and restaurants around the peninsula, one yen goes towards the preservation of traditional oni culture in and around Kunisaki.
The relationship between the Kunisaki Peninsula and oni is evident in the Shujo Onie Festival, which has been held for more than 1,000 years and takes place during the lunar new year at temples around the peninsula. The highlight of the festival includes a dance in which monks dressed up as red and black oni swing blazing torches in order to ward off evil spirits. The festival is also an opportunity for people across the Kunisaki Peninsula to meet the oni, who are said to bring happiness to people despite their fearsome appearance. Through this crowdfunding project, the simple act of buying and eating onigiri helps to protect and share the culture of “oni” among tourists and local residents alike.