December Traditions: Soot Sweeping and the Kanji of the Year

Life in Japan – Issue 008

Dec 13, 2025

Thank you, as always, for reading Spiritual Japan Journal. As the end of the year approaches, many of you may be spending busy days. I hope you have been keeping well.

The Life in Japan series shares seasonal changes and events that have taken place in Japan during the week.

On December 8, an earthquake occurred with its epicenter off the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture. Shaking was observed over a wide area, and while the damage was not on a devastating scale, reports included damage to buildings and injuries. As earthquakes may continue to occur, this event renewed awareness of the importance of being prepared for natural disasters. I sincerely hope that those affected will be able to regain a sense of normalcy as soon as possible, and that everyone will be able to welcome the new year safely.

At the same time, in Japan, the year-end tradition of the “Kanji of the Year” was announced on December 12, known as Kanji Day. Preparations for susuharai, the year-end cleaning ritual at shrines, are underway, and households have begun planning their annual deep cleaning. According to the seasonal calendar, we have also entered the period of full winter. In this article, I will introduce three topics that reflect these movements in Japan over the past week.

Soot Sweeping and Year-End Cleaning in Japan

At shrines in Japan, a ritual known as soot sweeping is carried out toward the end of the year to prepare the shrine buildings for the coming New Year. This practice originally developed as a way to remove soot that accumulated on ceilings and beams from hearth smoke, and to welcome the New Year deity into a clean and purified space. During the Edo period, December 13 came to be regarded as Shōgatsu Kotohajime, the beginning of New Year preparations, and the custom of starting soot sweeping on this day spread widely. Today, the timing differs from shrine to shrine, but once December begins, preparations for soot sweeping can be seen across the country, signaling that the year is drawing to a close.

Soot sweeping is carried out using tools such as sasa bamboo and long-handled implements. By gently sliding the tips of the bamboo, a year’s worth of dust is removed from high places that are usually out of reach. While this is a practical act of cleaning, it is also a way of purifying the space and preparing to welcome the New Year.

@kashimajingu.official

鹿島神宮/kashima-jingu on Instagram: "12月1日（月）午後1時半より鹿島神宮本宮にて新年を迎える…

Kashima Jingū has also shared scenes of susuharai on its official Instagram account.

When I visited a nearby shrine, the soot sweeping ritual was taking place at that very moment. This shrine is somewhat unusual, as its worship hall is built with thatched walls, giving it a distinctive appearance compared to more typical shrines. On the day of soot sweeping, it appears that this thatching is also carefully tended.

Wearing work gloves, the thatch is gently pressed back into place by hand. Moving along the wall little by little, the protruding thatch is carefully adjusted.

Because photography of the main sanctuary is prohibited, I can only share what was visible from the outside. Using sasa bamboo, I was able to observe the careful sweeping of the shrine’s beams and eaves.

Soot sweeping with a long bamboo pole. Photographed from outside the shrine fence.

Each movement of the bamboo produced a faint sound that echoed through the quiet shrine grounds. Watching these deliberate actions, it felt as though the space was being prepared for the close of the year.

Scenes of soot sweeping like this also appear in Edo-period ukiyo-e prints. Images of people working together to remove soot from roofs and beams show that soot sweeping was regarded as an important year-end milestone.

*Buke Susuharai no Zu* by Kitagawa Utamaro国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション

In households as well, many people begin their year-end cleaning during this season. As a legacy of soot sweeping, this is a time to carefully clean places that are usually difficult to reach. Removing a year’s worth of dust from areas such as ventilation fans, the tops of shelves, and around windows, and preparing the home to welcome the New Year, is a way of thinking that continues today. In my own home, it has long been our custom to divide tasks and clean the entire house together at the end of the year. Even now, after getting married, my husband and I share the work of year-end cleaning.

Both soot sweeping at shrines and year-end cleaning at home arise from the same wish: to welcome the New Year in a clean state. As December begins, these scenes can be found throughout Japan, bringing a sense of year-end into everyday life.

The Kanji of the Year: 熊 (Bear)

In my daily notes, I often share reflections on the twenty-four seasonal divisions and the seventy-two micro-seasons. In Japan right now, we have entered one of the seventy-two seasons called Kuma ana ni komoru (熊蟄穴), which refers to the time when bears retreat into their dens for winter hibernation. This period usually falls between around December 12 and December 15. These expressions in the seasonal calendar, which capture subtle changes in nature, quietly convey the deepening of winter.

At the same time, events related to bears drew significant public attention in Japan this year. Between April and October, approximately 196 incidents involving bears and humans were reported nationwide, resulting in a serious situation in which thirteen people lost their lives. Sightings near residential areas continued, and warnings remained in place across many regions.

As the micro-season Kuma ana ni komoru suggests, this is normally the time when bears would be entering hibernation. However, this year, bears have continued to be observed close to places where people live. The reality in which natural cycles and human life overlap became one of the scenes that came to symbolize Japan this year.

In the annual year-end announcement of the Kanji of the Year, the character 熊 (bear) was chosen to represent this past year. Last year’s kanji was 金 (gold), but this year, the way society relates to nature became a central concern, and it was a year in which seasonal words and real events closely intersected.

In the comments shared on notes, subscribers also told me about their own personal kanji of the year.
Madam Luffy chose 刃 .
Richard Harrison chose 遷 .
Each character conveys the experiences and thoughts of their year in a single word.

If I were to choose one kanji to represent my own year, I would choose 縁 (en). Since starting Substack, I have connected with far more people than I ever imagined, exchanging words and stories along the way. I am deeply grateful for each of these connections.

The word en is difficult to translate directly into English. In Japanese, it has long been cherished as a way of describing human connections that feel both coincidental and somehow inevitable. As I look back on this year, I hope that these small but meaningful en will continue to grow, reaching more deeply and more widely.

Thank you very much for reading today.
I look forward to sharing more of Japan’s seasons and culture with you again next week.