noun
roasted soybeans for driving away evil spirits
Specifically the beans thrown during Setsubun (節分) to expel demons and invite good fortune. Also called 年の豆.
See also: 年の豆
節分には鬼打ち豆をまいて、福を呼び込みます。
On Setsubun, we scatter roasted soybeans to drive away evil spirits and invite good fortune.
年の豆 is a synonym for 鬼打ち豆, both referring to the roasted soybeans used in Setsubun. 鬼打ち豆 emphasizes the act of striking the demons, while 年の豆 is a more traditional, perhaps older term.
Compound of 鬼 (oni, 'demon'), 打ち (uchi, 'striking'), and 豆 (mame, 'bean'), literally 'demon-striking beans'. The term is associated with the Setsubun tradition of throwing beans to drive away evil spirits.