Shams El-Mutwalli Dubai

Nike will take part in Japan’s Setsubun celebration that falls on Feb 3 by releasing special sneakers designed with the festival day in mind.

Artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi, popular for his prints featuring monster, demons, ghosts, and samurai heroes, was also featured. His work “Kintoki Throwing Beans at Fleeing Demons” was printed on the outsole of the shoe, representative of the ritual of bean scattering performed on Setsubun.

The Dunk Low sneakers also combines a unique palette featuring various hues of brown combined with a purple Nike Swoosh.

This isn’t the first time Nike uses Kuniyoshi’s famous pieces on their shoes, as their signature Nike Air More Uptempo included details from the art piece “Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Specter.“

Setsubun takes place one day before the start of spring and the rituals are aimed at driving away evil spirits, the most popular being throwing beans out the door or at family members wearing masks and sometimes even yelling out a phrase to ward off the devil.

Other customs include burning sardine heads and eating Eho-maki sushi roll.