Namahage – A Fierce Welcome to the New Year

A fearsome face can carry a benevolent purpose. Intaglio Mint’s Namahage round brings the striking imagery of Japan’s Oga Peninsula to 2 troy ounces of .999 fine silver. The decorative portrait recalls masked visitors whose intimidating arrival is part of a community tradition of renewal, good fortune and responsibility.

The Visiting Deities of Oga

Namahage belong to the New Year customs of Oga in Akita Prefecture, northern Japan. On New Year’s Eve, participants wearing imposing masks and straw garments visit households. Their stern questioning challenges idleness, while the visit also brings blessings and wishes for health, safety and abundance in the year ahead.

The Japan Tourism Agency describes these figures as visitors who drive away evil and impurity and bring hopes for a good harvest or plentiful catch. Their frightening appearance is only one part of the story: the ritual connects families with the wider community and marks a fresh beginning. Oga no Namahage received designation as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1978.

The tradition is also notably local. The Oga-Ogata Geopark explains that mask faces, materials, carried objects and associated legends differ from village to village. Those differences make Namahage a living collection of community customs rather than a single standardized character.

A Distinctive Mask in Silver

The obverse presents Namahage on a decorative background, with “NAMAHAGE” following the top circumference. The central face supplies the force of the design, while the surrounding ornament sets it within a balanced circular frame. The subject’s imposing presence gains meaning when seen alongside its role as a visitor bringing renewal.

The reverse carries the large Intaglio Mint logo inside a plain border reading “TWO TROY OUNCES” above and “.999 FINE SILVER” below, flanked by stars.

Specifications

• Weight: 2 troy ounces
• Purity: .999 fine silver
• Diameter: 39 mm
• Thickness: approximately 6 mm
• Edge: Reeded
• Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated

Explore our silver round collection.