Ozashiki-asobi part 2

The Bappai

In all “Ozashiki asobi”, the loser has to drink a glass of Japanese sake. This rule is called “Bappai (罰杯)”.
While the loser drinks, there are some particular chants which liven up the Bappai scene. The Geisha, the other players of the game and the people who are participating in the ozashiki party, chant together.

The Bappai is started by saying the following chant.

[Chant 1]

お兄さん（お姉さん）の　ちょっといいとこ　見てみたい
さーさーさーさー

Oni-san(O-ne-san) no chotto iitoko mitemitai
sa- sa- sa- sa-

When the loser finishes drinking, everybody says the following chant.

[Chant 2]

お兄さん（お姉さん）は　お強い　いい男（いい女）

Oni-san(O-ne-san) wa otsuyoi ii otoko(ii onna)

After [Chant 2], we sometimes also say the following chant.

[Chant 3]

お金持ち　なんか買うて

Okanemochi nanka koute

The meaning of the words in the chants is that the loser can drink a lot.
When the participants of the ozashiki party do these chants, usually everyone laughs.

The Shiri-moji

If the loser doesn’t drink the alcohol, “Shiri-moji” is sometimes played instead.
“Shiri-moji” is a gesture game in which the loser has to draw a hiragana character in the air using their backside together with the geisha.

The participants of the ozashiki party judge whether the loser’s rhythm and accuracy is the same as the geisha’s.
If their “Shiri-moji” gesture is not same, they have to do the “Shiri-moji” again.

The hiragana character which is drawn is chosen from the name of the loser.
People who are watching the “Shiri-moji” game, say the following chant together.

[Chant]

いろはの「い」の字というけれど　○×さんの「○」の字は　どう書くの？
こうして　こうして　こう書くの

iroha no i no ji to iu keredo  Mr.XYZ no Y no ji wa dou kakuno?
kou shite kou shite kou kakuno

*Mr.XYZ is the name of the loser


Let me explain about another Ozashiki-asobi game.

Bekuhai (可杯 - べくはい)

“Bekuhai” is the the name of the special sake cup which can’t be put down on the table before the sake has been finished. In the Bekuhai game, 3 types of Bekuhai cups and special dice are used.

1. Hyottoko (ひょっとこ) cup

Hyottoko is a usually a mask of a funny male face. However it can also be a cup which is used for the purpose of this game. There is a small hole in the Hyottoko cup at the location of the Hyottoko’s mouth, which the player has to cover with his/her finger. Therefore the player can’t put it down on the table before finishing to drink the sake.

2. Tengu (天狗 - てんぐ) cup

Tengu is an imaginary creature in Japanese folklore which has a red face and long nose.
Since the Tengu’s nose part of the cup is so long, a lot of sake can be poured in the Tengu cup. Since the bottom of the Tengu cup is the part on which the nose is attached it can’t be put down on the table.

3. Okame (おかめ) cup

Okame is a usually a mask of a female face whose nose is flat and cheeks are plump. The Okame cup is the only cup which can be put down on the table, and it is the smallest cup of the 3 types of cups.

4. The Bekuhai dice

The Bekuhai dice is a special kind of dice which also looks like a spinning top. On the Bekuhai dice there are only 3 faces; Hyottoko, Tengu, Okame.
The players spin the dice in succession.
If the top part of the Bekuhai dice points to a player, that player has to drink a cup of sake in either of the Hyottoko, Tengu or Okame cups, according to which lands face up when the dice is spun.

[The Bekuhai song]

There is a particular song which is sung in the Bekuhai game. All players sing the following song when one player spins the dice.

ベロベロの神様は　正直な神様よ　おささ（お酒）のほうへと　おもむきゃれ

Berobero no kamisama wa syozikina kamisama yo osasa (osake) no houheto omomukyare

This song means that the god of sake goes to the player who likes sake the most among all of the players.