Spring rice cakes MOCHI

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Ricecakes for SPRING

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Spring
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Mochi rice cakes 餠 are eaten in all seasons.
Here are some samples for SPRING.

Reiskuchen

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Early Spring


Godairiki Mochi ... 五大力餅
Rice cakes for the ceremony of the "five great strong Bodhisattvas" at temple Daigoji in Kyoto.





Uguisu mochi 鶯餅 (うぐいすもち)
"nightingale" rice cakes, bush warbler cakes
They are eaten in anticipation and expectation of hearing the first bush warbler (nightingale) soon.
The oval cakes are filled with red bean paste and covered with green soy bean powder, sometimes green tea powder.
They are sold in mid-march.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Mid-Spring

The Doll Festival (hina matsuri) more kigo
March 3

Here are some sweets for this festival:

Hishi mochi, hishimochi 菱餅 (ひしもち)
red, white, and green lozenge-shaped rice cakes




我宿の餅さへ青き夜也けり
waga yado no mochi sae aoki yo narikeri

even in my house
the rice cakes are green
in the evening . . .

Kobayashi Issa　小林一茶

. . . . .


Hina arare 雛あられ (ひなあられ)
mame iri 豆炒（まめいり）
hinagashi 雛菓子（ひながし）


Shirazake 白酒 (しろざけ) sweet white rice wine
vendor of white rice wine, shirazake uri 白酒売（しろざけうり）
flask for white rice wine, shirazake tokkuri 白酒徳利（しろざけとくり）
..... shirazake bin 白酒瓶（しろざけびん）



The preparation is very similar to that of sweet rice wine, amazake.
A sip of this drink is said to ward off disease for the rest of the year. During the Edo period, vendors used to walk the streets as early as February 20. The appearance of a vendor in the famous Kabuki play "Sukeroku" is especially famous.


Woodblock Print by Kunisada

. Sukeroku 助六 - Hero of Edo .


白酒の今宵は女天下なり　　
shirazake no koyoi wa onna tenka nari

tonight
with the white rice wine ...
the ladies are in power

Hayashi Ichiroku 林一六
Tr. Gabi Greve

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白酒に酔えば昔はよき時代　　　
shirazake ni yoeba mukashi wa yoki jidai

getting drunk
with white rice wine -
the past was a good time　　　　　　　　　　

Yamazaki Kumiko 山崎久美子
Tr. Gabi Greve


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source :　www.turuya.co.jp
Sweets and Haiku


Kusamochi 草餅 (くさもち) mugwort rice cakes
kusa no mochi 草の餅（くさのもち）
yomogi mochi 蓬餅（よもぎもち）mugwort rice cakes
hooko mochi 母子餅（ほうこもち） "mother and child"
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉　wrote

両の手に桃と桜や草の餅
ryoo no te ni momo to sakura ya kusa no mochi

in both hands
peach and cherry blossoms
veggie crackers
Tr. Reichhold

[headnote]
"Rich in moon and blossoms":
at my hut there are a peach and cherry tree; for my disciples there are Kikaku and Ransetsu.

in my two hands
peach and cherry blossoms--
and mugwort rice-cake
Tr. Barnhill


Reichhold comments:
"On this occasion Basho was visited by his longtime disciples Kikaku and Ransetsu. The wordplay is built on the proverb 'ryoo no te ni hana', which literally means 'to have flowers in both hands' or a 'double advantage'.
It is often used to describe a man who sits between two pretty women.
The word 'hana' ('flower') is dropped but implied."



source :　ayasuzuri

This is a haiku with three kigo, showing the joy of spring.


. Haiku Sweets (haika 俳菓) .


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Warabi mochi, warabimochi 蕨餅 (わらびもち) bracken starch rice cakes
speciality in the Kansai area. bracken-starch dumplings
covered with kinako soy bean flower
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Late Spring


Sakura mochi, sakuramochi ... 桜餅
Cherry Blossom Rice Cakes

This is a variety of wagashi, or Japanese confectionery consisting of a sweet pink mochi (rice cake) and red bean paste, covered with a leaf of sakura (cherry).

The style of sakuramochi differs from the regions in Japan. Basically, the east of Japan such as Tokyo uses shiratama-ko (白玉粉, shiratama-ko rice flour) and the west side such as Kansai uses dōmyōji-ko (道明寺粉, dōmyōji-ko glutinous rice flour) for batter.

More in the WIKIPEDIA !

In some areas they are also eaten for
the Doll Festival (Hina Matsuri).


三つ食えば葉三片や桜餅　
mitsu kueba yoo sanpen ya sakuramochi　

if you eat three
you have three leaves -
sakuramochi

Takahama Kyoshi 高浜虚子

At the temple Choomeiji 長命寺 Chomei-Ji they are wrapped in three leaves, so if you eat three cakes you have nine leaves.


Utagawa Toyokuni 歌豊国 (国貞) －　向島堤の花並びに桜餅

Two ladies carry Sakuramochi from the temple, maybe as a souvenir to the people back home. They have a pole in their hands and two bamboo baskets full of the sweets!



一英斎芳艶 - 歌川芳艶 Utagawa Yoshitsuya (1822 - 1866)

. Choomeiji 長命寺 Chomei-Ji, Sumida ward, Tokyo . 　　

In Osaka and the Kansai region they use dōmyōji-ko 道明寺粉, glutinous rice flour.

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All Spring




Tsubaki mochi, tsubakimochi 椿餅 (つばきもち) camellia rice cakes
..... tsubaimochi, tsubai mochi つばいもち【椿餅】
..... tsubai mochii つばいもちい
This sweet has been introduced from China. Made from hoshii rice of the temple Domyoji 道明寺糒(ほしいい).
The white or pink mochi is sprinkeld with amazura 甘葛 and then placed between two shining green leaves of camellia, which is a very special Japanese touch to the sweet.
This sweet is already mentioned in the Genji Monogatari.


妻在らず盗むに似たる椿餅
tsuma arazu nusumi ni nitaru tsubakimochi

my wife is not home -
like a thief I eat this
camellia sweet

. Ishida Hakyo 石田波郷（ 　　



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


Haiku and the　Doll Festival (hina matsuri, Japan)


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船室に雛の日とて桜餅
senshitsu ni hina no hi tote sakuramochi

in the ship's cabin
we eat sakuramochi -
it's Doll's Festival

Takahama Kyoshi 高浜虚子
On his trip to France
Tr. Gabi Greve


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街の雨鶯餅がもう出たか
michi no ame uguisu mochi ga moo deta ka

rain on the road -
are the uguisu mochi
already on sale?

. Tomiyasu Fusei (Fuusei) 富安風生


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Related words

More about
***** WASHOKU : Mochi Rice cakes 　


***** Wagashi ... Sweets

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