Japan Foodways

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Japan Foodways, Past and Present


304 pages

The first English-language compilation of research
on Japanese cooking and food culture

Spanning nearly six hundred years of Japanese food culture, Japanese Foodways, Past and Present considers the production, consumption, and circulation of Japanese foods from the mid-fifteenth century to the present day in contexts that are political, economic, cultural, social, and religious. Diverse contributors--including anthropologists, historians, sociologists, a tea master, and a chef--address a range of issues such as medieval banquet cuisine, the tea ceremony, table manners, cookbooks in modern times, food during the U.S. occupation period, eating and dining out during wartimes, the role of heirloom vegetables in the revitalization of rural areas, children's lunches, and the gentrification of blue-collar foods.

Framed by two reoccurring themes--
food in relation to place and
food in relation to status --
the collection considers the complicated relationships between the globalization of foodways and the integrity of national identity through eating habits. Focusing on the consumption of Western foods, heirloom foods, once-taboo foods, and contemporary Japanese cuisines, Japanese Foodways, Past and Present shows how Japanese concerns for and consumption of food have relevance and resonance with other foodways around the world.


Contributors are Stephanie Assmann, Gary Soka Cadwallader, Katarzyna Cwiertka, Satomi Fukutomi, Shoko Higashiyotsuyanagi, Joseph R. Justice, Michael Kinski, Barak Kushner, Bridget Love, Joji Nozawa, Tomoko Onabe, Eric C. Rath, Akira Shimizu, George Solt, David E. Wells, and Miho Yasuhara.

"A pathbreaking volume on Japanese culinary history with great depth and scope."
--Merry Isaacs White, author of Perfectly Japanese: Making Families in an Era of Upheaval

"Required reading for anyone interested in Japanese history, food, and foodways. I couldn't put this book down!"
--Samuel Hideo Yamashita, author of Leaves from an Autumn of Emergencies: Selections from the Wartime Diaries of Ordinary Japanese


Eric C. Rath
is an associate professor of history at the University of Kansas and the author of The Ethos of Noh: Actors and Their Art.
Stephanie Assmann
is a lecturer at Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, and the author of Value Change and Social Stratification in Japan: Aspects of Women's Consumer Behaviour.

source : www.press.uillinois.edu



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Food and Fantasy in Early Modern Japan



Eric C. Rath

December 2010
ISBN: 9780520262270

How did one dine with a shogun?
Or make solid gold soup, sculpt with a fish, or turn seaweed into a symbol of happiness? In this fresh look at Japanese culinary history, Eric C. Rath delves into the writings of medieval and early modern Japanese chefs to answer these and other provocative questions, and to trace the development of Japanese cuisine from 1400 to 1868. Rath shows how medieval “fantasy food” rituals—where food was revered as symbol rather than consumed—were continued by early modern writers. The book offers the first extensive introduction to Japanese cookbooks, recipe collections, and gastronomic writings of the period and traces the origins of dishes like tempura, sushi, and sashimi while documenting Japanese cooking styles and dining customs.

source : www.ucpress.edu



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Related words

***** REFERENCE - External LINKS and Resources

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Sex and Food

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Sex, Fertility and Food


Read this first !

. Penis Festivals
for a bountiful harvest 　





Honen Matsuri (Hoonen Matsuri 豊年祭)


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Special food is prepared for these festivals.




Penis and vagina candy

penis for 600 yen
pussy for 600 yen

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Penis Lollipops


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Daikon Radish Penis


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fuufu mochi　夫婦餅 His and Hers Mochi


MORE : penis souveniers
www.loneleeplanet.com



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HAIKU and SENRYU


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***** . Temple and Shrine Festivals and Food



***** WASHOKU : General Information

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Gopan Bread Maker

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Gopan Bread Maker

quote
SANYO Announces the World First
Rice Bread Cooker "GOPAN"
that Can Easily Bake Rice Bread from Rice Grain at Home

Tokyo, July 13, 2010 -
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO) is pleased to announce the release of the world first rice bread cooker "GOPAN " that can easily bake rice bread in every home from rice grain. The product will be released for sale on October 8, 2010.

The Gopan looks similar to a rice cooker. Just add 220 grams of rice, 210 grams of water, sugar, salt and shortening in the bread pan, and gluten and dry yeast in the unit's automatic dispenser, and the machine grinds the grain, and kneads and bakes the dough in about four hours.

Rice is the principal food in Japan. However, the consumption of domestic rice has decreased by half compared to 1962. It is feared that the decreasing rice demand may negatively impact the development of technology in the agriculture field, and therefore slow improvement in the taste of rice, which will further contribute to the domestic consumption decrease. Meanwhile, the number of people concerned about the reliability of food has increased. Also, more and more people are checking farm producer's information before buying cooking ingredients.




世界の人々に健康で楽しい、お米ライフを提案する
おうちのお米で、毎日手軽に「パン」がつくれる
世界初！ライスブレッドクッカー「GOPAN（ゴパン）」を発売
source : sanyo.com/news


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GOPAN is a play of words with

GOHAN, cooked rice
and
PAN, Japanese for Bread



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HAIKU and SENRYU


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. WASHOKU
Bread (pan) Brot



***** WASHOKU : General Information

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Suizenji Nori

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Suizenji nori (Suizenji nori)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: All Summer
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

Suizenji-nori 水前寺のり / 水前寺海苔
an edible blue-green alga (cyanobacterium)
suizenji 水前寺（すいぜんじ）
shikon nori 紫金苔（しこんのり）"purple golden nori"
jusen nori 寿泉苔 "nori from the well of long life"
akizuki nori 秋月苔（あきづきのり） "autumn moon nori"

Aphanothece sacrum
Aphanothece sacrum (Suringar) Okada
スイゼンジノリ / ずいぜんじのり


a kind of blue algae that grows in fresh water 水生藍藻
It is now a natural treasure 天然記念物指定.


Along the upper regions of the river Koganegawa, along about 500 meters, water is divided into small shallow rivulets, where the alga grow on especially planted grass. They need a lot of mineral in the water and a temperature of about 18 - 20 degrees centigrade.
Most of it floats in the water as small black pieces, until it catches some grass to grow larger. It is rather wobbely and jelly-like when harvested.

It was allowed to be harvested by the lord of Akatsuki Domain, who gave a written report to a family in Asakura, which still harvests and produces it in the traditional way by hand. So it has a tradition of more than 250 years.


About one kilo of the mashed laver is spread on earthen tiles, about 1 cm thick, and let dry naturally. After that the rather flat pieces are now put on wooden planks, smothered with a bit of water into perfect shape (about A4 sixe plates) and let dry again.




Before eating, it can be put into water to gain back its thickness.

Put in soup or as tsukudani, it is a welcome source of minerals.



Suizenji Nori Salad with sanbaizu vinegar or Tosa Vinegar.


九州の一部（熊本／福岡）
熊本市の上江津湖

dating back to the Hosokawa lord of old domain of Bingo 肥後細川藩
http://suizenjinori.com/



100 grams of dried nori contain
21,8 g protein
1200 mg calcium
68,8 mg iron
1,39 mg vitamin B1
1m38 mg vitamin B2


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Photo from Kisendo 喜泉堂


Fukuoka prefecture, Koganegawa, Asakura town
福岡県の黄金川（こがねがわ）
福岡県朝倉
River Koganegawa belonged to the former domain of Akitsuki han 秋月藩.

The nori have been found near the temple Suizen-Ji 水前寺 at lake Ezuko 江津湖.
These sweet-water nori are the first plants to bring oxygen to the earth in early times.

They are black when swimming in the water and contain two color components
青色のフィコシアニン green phycocyanin
赤色のフィコエリスリン red phycoerythrin
http://www.kisendou.com/

Products
http://www.kisendou.com/order.html


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Blaualge

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Things found on the way


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HAIKU and SENRYU






吸物はまづ出来されし水前寺　
suimono wa mazu dekasareshi Suizenji

the soup
was served first -
temple Suizenji

Matsuo Basho
On his trip to Higo Kumamoto, where he was eager to savor the nori, which were already famous in his days.
Soup is usually served at the end of a meal, or sometimes eaten during a banquet. Basho found it amazing to get the soup first when he wrote his haiku about it.


More hokku about food by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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***** egonori 恵古苔 (えごのり) egonori laver
egoten えごてん jelly made from egonori
ego konnyaku えごこんにゃく konnyaku made from egonori
okiuto おきうと "okiuto weed"
Campylaephora

It grows in Hakata bay and is a local souvenier. It has been collected by woman divers (ama) of the Genkai Sea for more than 200 years. Local people eat it with soy sauce for breakfast.
It is low in calories and became a popular diet food in recent years.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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***** . Seaweed (kaisoo) Japan Including laver (nori), 　


***** WASHOKU :
YASAI . Vegetable SAIJIKI


WASHOKU : INGREDIENTS

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Fruit Wine

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Fruit wine (furuutsu wain)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

furuutsu wain フルーツワイン Fruit Wine



From Kurume Town, Fukuoka Kyushu.
久留米
An old winery ワイナリー has started to test various fruit of the region to make deliciuos wine.
林田伝兵衛 Hayashida Denbei is the main soul behind this project.




amaou あまおう / 甘王　Amao strawberries
rather big, round and very sweet. They are a new variety of the area.
Lit. "Sweet King".
They are also used for various types of sweets and pies.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !　


ichigo wain 苺ワイン、イチゴワイン　strawberry wine
When made from Amao strawberries, the stems are also used, to give it some extra strong taste.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !　



kaki wain 柿ワイン Persimmon wine
This is also produced in other regions of Japan.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !　




kiui wain 　キウイワイン kiwi wine
. . . CLICK here for Photos !　



natsumikan wain　ナツミカンワイン　・夏蜜柑ワイン mandarine wine
みかんワイン
. . . CLICK here for Photos !　



ukon wain ウコンワイン tumeric wine,
curcuma wine
This is rater bitter and more of a medicine. But certainly good for your health.



yasai wain　野菜ワイン vegetable wine
from seasonal mixed vegetables, like carrots, radish, shiitake in winter.


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Hakata amao 博多あまおう / 甘王 Amao strawberries
from Hakata, Fukuoka Prefecture
福岡県産



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uirudo buruuberii ワイルドブルーベリー blueberry wine


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Obstwein


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HAIKU and SENRYU


Obstweinprobe -
der dicke Mann trinkt
für zwei

Astrid Abendrot


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***** WASHOKU :
YASAI . Vegetable SAIJIKI

***** WASHOKU
DRINKS SAIJIKI


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Mitsu-imo sweet potato

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Honey Sweet Potato (mistu-imo)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Mid-Autumn
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

mitsuimo, mitsu imo 蜜芋 "honey sweet potato"



This is a new, or rather old, type of the satsuma sweet potatoes.

It has been grown in Tanegashima for many years, trying to breed it back to the origins of this kind of potato.
It is rather round, not long as the satsuma potato. And its color when boiled is pure gold, just so delicious !



When you roast it in the oven, the sweet juices, like honey, squeeze out of the peel.




Tanegashima Annoo Imo 種子島あんのう芋 / 安納芋
shizen no suiito poteto 天然のスイートポテト

Tanegashima is one of the oldest growing areas of this potato. Its sugar content is about two times more than that of normal satsuma potatoes. So it is a natural "sweet desert".

You can eat it just like that, baked in the microwave or in the oven.

It is also used for other sweets, like pound cake or cookies.


夢のまた夢
http://www.mitsuimo.com/
http://www.mukashi-mitsuimo.jp


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HAIKU and SENRYU


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***** . satsumaimo 甘藷 さつまいも sweet potato 　


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Nanuka no on-sechiku

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Seasonal feast on the
seventh day of the seventh lunar month

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Early Autumn
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

nanuka no on-sechiku 七日の御節供
(なぬかのおんせちく)
Official seasonal feast on the
seventh day of the seventh lunar month

sakubei 索餅（さくべい） Sakubei-noodles
..... sakobei, rice brittle


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noodles, sakubei さくべい　索餅


The oldest form of the noodles, sakubei, produced by adding rice powder to flour and twist them like a rope, was introduced from China in the eighth century. Now we have udon and soomen nodles.
Sakubei are also served during the New Year Feast


Ganjitsu no Sechi-E 元日節会



Sakubei-noodles were also called "wheat ropes" (muginawa 牟義縄（むぎなわ）) in China. These noodles later developed to Somen-noodles 素麺（そうめん）in Japan


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During this ritual, offerings are made to the deities and later eaten by the participants of a feast.
To eat the Sakubei-noodles would ward off evil and disease (okoriyamai 瘧病) for the coming months of the year.
details see below

Samurai and townspeople wore white katabira official robes, eat these Sakubei-noodles and later Somen-noodles and congratulate each other for their good health.


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. nanuka no sechi-e なぬかのせちえ【七日の節会】
Seasonal Feast on the seventh day (of the New Year)
hakubasai 白馬祭（はくばさい） Festival of the White Horse
aouma no sechi-e 青馬(あおうま)の節会(せちえ)
ao-uma no matsuri 青馬祭 (あおうまのまつり)


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HAIKU and SENRYU




索餅に 魂なぐさめん 高辛氏
sakubei ni tamashi nagusamen Kooshin shi

with Sakubei-noodles
we try to pacify his soul -
Emperor Koshin

Sada Kane 貞兼


According to Chinese legend, the child of the legendary emperor Koshi 高辛 (also called Koshinshi) died on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, and became a revengeful demon (霊鬼神). This demon brought feaver-diseases to the people (okori yamai).
To appease this demon and ward off feverish diseases, people started to offer Sakubei-noodles for him., because they were a well-loved food of the child.



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***** Food of the New Year Season, O-Setchi Ryori
(osetchi ryoori おせち料理, 御節料理 )



. Star Festival (Tanabata) 　
On the Seventh Day of the Seventh Lunar Month


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JULY NEWS

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JULY ... shichigatsu 七月

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.............. July 12, 2010

Announces Japan-wide Sale of
Pizzas made from Domestic Rice Flour

Pizza Hut Inc., a major pizza delivery chain with branches all over Japan, has been selling pizzas made using domestic rice flour since May 2010. In support of the activities of "Food Action Nippon," which runs national campaigns to improve Japan's food self-sufficiency, and its Rice Flour Club, which promotes rice flour consumption, Pizza Hut has begun using rice flour in its pizza dough.

Pizza Hut has refined its dough recipe to maintain its unique texture and flavor over the past three years, as this was the company's highest priority regarding the introduction of rice flour. To ensure safety and reliability, as well as consistency in the quality and quantity of rice, the company opted to use Koshihikari brand rice from contracted farmers in Tainai City, Niigata Prefecture, and succeeded in creating good rice flour by milling the Koshihikari using two-step milling technology.

Pizza Hut became a partner in the "Food Action Nippon" promotion in September 2009, aiming to promote domestic agricultural production. It has also joined the Rice Flour Club as part of its sale of pizzas made from rice flour. Pizza Hut now aims to develop other rice flour products in order to act as a bridge between rice producers and consumers.
source : www.japanfs.org

ピザハットでは、国産米粉を使用したピザ生地4種類




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.............. July 3, 2009


　"The Niigata Sake Book"
新潟県酒造組合 (編集)
Translated from Japanese, publisher: Japan Times
"Niigata Seishu Tatsujin Kentei Koshiki Tekisuto Bukku"
「新潟清酒達人検定」
Japanese published in 2007


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Tobacco Cafe / Cafe Tobacco 喫煙カフェ 新宿
Near Shinjuku station

Since most places in Tokyo are now non-smoking areas, this is an oasis for smokers.


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.............. July 4, 2009

宮崎ビーフバーガー Biggest Burger at Miyazaki Seagaia

The world's biggest hamburger.
It weighs 136.2 kilograms -- bigger than the world record of 84.14 kilograms. Here is is at Sunbeach Hitsotsuba in Miyazaki on Saturday, July 4. The burger was made by 15 Phoenix Seagaia　宮崎シーガイア Resort chefs over eight hours, using 70 kilograms of beef and 30 kilograms of pork. It will be submitted for registration in the Guinness Book of Records if one sells over the next year. It sells for 150.000 Yen a piece.
source : yummy-honey.cocolog-nifty.com


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.............. July 3, 2009

OKUTA,
an environmentally conscious home renovation company based in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, started procuring organic rice for its employees in March 2009. The objective of its Komé-Mamé Project (Komé-Mamé (kome mame) means rice and beans) is to increase employee interest in food and agriculture while supporting organic farmers within Saitama.
Shimosato farm in Ogawa, Yoshinori Kaneko
source : www.japanfs.org



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.............. July 9, 2009

Ramen robot replaces fleshy chef at Yamanashi eatery
桃園ロボットラーメン

Yamanashi -- "Momozono Robot Ramen," a ramen shop that opened here in November last year, is gaining popularity not only for its delicious ramen noodles, but for its robotic chef.

The ramen-making robot was built by 60-year-old shop owner Yoshihira Uchida, who spent about 20 million yen on its construction. Customers can place their orders on a computer in the shop, customizing various aspects such as the levels of soy sauce, salt, and richness of the soup. Uchida says there are 40 million different flavor permutations.

The noodles themselves are cooked by a human, with the robot creating a perfectly blended soup which is then delivered to the human chef via a conveyor belt, who adds the noodles and toppings. The whole process takes only about two minutes, a minute shorter than instant cup noodles. Prices of ramen per bowl are 500 yen for regular size and 300 yen for small size.

Uchida developed a love of electronics during elementary and junior high school, which he went on to study at the Musashi Institute of Technology (now Tokyo City University) and the University of Toyama's graduate school, focusing on electronic circuits and motors. After graduating, Uchida worked on noodle-packing machines at a food manufacturer until he retired from the company last year.

While working for the company, Uchida, a huge noodle lover, opened a soba noodle shop 10 years ago. He later started to make ramen -- which received mixed comments from friends, with some saying the taste was strong, and others too weak. In the end, Uchida hit upon the idea of creating a robot that can allow customers to choose the flavor they want.

source : (Mainichi Japan) July 4, 2009

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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.............. July 13, 2009

Suntory Holdings Ltd and Kirin Holdings Co

Japan's top two beverage makers, Kirin and Suntory, are considering merging their operations, a Suntory spokesman said Monday.
A merger would help the companies overcome a saturated domestic market with an aging population and compete more strongly with large international brands.

source : Mainichi Shinbun, July 13

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.............. July 18, 2009

Miele Guide
The Miele Guide is a regional guide book to restaurants in Asia.
It is published by Singapore-based Ate Media, and officially sponsored by the German home appliance maker Miele.
They will launch a charity month in Asia, with more than 50 hotels participating.
They promise to donate 15 percent of this to the United Nations World Food Program.

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International Tokyo Toy Show 2009
Jul 17, 2009 - Jul 19, 2009
The International Tokyo Toy Show kicked off Thursday at Tokyo Big Sight.
Cooking toys are a great hit this year.
Reference

WASHOKU : Toys and Food


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.............. July 24, 2009
Beer for 100 Yen !
Sapporo Beer, Ebisu Stout Creamy Top
エビス　スタウト　クリーミートップ
Yebisu Creamy Top Stout

イオン１００円ビール


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.............. July 29, 2009

Chewing gum FITs (フィッツ)ロッテ Fit's ミックス / ロッテ Fit's シトラス
in three flavors and easy out of the box
CLICK here for PHOTOS !
Lotte

Reference




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JANUARY ... ichigatsu 一月

FEBRUARY ... nigatsu 二月

MARCH ... sangatsu 三月

APRIL ... shigatsu 四月

MAY ... gogatsu 五月

JUNE ... rokugatsu 六月

JULY ... shichigatsu 七月


NOVEMBER ... juuichigatsu 十一月 　

DECEMBER ... juunigatsu 十二月 　



***** WASHOKU ... SEASONAL DISHES SAIJIKI


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Gyaru ... Gals and Food

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Gyaru Gals, Girls

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation




noogyaru 農ギャル /　ノギャル　 no gyaru, farming girls
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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ugyaru 魚ギャル / ウギャル fishing girls

some are even trying to grow oysters in Iwate.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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quote
The idea was to promote local farming by bringing in some city girls to do a spot of harvesting. The word nogyaru is a combination of nogyo (農業 - agriculture) and gyaru. Well, you might be interested to know that the fishing industry has decided that the farmers had the right idea and have now launched the Ugyaru Project.
The "u" of ugyaru comes from uo (魚 - fish, also read as sakana) and umi (海 - sea). Fisherman are frustrated that females have been forsaking fish in favour of fast food and want to foster fashionable faith in traditional folk food culture.

The new face of fish is charisma model Lie (rhymes with rye), who also seems to be known as Kei (rhymes with ray) as you can see here where she copies Lady Gaga's styling for the "No Wig, No Life" section of Gal Research Press. Lie will aim to counter the impression that fish is difficult to prepare and eat as well as encouraging more young people to work in the fisheries industry. There are plans is to arrange tours for gyaru mama - gyaru with kids - launch lines of stylish fishing workwear and set up classes to teach proper fish preparation. Lie herself has been working with restaurant chefs learning how to cut fish which is why she is pictured holding some slabs of maguro.
source : www.fuckedgaijin.com


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU and SENRYU



八月のジムガガくちづさんで蹴る
hachigatsu no jimu gaga kuchizusande keru

August gym
humming Lady Gaga
I shoot
Tr. Fay Aoyagi

Taniguchi Toriko 谷口鳥子


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Related words

***** WASHOKU : General Information

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Tsuchinoko

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
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"Hammerspawn" (tsuchinoko )

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation



Japanese Resource
with many illustrations according to the sightings in parts of Japan
http://www.d1.dion.ne.jp/~k_nozaki/maborosi.htm


nozuchi 野槌 / tsuchinoko ツチノコ
五八寸 / 杵の子蛇 / 鋤の床蛇 / こうがい蛇

About the size of a beer bottle. Light black with spots. Sharp eyes and ears. Snors when sleeping. Smells terribly bad. Rolls to the side (korokoro コロコロ) and then runs (dotandotan ドタンバタン). Poisonous bite.

.................................................................................


The Tsuchinoko (ツチノコ or 槌の子)
literally translating to "hammerspawn," is a legendary snake-like cryptid from Japan. The name tsuchinoko is prevalent in Western Japan, including Kansai and Shikoku; the creature is known as bachi hebi (バチヘビ) in Northeastern Japan.

Tsuchinoko are described as being between 30 and 80 centimeters in length, similar in appearance to a snake, but with a central girth that is much wider than its head or tail, and as having fangs and venom similar to that of a viper. Some accounts also describe the tsuchinoko as being able to jump up to a meter in distance.

According to legend, some tsuchinoko have the ability to speak and a propensity for lying, as well as a taste for alcohol. Legend also records that it will sometimes swallow its own tail so that it can roll like a hoop, similar to the mythical Hoop snake.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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History
Drawings resembling tsuchinoko on stoneware dating back to the Jomon Period have been discovered in Gifu and Nagano. An encyclopedia from the Edo Period contains a description of the tsuchinoko under the name yatsui hebi. Accounts of the tsuchinoko can also be found in the Kojiki.

In 1989 the town of Mikata, Hyogo Prefecture offered a reward of 330 square meters of land to anybody who could capture a tsuchinoko and, in 2001, it put a large black snake on display under the claim that the creature was a tsuchinoko.


Theories
Excluding Hokkaido and the southern Japanese islands, tsuchinoko sightings have been reported all over Japan. As an actual tsuchinoko has never been formally cataloged by science, there is some speculation that other animals have been mistaken for the creature. Some believe the tsuchinoko legend to be based on encounters with snakes that recently swallowed a meal. The blue-tongued lizard, which became legal to own in Japan in the 1970s, also seems to be easily mistakable for a tsuchinoko; its only major difference in appearance is its four legs.

source
http://www.monstropedia.org/index.php?title=Tsuchinoko



ツチノコの民俗学―妖怪から未確認動物へ

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Findings of these mythical reptiles have been made is some parts of Japan, for example in Mikata, Hyogo prefecture and Yoshii, Okayama prefecture.

tsuchi no ko are already mentioned in the old records of the Kojiki.

Towns where these snake-like reptiles have been found were soon producing many artefacts and even food in the name.

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tsuchinoko goheimochi つちのこ五平餅


source
http://www.47news.jp/topics/b-gourmet/2009/05/

from the "Tsuchinoko Festa" 「つちのこフェスタ」
岐阜県加茂郡東白川村神土426-1, Gifu Prefecture, in May 2009
The Town of Higashi Shirakawa has even opened a small museum,
tsuchinoko kan つちのこ館.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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chokoeggu tsuchinoko チョコエッグ　ツチノコ
chocolate eggs "tsuchi no ko"
from Furuta


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tsuchinoko wain つちのこワイン "tsuchinoko wine"
from Akaiwa city　赤磐
Akaiwa City, located in southeast Okayama Prefecture
http://www.city.akaiwa.lg.jp/tutinoko/syohin.html


and from Yoshii Town, in Okayama, where this animal has been sighted too, we have



tsuchinoko senbei つちのこせんべい
Sembei a la Tsuchinoko


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tsuchinoko manjuu つちのこまんじゅう bean paste cakes
From Itoigawa, Niigata


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It seems this littlel monsterlin has spawned a lot of gourmet thinking.

槌の子 Tsuchi no Ko Yokai Monster



Character from GEGEGE no Kitaro
http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/kitaro/charactor/subchara.html

. Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎) and Daruma San


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

. Gero Onsen 下呂温泉 Gero Hot Spring Spa legends .

. shakuhachihebi 尺八蛇 Shakuhachi Serpent .


source : nazo108.sblo.jp/article

40 legends to explore
- source : yokai database -


. Legends about animals 動物と伝説 .


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HAIKU and SENRYU

tsuchi no ko ya
do I find you in my garden
or in my kitchen ?

Gabi Greve, June 2010

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Related words

***** WASHOKU : General Information


. Japanese Monsters and Ghosts

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[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #tsuchinoko #nozuchi -
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Kajoogui Ritual

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Kajo-gui Food Ritual (kajoogui)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Late Summer
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

kajoogui 嘉定喰 (がじょうぐい) Eating on the Kajo-Day
..... katsu-u かつう 「嘉通」が「勝つ」
..... katsu-u no iwai かつうの祝（かつうのいわい）


kajoosen 嘉定銭（かじょうせん）16 coins for Kajo
to bus as much cakes as you could get for that amount of money.


kajoo choodai 嘉定頂戴（かじょうちょうだい）
lords giving kajo-cakes to their vassals

kajoo nui 嘉定縫（かじょうぬい）sowing on kajo-day
sodedome 袖止（そでどめ） "shortening the sleeves"



kajoogashi 嘉定菓子（かじょうがし）Kajo-cakes



The emperor Ninmei にんみょうてんのう【仁明天皇】 (833 - 850) once had an inspirational dream on the 16th day of the sixth month, when the Gods told him to offer 16 sweets to prevent him from getting ill in summer. The period name of this dream was kajoo 嘉祥, which was then used for the offerings.


The emperor Gosaga ごさがてんのう【後嵯峨天皇】 (1242 - 1246) was initiated as Emperor on the 16th day of the 6th month and had food purchased for 16 coins of the Kajo-period.

. Go Saga Tenno 後嵯峨天皇 (1220 - 1272) .



This more popular food ritual started in the Muromachi period.
On the 16th day of the 6th month, people at the court (and later the common folk) would eat 16 different pieces of small rice cakes (mochi) and sweets to ward off infectious diseases (ekibyoo 疫病). These cakes were first put on the God's shelf as an offering and later eaten.

In the Edo period, this evolved so that each regional lord gave sweets to his retainers. Poor people bought sweets for 16 mon coins and all had to eat them without laughing while eating.
During the Edo period, sugar was introduced via Nagasaki and more sweets could be produced.
In the great hall of Edo castle, with 500 tamatmi-mat size, more than 20000 pieces of cake would be placed and the Shogun gave them to his retainers.


This is also a play of words with katsu 「嘉通」and 「勝つ」, to win.
kashoo no hi 嘉祥の日（かしょうのひ）Kasho-Day


sodetome cake

In the Edo period, it was custom on this day to sew the sleeves of young girls of the age of 16 to a shorter lenght (sodetome そでとめ【袖止め／袖留め】 ). This showed they were now ready to do the work of a woman.


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During the Meiji-Restauration, the practise of giving Kajo-cakes to retainers was abolished. But in 1979, it was kind of revived by the sweet makers industry.

Nowadays, the 16th of the 6th month is also the day of Japanese sweets.

六月一六日は和菓子の日。



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Things found on the way

Sweets from the Edo period and Daruma san


source
http://blog.livedoor.jp/sunting1/archives/51636904.html



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HAIKU and SENRYU


Kobayashi Issa　and his children
source : David Lanoue, About Issa


1763, Issa is one year old

1816, Age 54
Fourth Month, 14th day, a son, Sentaro, is born.
Fifth Month, 11th day, he dies.

1818, Age 56
Fifth Month, 4th day, a daughter, Sato, is born.
1819, Age 57
Sixth Month, 21st day, Sato dies of smallpox.


1820, Age 58
Tenth Month, 5th day, his second son, Ishitaro, is born.
1821, Age 59
First Month, 11th day, Ishitaroo suffocates while bundled on his mother's back.


1822, Age 60
Third Month, 10th day, his third son, Konzaburo, is born.

1823, Age 61
Fifth Month, 12th day, his wife, Kiku, dies.

1827, Age 65
Eleventh Month, 19th day, he dies of a stroke


. . . . .


子のぶんを母いただくや嘉定喰ひ
ko no bun o haha itadaku ya kajoo gui

the portion of the child
is eaten by the mother . . .
eating on Kajo-Day


This would mean the mother ate cakes for 32 mon worth of money.
Maybe the baby was still too small to eat the cakes and mother tried to "eat good fortune" for both of them.



more kajoo-haiku, all written in 1825 文政八年句帖)

御礼する袂になるや嘉定銭
o-rei suru tamoto ni naru ya kajoosen



二人前してやりにけり嘉定酒
futarimae shite yarini keri kajoozake



乳呑をば銭いたゞ[か]せけり[嘉定]喰



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Related words

***** .SAIJIKI ... OBSERVANCES, FESTIVALS, RITUALS
Kigo for Summer 　



WAGASHI ... Sweets SAIJIKI

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JUNE NEWS

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]

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JUNE ... rokugatsu 六月

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.............. June 7, 2010

MSC-certified Pole-and-Line
Skipjack Tuna Goes on Sale

Organic food delivery services provider DAICHI WO MAMORUKAI (in English, The Association to Preserve the Earth) started on March 29, 2010, to sell Tosakatsuo Suisan's pole-and-line skipjack tuna products, certified by the international Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The seafood produced by the local fishery group from Kochi Prefecture is the first of its kind allowed to use the MSC's seafood eco-label.

The MSC is a UK-based global organization that supports environmentally friendly and well-managed fisheries through its certification and eco-labeling program for sustainable seafood.

The practice of pole-and-line fishing, a traditional and environment-conscious technique, is in decline nowadays, as less-expensive imported fish dominate the market. Through marketing of the skipjack tuna products, DAICHI WO MAMORUKAI intends to inform consumers about the importance of the fishing practice, a proud tradition among Japanese fishermen since ancient times.
source : www.japanfs.org


世界初、鰹漁業にMSC認証。
漁師の誇り「一本釣り」を守るため、大地を守る会で取り扱いスタート





CLICK for Japanese Text


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.............. June, 2010

Beer Festival
Great Japan Beer Festival 2010 is planned to be held in Tokyo, Osaka, and Yokohama. The Tokyo event takes place at Ebisu Garden Place on June 5 and 6, 2010.
There are over 120 kinds of Japanese craft beer and imported beer available at each event.
July 17-19: Kyosera Dome Osaka 9F
source : gojapan.about.com




日本最大のクラフトビール・フェスティアバル
「beerfes! 2010」 ジャパン・ビアフェスティバル2010
http://www.beertaster.org/gjbf/date.htm


. WASHOKU
jibiiru ... local regional beer



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.............. June 9, 2009

FOOMA
(International Food Machinery & Technology Exhibition)
　。 国際食品工業展
Japan Food Machinery Manufacturers' Association (FOOMA).

Food manufacturing and processing, cooking machinery (bread and confectionery, meat and sea products, noodles, prepared food, beverages and dairy products, agricultural products, tofu, brewing and distilling, other food), food materials processing, food preservation, quality maintenance, engineering, production control systems, packaging and distribution, storage, conveyance and transfer, measurement, analysis and inspection, food sanitation control, environmental protection, conservation and recycling, equipment, machineries, engineering parts, food materials, processed foods, information services ...
source : www.foomajapan.jp


Okonomiyaki Robot お好み焼きロボット
by Toyo Riki Co.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Sushi Robot 寿司ロボット
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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.............. June 3, 2009

vegetable factory

Vegetable factories in Japan
They grow in artificial light,usually in outdated factory rooms. Everything is controlled, humidity, temperature, carbon dioxid emission and all. The produce is about double the price than other natural grown stuff, but it is the same throughout the year.
There are now about 30 of this kind, but the ministry wants to encourage more than 150.

Reference


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.............. June 25, 2009

KFC
The statue of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Sanders had been recovered in March from a river in Osaka, 24 years after frenzied Hanshin Tigers fans threw the statue into the river when the baseball team won the Central League championship. The statue is 180 cm high and weighs 26 kg.
It has been consecrated in a Shinto Shrine in Osaka.
Fans of Japanese baseball’s Hanshin Tigers hoped to exorcize a 24-year “curse” today by honoring a statue of Colonel Sanders at a local shrine. A turnaround by the team might aid business in the region, as economist hope.
　Reference


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Michael Joseph Jackson
August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson マイケル・ジャクソン

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.............. June 30, 2009

Cola Shock
by Kirin Beer Company

Mixing vodka with Coca Cola for an alcoholic drink with 5% alcohol.
Sold in cans of 350 or 500 ml. Starting to sell on July 8.
RTD ... Ready to Drink

大人の夜コーラ（コーラ×ウォッカ）
Cola for the Night of Grown Ups



キリン コーラショック
http://www.kirin.co.jp/brands/colashock/index.html


Green Tea Coke
CLICK here for PHOTOS !


Shiso Pepsi Shiso (since June 23)
CLICK here for PHOTOS !
Shiso (Veggie) Pepsi / Veggie Pepsi

Pepsi Ice Cucumber
CLICK here for PHOTOS !

Nihon Coca Cola / 日本コカ・コーラ
http://www.cocacola.co.jp/
Coca-Cola Museum
http://www.cocacola.co.jp/study/museum/


Nihon Pepsi Cola 日本ペプシコーラ販売
http://www.pepsi.co.jp/menu.html

WASHOKU
koora, kokakoora コーラ, コカコーラ Coca Cola, coke KIGO for Summer




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Related words


JANUARY ... ichigatsu 一月

FEBRUARY ... nigatsu 二月

MARCH ... sangatsu 三月

APRIL ... shigatsu 四月

MAY ... gogatsu 五月

JUNE ... rokugatsu 六月


NOVEMBER ... juuichigatsu 十一月 　

DECEMBER ... juunigatsu 十二月 　



***** WASHOKU ... SEASONAL DISHES SAIJIKI


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Karakki

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
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Karakki - a mascot for RED HOT food !

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation



The Mascot Karakki からっキー


京都向日市激激辛商店街
Kyoto, Mukoo shi, Gekikara Shootengai

Extra hot shopping mall


The whole town uses this mascot for its promotion.

Hot soup, hot noodles, hot fried rice, even sweets with six degrees of hot pepper are offered !

During a life reportage everyone was coughing because of the pepper dust in the restaurant. The cook was wearing a mask in another restaurant., because he could not bear the biting fumes from the various pepper powders he was mixing for his soup.
In another restaurant, the cook and his helper were coughing, and all guests coughed and had tears in the eyes ... quite a remarkable reportage.

The reporter could not speak any more for a while, obviously in pain ...



Yet this hot pepper keeps the shopping mall alive !

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BLOG
http://www.kyoto-gekikara.com/gekiouen/




達磨正宗 古酒 激辛天国 Daruma Masamune

ハバネロ　アイスクリーム

チーズケーキ　フロマージュウ キャラクター柄ケーキ

信州限定キットカット

Check out the complete list of extra hot meals and drinks !
http://www.kyoto-gekikara.com/



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU and SENRYU


Karakki ya
to see the whole town
in "hot" tears


Nakayama Ishino


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***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

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sooshoku Grass-eaters

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Grass-eaters and meat eaters


sooshoku otoko 草食男 "men who eat grass" (vegetables)
grass eaters, as opposed to meat eaters

nikushoku onna 肉食女 "meat-eating girls"

sooshoku is a word used for herbivorous animals, sooshoku doobutsu 草食動物.





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"'I am a grass-eater,' an in-vogue expression for a person who avoids stress, controls risk and grazes contentedly in home pastures.

Once a voracious consumer of American higher education, Japan is becoming a nation of grass-eaters. Undergraduate enrollment in U.S. universities has fallen 52 percent since 2000; graduate enrollment has dropped 27 percent.

It is a steep, sustained and potentially harmful decline for an export-dependent nation that is losing global market share to its highly competitive Asian neighbors, whose students are stampeding into American schools."





New Type of Metrosexual Men

Japan's 'grass eaters' turn their backs on macho ways


Japanese youngsters are crazy about categorizing themselves into
“grass-eaters” (not-agressive in attracting the opposite sex) and
“meat-eaters” (agressive in attracting the opposite sex).


Reference : Grass-eaters of Japan


and then there are the

“meat-eating girls”


sooshoku-kei otoko 草食系男子



source . nikkeibp.co.jp


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


- quote
Who are Japan’s grass eaters?
Lately my American friends have been asking me the most strange question: “Who are Japan’s grass eaters?” Initially I thought they were referring to vegetarians or people who ate grass, but it turned out to be something entirely different.

The media overseas has been reporting a shocking recent phenomena in Japan for some time. According to their report, soshokukei danshi (草食系男子) -herbivorous boy – refers to men who are not interested in dating, sex, or marriage. These men have decided to live a life without a partner or even a romantic relationship as a way of turning their back on “macho ways.”
They find it safer both emotionally and financially to stay single and celibate. This is a serious matter, they say, because it’s contributing to the rapidly declining birth rates in the nation.

Masahiro Morioka is an university professor who came up with the term, soushokukei danshi, and made it popular. Morioka defined the term as the following:
“Grass eating men are those with gentle hearts. They are neither tied to the traditional sense of masculinity or greedy for love. They are not good with hurting people or being hurt by others.”

. . . more
- source : discoverjapannow.wordpress.com



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Related words

***** WASHOKU : General Information

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Leek and nira haiku

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
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. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .

was very fond of negi leek　葱　 (nebuka) and also of
nira 韮 , Chinese garlic chives.
The translation is sometimes LEEK for both words.



冬ざれや小鳥のあさる韮畠
fuyuzare ya kotori no asaru nirabatake

withering plants in winter . . .
little birds search food
in the nira leek fields
Tr. Gabi Greve



Winter bareness--
Small birds foraging
Among the leeks.
trans. John M. Rosenfield
(in "Mynah Birds and Flying Rocks: Word and Image in the Art of Yosa Buson.")



Winter bareness--
little birds seeking food
in the patch of green onions.
trans. Sawa & Shiffert



Winter desolation;
Small birds fossicking*
In the scallion garden.
trans. Blyth

*fossicking: an unusual word, primarily used to mean prospecting for gold in Cornish English and Australian English. In the OED, the second meaning is: To rummage or hunt about; to search. And the third meaning is: To dig out, to hunt up (something).



Of the English words used to translate 'asaru':
"search," "seeking," "fossicking," and "foraging," I prefer "foraging." In fact, my Random House Japanese-English / English-Japanese Dictionary defines "asaru" as meaning: "rummage; forage; search for."
Larry Bole
Translating Haiku Forum



.................................................................................



ふゆざれや北の家陰(やかげ)の韮(にら)をかる
fuyuzare ya kita no yakage no nira o karu

Winter bareness;
in the north shadow of the house
cutting green onions.
trans. Sawa & Shiffert


. WASHOKU
Garlic chives, Chinese chives (nira) 　


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葱買うて枯木の中を帰りけり
nebuka katte kareki no naka ni kaeri keri / nebuta koote (kaute)

I buy some leek
and then walk home
under bare trees . . .

Here Buson contrasts the brown dreary color of the withered trees and the fresh green he carries home to his wife and children for a delicious hot leek soup.
Tr. Gabi Greve



Buying leeks
and walking home
under the bare trees.
trans. Hass


negi koote kareki no naka o kaerekeri

Buying leeks
and then between withered trees
having returned.
trans. Sawa & Shiffert


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うら町に葱うる声や宵の月　
ura machi ni negi uru koe ya yoi no tsuki

in the nearby village
the voice of the leek sellers ...
moon of tonight



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易水にねぶか流るる寒さかな
Ekisui ni nebuka nagaruru samusa kana

A leek,
Floating down the Ekisui,--
Ah, the cold!
Tr. Blyth

According to Blyth:
Keika, of the kingdom of En, who intended to kill King Shi, of the kingdom of Shin, 222-206 B.C., parted from Prince Tan, of En, at this river in North China. (He failed, and was himself killed).

Buson has taken this long, cold leek and put it in a place a thousand miles away, and at a time of two thousand years ago. What a long way to go to express the apparently simple sensations of whiteness and cold!


in the "Biographies of the Assassins" in Sima Qian's
"Records of the Grand Historian", where we find the famous verse,
易水歌
"風蕭蕭兮易水寒，壯士一去兮不復還！

The wind whistles and the River Yi runs cold
He'll never return again, this hero so bold!.

source : Jan Walls / facebook


The River Ekisui,
A leek is flowing;
How cold it is!
Tr. Tr. Shoji Kumano


The cut marker KANA is at the end of line 3.

along river Ekisui
a leek is floating down
in this cold . . .
Tr. Gabi Greve


. Buson and haiku about rivers .


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腐儒者 韮 の羹 くらひけり
kusare jusha nira no atsumono kurai keri

Corrupt Confucian
Drank a brew of
Hot leek soup.
trans. Rosenfield

Rosenfield says of this haiku:
"...Buson employed the particularly harsh term 'kusare' (rotten, smelly, putrid, corrupt) to characterize a Confucian scholar...

"This hokku refers to an ancient ritual in which Confucians drank a certain kind of soup, but the verse was based on one by Du Fu that attacks false Confucians and not the presigious caste itself. Unflattering or ironic references to the Buddhist clergy appear in some of Buson's verses. More, however, contain expressions of piety and respect."



. WASHOKU
Garlic chives, Chinese chives (nira) 　


and more about the poor Confucian sholar

貧乏な儒者訪ひ来ぬる冬至哉
貧乏な 儒者とひ来（きた）る 冬至哉
binboo na jusha toi-kitaru tooji kana

a poor Confucian scholar
comes to visit
for the winter solstice . . .
Tr. Gabi Greve

The cut marker KANA is at the end of line 2.

. WKD : Confucius - Sekiten 釈奠 or Sekisai 釈菜 .
Neo-Confucianism in the Edo period


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There is also a special ramen soup with extra leek in memory of Buson

Buson Raamen ＋ negi 蕪村ラーメン＋ねぎ Buson Ramen
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Buson-An sells
negi miso senbei 蕪村庵のねぎみそせんべい
rice crackers with Kujo negi

ねぎみそ煎餅


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More Leek Haiku by Basho and others


葱白く洗ひたてたる寒さ哉
nebuka shiroku araiagetaru samusa kana

deep-rooted leeks
washed pure white:
so cold
trans. Barnhill

Barnhill's note:
Winter: onion; cold. 1691-92 (around the 10th of Tenth Month; November 29). Basho drew a painting of three leeks on a cutting board to accompany this hokku. The Tarui area, where this was written, was known for leeks with an underground stem that was white and up to a foot long ('nebuka' literally means "deep root").


Other translations of this haiku:

deep-rooted leeks
washed spotlessly white--
how cold!
Tr. Ueda


deep-rooted leeks
when finished washing
the coldness
Tr. Jane Reichhold

An exerpt from Reichhold's note:
[Basho] gave [the picture] to the Priest Kigai of Honryuuji Temple at Tarui in Mina Province.


The leeks
Newly washed white,--
How cold it is!
Tr. Blyth

Blyth's comment:
Even in summer the leeks would look cool, but in winter, after having been washed, they look like snowy icicles: This verse is not objective, as if written:

Washed,
How chill
The white leeks!

It is not subjective, as if written:

The white leeks
Washed,
How cold I am!

Basho feels himself to be a white leek, newly washed, and stood there next to the others. But he does not say anything as absurd as this, nor does he think it.


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白葱のひかりの棒をいま刻むを
shironegi no hikari no boo o ima kizamu

white leek
turned into light beam
now being cut up

Momoko Kuroda
Tr. Ueda


cutting
the white leeks
like shafts of light
translator unavailable to me


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negi sagete roojo boai ni hitorigoto

carrying leeks
an old woman in misty dusk
whispers to herself

Kayoko Hashimoto
Tr. Higginson


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Matsuo Basho wrote

今朝の雪根深を園の枝折かな
kesa no yuki nebuka o sono no shiori kana


snow in the morning -
long leek are the signposts
in the vegetable garden

Matsuo Basho
at age 36



「根深」とは葱のこと。朝起きてみると大雪が積もっている。菜園のいたるところに雪が積もり、何処がどこだか分からない。そんな中にネギだけがちょこんと顔を出している。これが菜園の枝折のようだ。枝折は道しるべのこと。
source : itoyo/basho


After morning snow
onino shoots rise in the garden
like little singposts

reggeli hóban
csak a zöldhagymák
jelzik a kerti utat

. Reference .



A morning of snow
Only the onions in the garden
Blaze the trail

Tr. Jane Reichhold

facebook, march 2011


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. WASHOKU
Negi, nebuka 葱 Leek


. WASHOKU
Garlic chives, Chinese chives 韮 nira


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