Miyako Ekiben

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Miyako Stationlunch

宮古駅弁

Ichigo bentoo いちご弁当
Lunchbox with uni and awabi, sea urchin eggs and abalone






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ichigoni, ichigo-ni いちご煮 seafood soup with uni sea urchin eggs and abalone
Originally prepared by the fishermen of Northern Japan directly on the beaches. When uni is placed in boiling water, it takes on a round form like a wild strawberry, hence the name "strawberry stew".

This local food was made into a lunchbox by the chef of the restaurand "Uomoto 魚元" in the town of Miyako, when they were looking for some speciality to serve as ekiben. He uses "Ezo awabi" 蝦夷アワビ a local catch during the abalone fishing season. They keep the abalone in special basins to be able to have them fresh all year round.

For the bento, it is prepared like a soboro, kind of fish powder, to give a colorful background for the abalone pieces and to make it last longer. Four pieces are placed on the soboro, each with the part of the "ears" in the middle to make it look tasty and voluminous. The abalone are especially cut for this layout.

The abalone are simmered in sake and seasalt water for a long time to make them last for a while, as a lunchbox is not eaten right away and must keep in normal temperatures.


UOMOTO 魚元
is a local fish restaurant, serving kappoo ryoori 割烹料理 kappo food

kappoo 割烹 (かっぽう) : 肉を割(さ)いて烹(に)る意から
It is made up of the character "katsu," which means "to cut 割," and "hoo 烹," which means "to boil."
To prepare food. This word is used already in very old records of Japan. It takes time to prepare the food and is similar to kaiseki, but a bit less formal. Also prepared outside of Kyoto.

kappoogi 割烹着 is the name for the usually white apron with sleaves worn by the woman chefs.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Küchenschürze; Schürzenkittel


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WASHOKU
more information about kappoo


WKD ... KIGO
AWABI, abalone, more information


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Miyako Eki station, Iwate prefecture
ＪＲ山田線宮古駅 JR Yamada Main Line
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MIYAKO town 宮古市　

On June 6, 2005, the old Miyako absorbed the town of Tarō and village of Niisato from Shimohei District to form the new city of Miyako, more than doubling the old city's size. As of 2008, the new city has an estimated population of 57,874 and a density of 83.1 persons per km². The total area is 696.82 km².

The city was founded on February 11, 1941. It lies along the coast where the Shimohei River flows into the Pacific Ocean. It is connected to Morioka by an east-west train line and highway and the coastal highway also goes through the town.
The city has a port but much of the shipping traffic is taken by larger cities along the coast.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !



Joodogahama, Jodo-ga-hama
The Jodogahama 浄土が浜 Coastline with spectacular cliff formations is close by.

Reference : Jodogahama


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Related words

***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box

WASHOKU
Regional Japanese Dishes


WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas

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Kuji, Oku Kuji Ekiben

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Oku Kuji Stationlunch
OKU KUJI Ekiben Station lunchbox
奥久慈駅弁


Shamo Bento
しゃも弁当 , Chicken Lunchbox

with local shamo chicken


. . . CLICK here for Photos !

The chicken is boiled in a special sauce.
The local ryokan makes this for more than 50 years now.


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WASHOKU
Jidori 地鳥 (じどり ).Local Chicken


WKD ... KIGO
Tori awase 鶏合 (とりあわせ) Ritual Cock Fighting


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Oku Kuji station, IBARAGI prefecture
JR水郡線・常陸大子駅 Suigun Line, Hitachi 大子 Station
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Related words

***** WASHOKU
Ekiben 駅弁 Station Lunch Box

WASHOKU
Regional Japanese Dishes


WASHOKU
Roadside stations (michi no eki 道の駅) Highway Service Areas

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Ni Ku ... February 9 and MEAT

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Day of Meat (niku no hi)

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

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Explanation

NI means 2, February
KU means 9, day number 9 of the month

NIKU also means MEAT in Japanese　肉　（にく）

niku no hi　肉の日　（にくのひ） day of meat
February 9 2月9日


English Reference


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The 29 of each month is also a "small NI KU" day of the meat.

CLICK here for PHOTOS !


uruo niku no hi 閏肉の日（日本）"leap day of meat"
2月29日 February 29
the most special day of meat, every 4 years only.
Last in 2008


yooniku 羊肉の日（日本）yooniku no hi
4月29日
April 29, Day of mutton and lamb meat in Japan


Most supermarkets offer a lot of cheap meat on these days.


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The custom of eating meat from four-legged animals in Japan, especially beef, became more popular after the Meiji restauration.
Buddhists are not allowed to eat meat of animals with four legs.
Before modern times, beef was not eaten, only the hides of cows were used for drums and other items. But the meat of killed animals was a waste of food, so it was turned into a kind of "medicine" 薬食 and eaten by the rich.

The daimyo of Hikone Ii Naosuke　井伊直弼　had meat from Omi cows 　近江牛　prepared as misozuke, pickled in miso paste, and send it to Edo to the Tokugawa Shogun, especially also to Nariaki of Mito　水戸斉昭.
Nariaki even wrote a letter to thank for the meat.

徳川斉昭書状別紙, 嘉永元年（1848年）12月
（彦根城博物館蔵）

The beef from Hikone was also dried in the cold 「寒」の干牛肉 during the coldest month of January and then eaten as "medicine".
When Ii Naosuke was killed in the Sakuradamon incident on March 24, 1860, by a group of samurai from Mito, the shipments to Mito Tokugawa Nariaki stopped and Nariaki was quite unhappy about this turn of events.

. Ii Naosuke 井伊直弼 and 桜田門 Sakuradamon .



In Edo, meat was offered at the market of Kojimachi 麹町.
chiku 畜 referred to four-legged animals that should not be eaten by Buddhists and kin 禽 referred two-legged animals, birds to be eaten.



. kajikibashi 鹿食箸 chopstsicks to eat "mountain meat" 　
from Suwa Shrine, Nagano
Meat from four-legged animals was not allowed for the pious Buddhist to eat and also not approved in Shinto. But there were exceptions, especially for ill people and for the poor mountain villages and hunter areas, since the Heian period.

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Bikuni Bridge in Snow - Utagawa Hiroshige - with a signboard for
yamakujira　山くじら wild boar
advertising for for the dealer Owariya　尾張屋, who also served dishes with wild boar meat.


momonjiya ももんじ屋 ・百獣屋　
selling meat "from one-hundred wild animals" in Edo
kedamonoya　獣屋 dealers in wild animals
yamaokuya 山奥屋　dealers with stuff from the far-away mountains
kusuriguiho　薬食舗　restaurant serving "medicine" meat

momonji referes to the meat of wild animals, like wild boar, deer or tanuki badgers.
The first momonjiya shop in Edo was most probably the Kooshuuya　甲州屋 Koshuya in Koojimachi　麹町 Kojimachi.

A senryu refers to this shop

麹町狐を馬に乗せてくる
koojimachi kitsune o uma ni nosete kuru

Kojimachi town -
a fox comes riding
on a horse

百獣屋（ももんじや）and senryu
source :　tachibana2007

a fox riding a horse means things that do not fit together.
But it seems Koshuya sold meat from fox and wolf too.


Eating meat was allowed for ill or weak people, as medicine.
. kusuri gui, kusurigui 薬喰 "eating medicine" .
kigo for winter

. Food vendors in Edo .

. Kōjimachi 麹町 / 麴町 Kojimachi district in Edo .



百獣屋の猛者たち - 御助宿控帳

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aibikiniku, aibiki niku あいびき【合い挽き】
mixture of ground beef and ground pork
gemischtes Hackfleisch



Baniku
Horse meat, baniku (ばにく/ 馬肉) basashi, sakuranabe
Pferdefleisch


Butaniku
Buta ... Pig and Pork (buta, ton 豚　ぶた) Schwein
bunaniku 豚肉　pork meat



Jidori, toriniku
Jidori 地鳥 (じどり) Local Chicken types
toriniku chicken meat



Konchu Ryori, konchuu ryoori 昆虫料理 Insects as food
Insekten



Matagi, Bear hunters and other mountain meat
inoshishi 猪　wild boar botannabe
kiji 雉 pheasant
kuma 熊　 bear
shika 鹿　deer　and momiji nabe



Sakana ... 魚 FISH of all kinds


Usagi ウサギ肉 rabbit meat


Wagyuu, wagyu 和牛 Japanese beef
biifu ビーフ beef
gyuuniku 牛肉 beef, often steak
roosuto ロースト― roast



Yagi 山羊料理 . Goat meat in Okinawa
Goats and Goat Meat .. in Kenya



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meat day !
grandma remembers
an old recipe

Nakayama Ishino, February 29, 2008


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Related words

. Places of Edo 江戸の名所 .

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Setsubun Ehomaki

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Ehomaki Sushi Roll (ehoomaki)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Late winter
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation



ehoomaki 恵方巻き ehomaki roll, eho-maki, "fortune roll" fortune rolls
Rolled sushi for the setsubun festival on February 3, eaten in the evening, with closed eyes, in silence, one roll making a wish, facing the auspicious direction of the new year.

marukaburizushi 丸かぶりずし sushi eaten in one go
marukajiri まるかじり in the Kinki area.

ehoozushi 恵方寿司 Sushi for the auspicious direction

With seven auspicious ingredients for the seven gods of good luck:
oboro denbu (pink), egg roll or datemaki, cucumber, kanpyoo stripes, Kooyadoofu, anago or eal, shiitake mushrooms. All the good luck and good fortune is rolled up (maki) in this sushi.

A Chinese roll of this type is often made with eight ingredients, for the eight Chinese gods of good luck 八福神.




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Sometimes the roll is made with 12 ingredients, usually eaten at the Setsubun festival on February 3.

Legend says when Toyotomi Hideyoshi was fighting for the rulership of Japan, one of his samurai, Horio Yoshiharu 堀尾 吉晴 ate a rolled sushi (makizushi) on the evening before the battle and then the warriors won the battle. So now it is eaten to bring good luck when driving out the demons of Setsubun.

Others say it comes from Osaka and the Kansai area, where rolled sushi was eaten hoping for prosperity in the coming year.


ひさご寿しの恵方巻き
The store Hisagozushi in Kyoto also prepares a roll with the egg outside and the imprint of a demon on it.




and here is the ONIMAKI 鬼巻 demon's roll
sold only on February 3.

source : www.hisagozusi.co.jp



In the town of Yakake 矢掛, Okayama, they prepare a large roll of about 730 grams of rice ! called
Daimyoomaki, daimyo maki 恵方大名巻き The Lord's roll


Clever bakeries in Okayama make an auspicious roll with sponge cake in green color from powdered tea and roll fruit of the season and whipped cream inside.
ehoomaki rooru 恵方巻きロール roll cake for the auspicious direction
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Sushi-Rolle für die glückverheißende Himmelsrichtung

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Setsubun was the last day of winter and thus also the eve of the beginning of spring and the New Year according to the old lunar calendar.

EHOO, the auspicious direction of the Year

According to ancient Asian lore, the new year comes with a new deity, the "God/Godess of the Year" toshi toku jin (Toshitokujin) 歳德神. This is part of the Yin-Yang Theory of China, called "onmyoodoo 陰陽道" in Japanese.
He is celebrated in a part of the estate which shows to the auspicious direction of this year (ehoo　恵方). People erect a small shelf with sacred decorations for the purpose and pray for a boutifull harvest and good luck as farmers.

MORE in the WKD :
God of the Year (toshi toku jin)
and the auspicious direction EHOO





Things related to EHOO are kigo of the New Year.

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Ehoosha 恵方社 Eho Shrine, Ehosha Shrine

This is the only shrine in Japan which changes its direction every year, so the visitors can bow toward the auspicious direction of the new year.
The priests come to turn the upper stone on a special device to change the direction.

In the park Shinsen-En 神泉苑, Kyoto
167,Monzen-cho,Higashi-iru,Shinsen-en,Oike-dori,Nakagyo-ku,Kyoto


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Driving away the demons
with bow and arrow



Bags of beans are sold at the shrines Yoshida Jinja 吉田神社, Heian Jingu 平安神宮 and others to throw at the demons.
At Yoshida shrine, a blue, red and yellow demon are driven out with bow and arrow on the day before setsubun in front of many spectators. The event starts after 6 in the evening. A demon queller, called Hoosooshi 方相氏（ほうそうし） appears with arms, then people on the stage shoot magic arrows (魔力を封じる弓矢) to ban them completely. The demons leave crying loudely as the children cheer them out.

Kindergardens and other facilities also have events driving out the demons with toy bows and arrows.


source : kyoto shinbun, 2009


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Eight gods of good luck, including Daruma 八福神




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hiiragi sasu 柊挿す (ひいらぎさす) piercing with a holly
kigo for late winter

iwashi no kashira sasu 鰯の頭挿す（いわしのかしらさす）
piercing the head of a sardine
mamegara sasu 豆殻挿す（まめがらさす）piercing bean shells

hiiragi uri 柊売（ひいらぎうり）seller of holly branches

yaikagashi やいかがし、yokkagashi よつかがし
metsuki shiba目突柴（めつきしば）

oni no mesashi 鬼の目さし（おにのめさし）
piercing the eyes of a demon

Holly and Sardine Head (hiiragi iwashi 柊鰯)

You pierce the head and eat the sardine !
The holly branch with the fish head is placed outside of the front door to ward off evil influence and keep you healthy. The demons do not like the smell of this fish and keep off. Demons also fear the sharp needles of the holly pierce their eyes, so both together are a powerful talisman. This custom is more common in the Kansai area.

. akaiwashi uri 赤鰯売り selling "red iwashi sardines" .
. . . . .

oni no mesashi might point to the Chinese custom of piercing one eye of a person and make him a slave.

facebook : Mariko Shimizu


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hiiragi no hana 柊の花 (ひいらぎのはな)
flowers of the holly
Osmanthus heterophyllus
kigo for early winter


柊の葉の間より花こぼれ
hiiragi no ha no aida yori hana kobore

between the leaves
of the holly tree
some flowers

Takahama Kyoshi 高浜虚子


Holly Tree (Ilex family) KIGO


. Mezashi 目刺 "pierced eyes", dried sardines


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iwashi no atama yaki イワシの頭焼き (yakigashi 焼嗅がし)
grilling 1000 sardine heads, the Sumiyoshi shrine 住吉神社 in Hiroshima
***** Iwashi sardines 鰯 (いわし) KIGO


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HAIKU

恵方巻き食べて福ならいくつでも
ehoo maki tabete fuku nara ikutsu demo

sushi roll for the auspicious direction ...
if this brings good luck
I will eat as many as it takes

- KEN SAN


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鬼よけの浪人よけのさし柊
oni yoke no roonin yoke no sashi hiragi

protection from demons
and wild samurai...
lucky holly

. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 .


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Related words


..... Setsubun Festival 節分 (February 3)


***** WASHOKU ... Japanese Food SAIJIKI

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Seta shijimi and fireflies

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corbicula from Seta (Seta shijimi)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: All Spring
***** Category: Animal

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Explanation

Seta shijimi 瀬田蜆（せたしじみ / セタシジミ）
corbicula from Seta
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Shijimi 蜆 (しじみ) corbicula
Corbicula japonica

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Shijimi was very popular during the Edo period. Children would get them and sell them in the early morning hours for the shijimi miso soup and thus make a little pocket money.

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Matsuo Basho, Seta poems and the Big Bridge at Seta
Seta no Oohashi 瀬田の大橋 at the Lake Biwako
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


五月雨に隠れぬものや瀬田の橋
samidare ni kakurenu mono ya Seta no hashi

in the endless rain of June
this one is not hidden -
the great bridge of Seta

samidare ... during the rainy season, now in June.


There is a stone with this haiku in Otsu.
大津市瀬田唐橋公園

One of the eight sights of Omi. Seta is the only river that flows out of the lake Biwa. The bridge structure is influenced by Chinese architecture. It was also used in the performance of the bamboo Tamasudare
Nanjing Tamasudare たますだれ (玉簾／珠簾)



Seta no Karahashi 近江八景の一つ、瀬田の唐橋


. . . CLICK here for Photos of woodblock prints!


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橋桁の忍は月の名残り哉　
hashigeta no shinobu wa tsuki no nagori kana

most probably also about the Bridge of Seta
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .



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There is also a wafer filled with sweet bean paste of the same form, inpressed with
SETA.



和菓子司　角安本舗
大津市瀬田2-3-11


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Shiga Prefecture - Regional Dishes from Omi and Seta


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HAIKU

Fireflies from Seta

目に残る吉野を瀬田の蛍哉
me ni nokoru yoshino o seta no hotaru kana

held in my eye:
with Yoshino's blooms
Seta's fireflies

Matsuo Basho
Basho recalls spring blossoms at Yoshino as he sees summer's fireflies at Seta.
Tr. and comment : Barnhill


"my eyes recall Yoshino's sakura in Seta's fireflies"

held in my eye:
with Yoshino's blooms
Seta's fireflies
source : Dennis Kawaharada


still before my eyes
cherry blossoms of Yoshino
fireflies of Seta
Tr. Reichhold



It seems to me that Basho must have seen a LOT of fireflies at Seta to make such a comparison: a 'cloud' of fireflies as it were, to match the 'clouds' of cherry blossoms.

Interestingly, Blyth does not translate this haiku, perhaps because he obviously couldn't translate everything, but also perhaps because Blyth felt it didn't fit his criteria for what makes a good haiku.

I, however, like haiku about places, or that mention places. For one thing, the reference to or mere mention of a place automatically makes a haiku 'larger'.

Since the mere mention of "Yoshino" in Basho's haiku suggests "cherry blossoms," he didn't have to say "sakura" in the haiku. But he did have to mention fireflies in relation to Seta, so I'm assuming that there is no tradition in Japanese poetry linking "fireflies" and "Seta."

But Seta, in the mid-1600s, was well-known for its fireflies, especially on the Seta River (and Lake Biwa too?) I have read online that
"When the light show was at its peak in early summer, hotaru-bune boats would take people on eating and drinking excursions to the best places to see them."
This would make firefly-viewing in some ways similar to cherry-blossom viewing.

So although 'fireflies of Seta' may not have been an 'utamakura' (poetic place), perhaps Basho was trying to make it one? Or at least he was making it into a 'haimakura' (haikai place).
. Compiled by Larry Bole



hotarubune 蛍船　ship for viewing fireflies


蛍見や船頭酔うておぼつかな
hotarumi ya sendoo yoote obotsukana

watching fireflies -
the boatsman is drunk
and we worry

Matsuo Basho in 1690

Basho was in Omi and enjoyed the fireflies around lake Biwa. Boats were located near the Bridge and people could drink sake while watching the fireflies. It was most enjoyable to see the fireflies reflected in the water.
Even the boatsman was drunk and the boat must have shaken quite a bit. This haiku reflects the happy mood when watching fireflies.


闇の夜や子供泣き出す蛍舟
yami no yo ya kodomo nakidasu hotarubune

pitchdark night -
the children start crying
on the firefly boat

Boncho 凡兆 (in Sarumino)

While the grown-ups enjoy a drink and make merry, the kids are full of fear in the dark.

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Compiled by Larry Bole, Translating Haiku Forum

A couple of more translations:

hotarumi ya sentoo yoote obotsukana (Basho)

Firefly viewing at Seta

firefly viewing--
the boatman is drunk,
the boat unsteady
Tr. Barnhill


Firefly viewing--
The steersman is drunk
And how unsteady the boat!
Tr. Ueda



firefly viewing
when the boatman is drunk
unsteady
Tr. Reichhold


Viewing fireflies and
the pilot is drunk
how unsettling...
Tr. Liza Dalby,
from her book, "east wind melts the ice: a memoir through the seasons," U. of California Press, 2007 (she is best-known for her book, "Geisha")


And here is Dalby's translation of Boncho's haiku:

yami no yo ya kodomo nakidasu hotarubune

A dark night
crying children
on a firefly boat

Dalby's comment on both haiku:
Neither Basho nor Boncho seems to have been entirely at ease with the raucous scene of drunken adults and crying children on this excursion. At the same time, their poems avoid the stereotypical fireflies-over-the-water-isn't-it-lovely sentimentality of the usual firefly haiku. Two hundred years later, novelist Natsume Soseki (1867-1916) wrote a more typical nostalgic haiku recalling a scene from his boyhood as he and his older sister hurried home over dark mountain paths on a summer night:

katamaru ya chiru ya hotaru no kawa no ue

Clumping and
scattering, fireflies
over the river

--Natsume Soseki (1897)
Tr. Dalby


Now gathering,
Now scattering,
Fireflies over the river.
Tr. Sooiku Shigematsu


Dalby goes on to discuss the tradition of children catching fireflies.

I find it particularly interesting when Dalby writes about the commercial aspect of firefly 'consumerism':

Even long-urbanized Tokyo was still threaded with streams and rivers until the nineteenth century. One didn't have to travel far to find a damp source for fireflies. In fact, one didn't need to travel at all, because vendors would sell you bulk fireflies to light up your garden.
In the 1920s, Moriyama City in Shiga Prefecture alone supported four large firefly wholesalers who, together, sold three million wild insects to city folk every June and July. The Moriyama suppliers prided themselves on their 'genji-botaru', "Genji fireflies"---at three-quarters of an inch by far the largest of Japan's firefly species.

Both Japanese and American firefly populations began dwindling in the mid-twentieth century due to pollution and loss of habitat. In 1951, the Japanese began to study firefly breeding requirements in order to build artificial hatcheries. Fireflies are still sold today, but they are now farmed. The state of the environment has been at the forefront of Japanese political concerns for several decades now, and as a result wild fireflies have made a resurgence in many of their old habitats. The tourist bureaus of several prefectures will happily supply a list of favorite places for firefly viewing.
[end of comment]

And there is an interesting anecdote about another almost-by-Boncho firefly haiku, in "Kyorai's Conversations with Basho," translated by Donald Keene (excerpted in Robert Hass's "The Essential Haiku"):

田の畝の豆つたひ行螢かな
ta no heri no mame tsutai yuku hotaru kana

Along the border of the fields
Following the bean plants
Go the fireflies.
Banko 伊賀万乎（まんこ）Iga Manko
[Tr. Donald Keene]

Kyorai writes:
This verse was originally one by Boncho that the Master [Basho] had corrected. When we were compiling 'The Monkey's Cloak', Boncho remarked, "This verse has nothing special to recommend it. Let's leave it out." Kyorai answered, "The lights of the fireflies following the bean plants at the edge of a field splendidly evoke a dark night."
But Boncho was not convinced by these words. The Master said, "If Boncho throws it away, I'll pick it up. It fortunately happens that one of the Iga poets has a similar verse that I can modify into this one." Thus, it finally appeared as Banko's poem.
[end of excerpt]

Hass's note:
Iga was Basho's home district, and he took a special interest in its poets.
[end of note]

. . . . .

. WKD : Fireflies (hotaru)


. sendoo sendō 船頭 boatsman, ferryman, chief fisherman .

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


. yuku toshi no Seta o mawaru ya kane hikyaku .
Yosa Buson and the Hikyaku fast money messengers

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source : blog.livedoor.jp/nara_suimeishi
宮戸川 Miyatogawa
歌川国芳 Utagawa Kuniyoshi 　－ 名酒揃 (1846)　(1846)

Miyatogawa was part of the river Sumidagawa, and also famous for fishing Edo mae unagi 江戸前うなぎ eel.

The lady in the print has blackened teeth, so she was not yet married. She was probably a servant at a Sake shop and maybe on her way home with a catch of local 業平しじみ　Narahira Shijimi.


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Related words

***** Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets


***** WASHOKU : FISH and SEAFOOD SAIJIKI

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ASK ME

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! Ask me !





Feel free to ask me any question about Japanese food culture.

Join Japanese Food Culture Group
for regular updates, questions and more


Or about Haiku, Kigo and Saijiki almanachs.

Or about Daruma san,
the great companion in many aspects of Japanese culture.

Or anything else about Japan !

Please add your question as a comment to this entry below.


Thank you very much.

Gabi Greve
Daruma Museum Japan
The World Kigo Database



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BUZZWORDS

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BUZZWORDS - BUZZ WORDS



(C) http://mosquito.ifas.ufl.edu/BuzzWords.htm


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Arabu no haru アラブの春 Arab spring


beesubooru, yakyuu 野球 baseball

borabaito 　ボラバイト　(volunteer arubaito) voluneer arbeit, voluneer helpers

bottakuri ぼったくり　rip-off (at the bars of Kabukicho and elsewhere
Japan's cunning bottakuri bars con compliant customers ...
boori 暴利 extensive profit
「～っくり」の部分は「たぐる（手繰る）」であり、無理やりひっぱるの意味がある




danshari 断捨離（だんしゃり) live frugal, get rid of the clutter in your life and live with the bare minimum of things

donmai ドンマイ don't mind


emoji 絵文字 picture characters or emoticons used in Japanese wireless messages and webpages
In combination of colors and content, they bring emotions to the email messages.
see : wikipedia


fuuhyuu higai 風評被害 economic damage caused by unfounded rumors


global mindset management



haitateki 排他的 exclusive. exklusiv; ausschließlich.

Higashi Nihon Daishinsai 東日本大震災 Great East Japan Earthquake


JC, JK and JD joshi chūgakusei, joshi kōsei and joshi daisei
..... female middle school, high school, university student.



kimchibilly

kitaku nanmin 帰宅難民 returner refugees in Tokyo


locavore, locavores 地産地消主義者 ロカヴォア eating local food, in the USA


makudonarudo マクドナルド McDonalds Japan. Mac Donalds, McDonald's


Nadeshiko Japan 撫子ジャパン

naruhaya なるはや narubeku hayaku

Naruto ナルト

nau なう now
..... and (wazu わず was, uiru うぃる will be)



puraibeeto burando プライベートブランド, PB, private brand
even for food
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

purikura, puri kura プリクラ print club


rooru kyabetsu ロールキャベツ rolled cabbage
..... a man, whimpy outside, masculine inside

ryūkōgo taishō, ryuukoogo taishoo 流行語大賞 buzzword grand prix


seiken kootai 政権交代 (せいけんこうたい) seiken kotai, political change
..... in Japan, Spetember 2009


silver week, in Japan, in September 2009

simply haiku


think green

tinywords micropoetry

Tokyo nau 東京なう I am now in Tokyo

TPP Trans-Pacific Partnership, includes: abolishing tariffs on agricultural and fishery products

twitter


Yanba damu 八ツ場ダム Yanba dam, Yamba dam
in Naganoharamachi, Gunma Prefecture


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Buzzwords 2013 - nau wiru wazu

カラオケなう (karaoke nau, singing karaoke)
すき家なう (Sukiya nau, eating at Sukiya, a gyūdon [beef on rice] chain restaurant)
デートなう (dēto nau, on a date)
お風呂なう (ofuro nau, having a bath)
興奮なう (kōfun nau, feeling excited)
鬱なう (utsu nau, feeling depressed).

忘年会わず (bōnenkai wazu, was at the yearend-party)
馬場わず (Baba wazu, was at Takadanobaba)
ラーメンわず (was ramen) and a photo of an empty soup bowl.

成田うぃる (Narita wiru, on my way to Narita)
ハワイうぃる (Hawai wiru, heading to Hawaii)
友達ん家うぃる (tomodachinchi wiru, going to a friend’s place)

now used to be katakana adjective naui (ナウい),

warota (ワロタ) smile and ii ne! (いいね!) like (facebook words)

shii mēru (Cメール) mobile text messages
写メ, (sha-me, shashin [写真, photo] and mēru [メール, mail])
メル友 (meru-tomo) email pal

- source : Japan Times

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Related words

***** WKD Reference

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Italian Food

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Italian Food (itarian ryoori)

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

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Explanation

Italian food is quite popular in Japan!

Pizza with all kinds of toppings, spagetti with all kinds of sauces

イタリアン料理

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


aru dente アルデンテ al dente


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pasuta パスタ pasta
pasuta to doria パスタとドリア
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


penne　ペンネ　Penne noodles
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

piza ピザ pizza
(Japanese pizza comes with all sorts of Japanese toppings ...)
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
ishigamayaki piza 石窯焼きピザ made in a stone oven
Pizza delivery services are available in the bigger towns.

supagetti スパゲッティ / スパゲッチSpaghetti
suupu supagetti スープスパゲッティ Soup Spaghetti
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


rizotto リゾット Risotto
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Pesto sauces with basil ペストソース（バジリコソース）
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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doria ドリア Doria
(from the french doria)
a dish using rice (usually pilaf type) covered with various ingredients, then covered in white sauce ホワイトソース and grilled in the oven. Some types of Doria are not covered with white sauce.
casserole with fish, shellfish and chicken


Meat Doria ミートドリア
with Daruma as helper to pass the examination



karee doria カレー風味のドリア / カレードリア Doria with curry flavor
kaisen doria 海鮮ドリア with seafood
chikin doria チキンドリア with chicken
ハンバーグドリア with a hamburger
海老チキンドリア with shrimp and chicken
ハワイアンドリア Hawaian style with pineapple
カルボナーラドリア doria carbonara
オムライスドリア with omelette
スパゲティドリア with spagetti
ポタージュドリア doria potage (soup?)
genmai doria 玄米ドリア with brown rice
Motomachi 元町ドリア from Motomachi Yokohama
ミラノ風ドリア Doria Milano type
沖縄風タコライスドリア from Okinawa, with tako octopus and rice
. . . CLICK here for MORE Photos of Doria Dishes!

eine Art Reisgratin


. . Making Japanese Doria


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guratan グラタン Gratin
from the French gratin
グラティネ guratine ... to grill a dish so it gets a slightly scorched part on top

chikin guratan チキングラタン chicken au gratin
カレースパゲティーグラタン with curry and spagetti
海老グラタン with shrimp, ebi guratin
茄子とトマトのミートグラタン with eggplants, tomato and meat
ミートソースのグラタン with meat sauce
かきと帆立てとかぶのグラタン with oysters, scallops, turnips
kaneroni カネロニのグラタン cannelooni gratin
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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hotaruika pizza ほたるいかのピザ pizza with squid
WASHOKU : Squid Dishes


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Domino Pizza ドミノ・ピザ Domino's Pizza
DOMINI Reference
Introduced to Japan by Earnest Higa :
The man who delivered pizza to Japan in 1985.
"There is big gap between Japanese mentality
and U.S. mentality in business.
You can get an interpreter in language,
but you cannot get an interpreter in cultural difference."
Earnest Higa : Reference




pizaa ra ピザーラ Pizza La
The most important pizza chain in Japan.
Franchises are located in 34 of the 47 prefectures.
The delivery service uses small tricycles.
Reference



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU



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Related words

***** WASHOKU : General Information

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Atsumejiru

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Rice with mixed ingredients (atsumejiru)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Mid-summer
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Atsumejiru 集め汁 (あつめじる) "mixed soup"
"stay safe-soup", mujitsujiru むじつ汁（むじつじる）

All kinds of ingredients are cooked together.
Already known since the Muromachi period. When eaten on May 5, the Boy's Festival, it was supposed to ward off evil influence.
When eaten on the day of Mujitsu Koo 無実講、mujikko　ムジッコ, it was called "stay safe soup". (This day was originally December 8, but now it has become a kigo for mid-summer).
When six different ingredients are used, it was called "six ingredients soup 六質汁", a play of words with "staying safe".
Fish, meat, konnyaku and namafu 生麩（なまふ）were also used.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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*****************************
Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU



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Related words

***** WASHOKU ... Japanese Food SAIJIKI

***** Ceremonies and Festivals SAIJIKI

***** Boy's Festival, May 5


***** WKD Reference

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Inarizushi

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Inarizushi / Inari Sushi

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

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Explanation

Inari Sushi, inarizushi いなりずし ( 稲荷鮨 / いなり寿司 / 稲荷寿司)
"brown bag sushi"



pouch of fried bean curd (abura-age) stuffed with vinegared rice.

INARI is the fox deity of Japan and he likes fried tofu pouches!


. Fox (kitsune) and Inari as KIGO 　


To make it taste pleasant, keep the outside sweet, simmering the abura-age with a lot of sugar, and the rice sour/salty with only vinegar and salt as condiments.
The balance of sweet, salty and sour has to be right to give the special taste.

Inarizushi is often made to be eaten later at festivals or community events, so the taste is geared to be best at about four hours after preparing it.

It is counted "one bag, two bags" tawara.

The pouch can be filled with vinegared rice only or with okowa rice, sweet potatoes or other chopped vegetables, okara tofu or many other things, lately even mayonaise potatoes.

It is not really a SUSHI, because the rice should not contain sugar, like the sushimeshi.


In Matsumoto, they smear karashi mustard on the inside of the pouch.

In Tokyo, it is often sold in a store for wagashi sweets and usually oblong, sometimes even cut to bite size.

In Osaka, it is triangular and sold in udon noodle soup stores. Sesame seeds are often added to the rice.

In Fukuoka it is sold in the ramen noodle soup stores.


In Tottori, there is a kind called
nonoko, nonoko meshi ののこ飯.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Speciality of the Yumigahama area on the beach of Yonago. The word was nunoko 布子, wrapped in a cloth. With hijiki, shirataki, chikuwa and many other ingredients.
http://www.bioweather.net/recipe/0603/r0603_19.htm

Auch ITADAKI いただき genannt.
Neben dem Sawarameshi und Kamasumeshi eine Spezialitaet der Gegend.
often prepared for the undookai sports festival at local schools as obento lunch.



gomoku inarizushi 五目稲荷寿司
filled with many ingredients
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



hana inari 花いなり flower-like decorations

This one is to be eaten at an ajisai outing, viewing hydrangea flowers. The colors are made with kamaboko (white), omelette (yellow), brocoli stems (green) and carrots (orange).



When testing some foxes (kitsune　きつね、狐) with inarizushi, simple abura-age, kitsune-udon soup and some other dishes of this kind, most of the foxes went for the Inarizushi.
NHK, gatten september 2008
with recipes


There are many Fox Shrines in Japan.
Fox (kitsune) Japan
... including Fox God Shrine Festival (Inari Matsuri)



abura-age 油あげ/油揚げ/ 油揚



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Toyokawa Inarizushi 豊川いなり寿司
Toyokawa Inari 豊川稲荷 Fox Shrine at ToyokawaThe shrine has a compound with more than 800 fox statues.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Toyokawa Inarizushi Festa
いなり寿司フェスタin 豊川
The great fox shrine of Toyokawa in the old Mikawa region, now Aichi, is using this sushi to revitalize the old access road to the shrine.
The mascot of the town is called "Inarin" いなりん, a fox-type character with big white sushi rice grains on his back.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


They serve more than 100 different types of inarizushi, some topped with a cutlet and ketchup, some topped with a piece of broiled eel.

There is also a

okitsune baagaa
おきつねバーガー
"FOX Hamburger"
Instead of a bun, two pieces of square grilled tofu are used to sandwich a piece of cotelette with lettuce and ketchup !
It looks like a real burger !


Regional Dishes from Aichi, Mikawa, Toyokawa


. Toyokawa Inari Shrine 豊川稲荷 .


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inarizushi uri, inarizushiuri 稲荷鮨売り　vendor of Inarizushi

In the Edo period, the pouch was filled with okara tofu mix, not fish, to make it last longer in the heat.
It was probably first served during a famine, to get some simple food to the townspeople.



. Doing Business in Edo　- 江戸の商売 .


. Raw Fish: Sashimi and Sushi .


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google with

inarizushi

inari sushi


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Worldwide use

das Inari-zushi, Inarizushi, Inari-Sushi
Sushi-Reis in Aburaage-Taschen

das Aburaage, frittierter Toofu
Abura-age.


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Things found on the way

Inari (稲荷, also Oinari, O-Inari)
is the Japanese kami of fertility, rice, agriculture, foxes, industry, and worldly success. Inari is represented as male, female, or androgynous, is sometimes conceived of as a collective of three or five individual kami, and is a popular figure in both Shinto and Buddhist beliefs in Japan. Inari's foxes, or kitsune, are pure white and act as her messengers.

Inari is a popular deity with shrines and temples located throughout most of Japan. According to a 1985 survey by the National Association of Shinto Shrines, 32,000 shrines — more than one-third of Shinto shrines in Japan — are dedicated to Inari.This number includes only Shinto shrines with full-time resident priests; if small roadside or field shrines, shrines kept in a home or corporate office, smaller shrines without full-time resident priests, and Buddhist temples were included, the number would increase by at least an order of magnitude.

©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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temarizushi 手まり寿司 Temari Sushi
round sushi balls like temari toy balls

Photos . round sushi balls like temari toy balls

. . . CLICK here for temari-zushi Photos !


see also . Food Mandala


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HAIKU



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Related words

Abura-age and Tofu

Traditional Folk Toys at Fushimi Inari 伏見稲荷

. Inari Jinja 稲荷神社　Fox Shrines and their amulets .


. WASHOKU
shimotsukare しもつかれ from Tochigi
The dish is generally served on hatsu-u-no hi (初午の日, literally; first day of horse in the month of February) together with sekihan as an offering to appease the legendary deity, Inari-no-shin (稲荷の神).


Sushi, regional sushi


***** WASHOKU ... Summer Dishes
aburaage
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Earth Pilgrims

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Earth Pilgrims

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

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Explanation


Earth Pilgrims, a series of documentary films about pilgrims, the pilgrim message, and the pilgrim spirit ...



http://www.earthpilgrims.com/

アースピルグリム　。　地球巡礼者　

Echan Deravy エハン・デラヴィ
http://www.echan.jp/english.html


Satish Kumar
Wade Davis and others


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The voice of Enoki Takaaki 榎木孝明 as narrator is very soothing.

http://www.officetaka.co.jp/



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HAIKU and SENRYU

Pilgrimage(henro, junrei) Pilgrims. Japan and worldwide


earth pilgrims -
the long walk
toward home


earth pilgrims -
just one step
after another



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Pilgrimage(henro, junrei) Pilgrims. Japan and worldwide


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SEAFOOD . FISH ..... SAIJIKI . . . START

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FISH AND SEAFOOD SAIJIKI

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This saijiki contains kigo about seafood and fish of all seasons.
More haiku will be added later.


. WASHOKU
FISH AND SEAFOOD ... THIS complete Saijiki


. WASHOKU : Fish and Seafood
Individual posts



. "Career Fish"(shusse-uo 出世魚) 　
They change their name as they grow larger.



. Fishing in all seasons 　
humanity kigo



. Boats and ships used for fishing 　
humanity kigo





. Sakana 　魚　toys and amulets with FISH .


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Seafood in Spring

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

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Explanation


The word seafood just like that is not a kigo.

I will make a list here of the seafood that appears in the Japanese Saijiki and the ones we added so far worldwide. Since most of the seafood end up at the table, they are now included in the WASHOKU part of the World Kigo Database.



Two types of shells (seashells, sea shells)
(general terms, not used as kigo)

nimaigai 二枚貝 (にまいがい) bivalve shell
zweischalige Muschel; Bivalvia

makigai 巻き貝 (まきがい) conch, spiral shell
Kreiselschnecke; Spiralmuschel


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Late Spring


. shiohigai 汐干貝（しおひがい）shells in the tideland
and more kigo about seashells


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Sakuraebi, sakura ebi, sakura-ebi 桜蝦 (さくらえび)
"cherryblossom shrimp", stardust shrimp
hikari ebi ひかり蝦（ひかりえび）
This is a speciality of the Suruga Bay, Sagami Bay and a few others.
Spring Kigo from the Beach
A favorite spring food.
Sakura-Garnele



Uni 雲丹 (うに) sea urchin
海胆（うに）、海栗（うに）
Seeigel


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All Spring


Akagai, "red shell", ark shell, ark clam 赤貝 (あかがい)
Anadara broughtoni
..... kisa 蚶（きさ）
"blood shell", chigai 血貝（ちがい）
. WASHOKU
Information and Dishes with arc clam


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Asari, asari 浅蜊 (あさり) short-neck clam; baby-necked clam; littleneck clam
Ruditapes philippinarum
collecting littleneck clams, asari tori 浅蜊取（あさりとり）
vendor of littleneck clams, asari uri 浅蜊売（あさりうり）
boat to collect asari clams , asaribune 浅蜊舟（あさりぶね）
asari clam soup, asarijiru 浅蜊汁（あさりじる）
Asari-Muschel; kleine Miesmuschel

They are a favorite in Miso soup or fried with butter.
They live in the estuary of rivers, being saltwater clams. In Edo, many were harvested in the Sumida river by children in the morning and sold in the streets for the breakfast soup, like Shijimi clams too.



mukimi uri, mukimi-uri 剥き身売り　selling shelled (stripped) clams
a job for children in Edo
They walked around in the morning around the public baths calling
asari mukin, hamaguri mukin　浅蜊むきん蛤むきん
mukin was their way of saying mukimi 剥き身

clams were also sold in their shells, calling :
kara asari asari からあさりあさり
hamaguri ya hamaguri はまぐりやはまぐり

The children were dressed in simple yukata with spotted patterns, wearing a short obi belt (sanshaku obi 三尺帯) for children, with a small tenugui 手拭い towel over the shoulder.

むきみ売りぎょうさんにして一つまけ
mukimi-uri gyoosan ni shite hitotsu make

the vendor of stripped clams
makes a big fuss and then
gives one extra


５文が剥き身擂鉢を内儀だし
go mon ga mukimi suribachi o naigi dashi

five penny for the stripped clams
and the wive of the vendor brings
the grinding mortar

stripped clams were often grinded and put into soup or salads.

. Food vendors in Edo .

. senryu, senryū 川柳　Senryu in Edo .


- - - - -

陽炎にぱっかり口を浅蜊哉
kageroo ni pakkari kuchi o asari kana

in the heat shimmers
its mouth pops up open -
littleneck clam

Kobayashi Issa　小林一茶


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Bakagai, surf clam 馬珂貝 (ばかがい)
Mactra chinensis
..... bakagai 馬鹿貝（ばかがい, バカ貝）
ubagai うば貝（うばがい）ootorigai おおとり貝（おおとりがい）
meat of a surf clam, aoyagi あおやぎ
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Looks similar to a hamaguri clam.
Trogmuschel

baka means a stupid person. Since this clam has its foot hanging out, it looks like the toungue of a stupid person with his mouth always open.

Another type is the
shiofuki "water sprouting clam" 潮吹 (しおふき)
shiofukigai 潮吹貝（しおふきがい）
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
It is often prepared as tsukudani, but not as delicious as asari.


Another type is the
Hokkigai 北寄貝 (ほっきがい, ほっき) surf clam
Spisula sachalinensis
hokki hiku ほっき曳く（ほっきひく）
hokki nabe, hodgepodge with hokki ほっき鍋（ほっきなべ）
vendor of hokki, hokki uri ほっき売（ほっきうり）
steamed hokki, mushi hokki 蒸ほっき（むしほっき）
speciality of Yamagata, also in sushi.
Ubagai, (eine Trogmuschel)


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Hamaguri, clam shells, venus clams 蛤 (はまぐり)
Venusmuscheln

sudaregai, 簾貝 (すだれがい )
sudare hamaguri スダレハマグリ


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Igai, mussle 貽貝 (いがい)
Mytilus coruscus
tansai 淡菜（たんさい）,i no kai 貽の貝（いのかい）
"black mussle", kurogai 黒貝（くろがい）
"princess mussle", himegai 姫貝（ひめがい）
nitarigai にたり貝（にたりがい）
Setogai 瀬戸貝（せとがい）
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Seemuschel (Familie Miesmuscheln)

also
karasugai, "crow mussle" 烏貝 (からすがい)
Found in all rivers and sweetwaters of Japan. Its name comes from the black color of the shell. It tasts of mud and is not a favorite for food.
Cristaria plicata spatiosa
Teichmuschel


Isoginchaku 磯巾着 (いそぎんちゃく) sea anemone
Spring kigo from the Beach




Itayagai, itaya shell, 板屋貝 (いたやがい)
Pecten albicans
shakushi gai 杓子貝（しゃくしがい）
. . . CLICK here for Photos and English information !

shajuji, shamoji 杓子 is a spatula for scooping rice.


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Kisago 細螺 (きさご) trochid sand snail, sand snail
Umbonium costatum
zezegai ぜぜ貝（ぜぜがい）. ibokisagoいぼきさご, kishago きしゃご
Not used as food.
Strandschnecke



Koyasugai 子安貝 (こやすがい) cowrie
takaragai "treasure shell" 宝貝（たからがい）,たから貝
"treasure from Hachijoo Island" hachijoo takara
八丈宝貝 (はちじょうたから) hachijoo takaragai
baishi 貝子（ばいし）
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Kaurischnecke; Kaurimuschel


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Mategai, razer shell 馬蛤貝 (まてがい, 馬刀貝)
Solen gouldi
mate 馬刀（まて）
"razor shell", kamisorigai 剃刀貝（かみそりがい)
matetsuki 馬刀突（まてつき）、
digging for razor shells, mate hori 馬刀堀（まてほり）
Scheidenmuschel


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Nina 蜷 (にな) fresh-water snail, marsh snail
Semisulcospira bensoni
mina みな、
river nina, kawanina 川蜷（かわにな）
sea nina, umi nina 海蜷（うみにな）、
beach nina, iso nina いそにな
path a nina took, nina no michi 蜷の道（になのみち）
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Most haiku are about the sweetwater type found in rivers and wet rice fields.
spiralförmige Süßwasserschnecke, Kawanina


文字のなきむかしのありて蜷の道
moji no naki mukashi no arite nina no michi

long long ago
there was a time without letters -
path of the marsh snail

Amemiya Kinuyo 雨宮きぬよ



Nina no Michi 蜷の道　高橋時枝句集
Poetry collection by Takahashi Tokie


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Sakuragai 桜貝 (さくらがい) cherry shell
Nitidotellina nitidula
"beni-red shell, benigai 紅貝（べにがい）
"blossom shell", hanagai 花貝（はながい）
The shell has the thin, slight pink color of a cherry blossom. Often found along the beaches of the Inland Sea. Children love to collect it.
Tellinamuschel



Sazae, 栄螺 さざえ, turban shell
tsubu つぶ、sazae 拳螺（さざえ）
"grilled in the conch", tsuboyaki 壷焼 (つぼやき)



Shijimi 蜆 (しじみ) corbicula
Corbicula japonica
shijimigai 蜆貝（しじみがい), mashijimi 真蜆（ましじみ）
big shijimi, ooshijimi 大蜆（おおしじみ）
Yamato shijimi 大和蜆（やまとしじみ）
Seta shijimi 瀬田蜆（せたしじみ）
collecting shijimi, shijimi tori 蜆採（しじみとり）
scratching for shijimi, shijimi kaki 蜆掻（しじみかき）
digging for shijimi, shijimi hori 蜆堀（しじみほり）
vendor of shijimi, shijimi uri 蜆売（しじみうり）
river with shijimi, shijimi kawa蜆川（しじみかわ）
boat for collecting shijimi,
shijimibune 蜆舟（しじみぶね）
die Corbicula

Shijimi was very popular during the Edo period. Children would get them and sell them in the early morning hours for the shijimi miso soup and thus make a little pocket money.
WASHOKU
Shijimijiru 蜆汁, しじみ汁 miso with corbicula clams



Shiomaneki 望潮 (しおまねき) fiddler crab
Uca arcuata
ushiomaneki 潮招（うしおまねき）
tauchigani 田打蟹（たうちがに）
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Winkerkrabbe


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Tanishi 田螺 (たにし) paddie snails, mud snails



Tokobushi, round abalone 常節 (とこぶし)
Sulculus diversicolor aquatilis
tokobushi 小鮑（とこぶし）
"ten thousand year old abalone" mannen awabi 万年鮑（まんねんあわび）
"thousant year old shell", sennengai 千年貝（せんねんがい）
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Torigai, 鳥貝 (とりがい)egg cockle
"bird clam" - Fulvia mutica
Herzmuschel

the last body of the
cockle-pickers washed ashore ...
frightened children

(Illegal immigrant Chinese cockle-pickers drowned along the north-eastern English coast)
- Susumu Takiguchi - 2005


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Tsukihigai, kind of scallop 月日貝
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
close to the hotategai.
lit. "moon sun scallop", denoting the passge of time.


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Yadokari (yadogari) 寄居虫 (やどかり) hermit crab
goona ごうな, hon yadokari 本やどかり（ほんやどかり）
vendor of yadogari , goona uri ごうな売（ごうなうり）-
..... yadokari uri やどかり売（やどかりうり）
Crab living in the shell of a conch. Vendors come from the sea towns to the big cities to sell their fare as an entertainment for children or food.
Einsiedlerkrebs. Fam. Paguroidea
goona, gauna 身寄虫


住みづらい里はないとや身寄虫どの
sumi-zurai sato wa nai to ya gauna dono

"No cruel village
for me!"
Mr. Hermit Crab

I assume that the first two phrases are being spoken by the crab. Issa, rejected and scorned by many of the people in his own home village who took the side of his stepmother in his long and bitter inheritance dispute, envied the crab that carries home on his back.
Tr. and comment : David Lanoue


sumizurai sato wa nai to ya gōna-dono

Sir Hermit Crab says
I feel right at home
in any village

This hokku is from the second lunar month (March) in 1824. This was two months after Issa's last surviving child had died and ten months after his wife had died. In the hokku Issa reads the behavior of a land hermit crab and guesses what it seems to be implying (to ya) with its body language. The "hermit" part of the crab's name is not part of its Japanese name. Issa uses its venerable ancient name, pronounced with a long o in his time, although he probably knows its colloquial name, too: yado-kari, 'creature that borrows its house.' This colloquial name reflects the fact that hermit crabs borrow shells of various sizes to fit their own changing size as they grow larger, shells they can withdraw into when danger appears. Once they find a shell of the right size, they drag it around with them for protection as long as it fits them.

Issa speaks politely to the crab, as if he were an honored human being, and he takes the crab to be telling him there aren't any villages that are or would be difficult for the crab to live in. The crab keeps his shell with him at all times, so he has no problem feeling at home wherever he is. Issa seems to be interested in the honored crab's advice, since he is in the opposite situation himself. Judging by the tone of the hokku, Issa seems to imply that although he possesses no shell to help him forget the loss of his family and the coldness of most of his fellow villagers, he can appreciate what the crab is telling him. By this time he probably realizes he needs to develop at least a soft shell in order to remain in his hometown for the rest of his life -- his firm commitment.

Chris Drake


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Worldwide use

Olm, or proteus (Proteus anguinus)
Europe

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Things found on the way

japanesefood.about.com : japanese seafood recipes
more than 10 pages to explore


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HAIKU


馬刀突の子の上手なりつどひ見る　
matetsuki no ko no joosu nari tsudoi miru

a child reaching for razor shells
gets more and more skillfull...
the whole family watches

Takahama Kyoshi 高浜虚子


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面白や馬刀の居る穴居らぬ穴　　
omoshiro ya mate no iru ana iranu ana

how interesting !
a hole with a razor shell
a hole without one

Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規



Illustraded by Terry Steudlein, September 2008


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Related words

. kaiawase, kai-awase 貝合 (かいあわせ) clam shell game

***** WASHOKU : SEAFOOD and FISH SAIJIKI - TOP

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