4/19/2009

Shooga Ginger

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Ginger, Ingwer (jinjaa, shooga )

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: See below
***** Category: Humanity


*****************************
Explanation

Ingwer, Ginger, jinjaa ジンジャー, shooga 生姜

CLICK for more photos CLICK for some more photos


Ginger and related KIGO

shooga ichi 生姜市(しょうがいち) ginger market
observance kigo for autumn


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

This root is eaten in many preparations in Japan and added to many dishes in small quantities. It has medical properties and is said to keep the body warm.

dried ginger root


gari ガリ ginger vinegar pickles for sushi
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


nama shooga, 生しょうが、 生姜 raw ginger


shin shooga 新生姜 new, fresh ginger


shoogamiso 生姜味噌 (しょうがみそ) Miso paste with ginger
kigo for all winter


shooga yuu 生姜 湯 hot water with ginger extract
kigo for all winter


Shoogazake 生姜酒 ( しょうがざけ) ricewine with ginger
kigo for all winter


Yanaka shooga やなか生姜, 谷中生姜 Yanaka stem ginger
The young shoots are havested all year. They are not as pungent as fully grown ginger and eaten raw with miso paste or other dressing.
Speciality of Yanaka village, Kyoto.
Best eaten in summer.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Yanaka shooga no buta roosu maki 谷中しょうがの豚ロース巻き
Yanaka ginger wrapped with pork loin



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

Ginger and related KIGO

Ginger Root Festival (Shooga Matsuri)
Ginger Festival "Lazy Folk's Festival"(Dara-Dara Matsuri)


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


*****************************
Things found on the way



*****************************
HAIKU




*****************************
Related words

***** WASHOKU : INGREDIENTS


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 

4/18/2009

Rice, kome, types of rice

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Types of Japanese rice / Reissorten

Rice plant (ine 稲, sanae 早苗 )
Rice grains are called "kome, mai 米"

Oryza sativa var. japonica

cooked rice is gohan ご飯 or meshi 飯 (めし)


There are many local brands, some quite expensive.
burandomai ブランド米, ブランドマイ
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Many are short grain rice types.
There is also mochigome もちごめ もち米, sticky rice brands.
Some sources quote it as "pearl rice".

Mochi-Klebreis
mochigome is not only used crushed for mochi rice-cakes, but also for "sekihan 赤飯" festival rice with red beans and "okowa お強" steamed mochigome with red adzuki beans.

. Rice cakes (mochi 餅) Reiskuchen .


CLICK for more tanadamai photos

tanadamai 棚田米 rice from terraced fields
rather tasyt, since the temperature differences from day and night are usually large in mountainous areas
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



aigamo mai
あいがも米 / アイガモ米 / 合鴨米
rice grown in fields with aigamo ducks
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
a popular organic farming methods for paddy rice. Various brands are on the market.

The ducks feed on the insects and leave their excrements as fertilizer.
Reference

a brand called hatsushimo ”ハツシモ”, first frost.
. . . CLICK here for "first frost" Photos !

合鴨米ミルキークイーン Aigamo mai Milky Queen
. . . CLICK here for "Milky Queen" Photos !


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


akagome, akamai 赤米(あかごめ、あかまい)
red rice, one of the kodai mai.
roter Reis

kodaimai 古代米 "rice of olden times"
Reis aus der guten alten Zeit

kodai no akamai 古代の赤米 "red rice of old"
Has been planted since the Asuka period, introduced from China.

shinzenmai 神饌米 red rice for the gods

There are three shrines in Japan where red rice is used for food offerings in ceremonies.
岡山県総社市の国司神社 Okayama, Kunishi Jinja
... in two locations 新庄国司神社・本庄国司神社

長崎県対馬市の多久頭魂神社 Nagasaki, Takuzudama Jinja
with more than 13 ceremonies per year. rice is grown in "temple fields 寺田".

鹿児島県種子島の宝満神社 Kagoshima, Tanegashima, Hooman Jinja
Rice is grown in 御畔 fields. More than 2000 years of tradition.

Akamai Sama - The red rice of Tsushima, Nagasaki
長崎・対馬の漁師に伝わる赤米さまと不思議な神事
akamai shinji 赤米神事 ritual of the red rice

Tsushima is an island between Japan and Korea, and was an important trade stop-over for the sea trade since olden times. Rice from the mainland came via this island to Japan.


In the "fields of the Gods" at Takuzutama Shrine (たくずたまじんじゃ 多久虫玉神社) there are 15 farmer families who keep the tradition. They cultivate the rice for offerings. Each family is leading the ceremonies for one year. After the harvest they prepare a large tawara straw bag with seed rice of the first harvest, called the "tanemomidawara 種籾俵" and hang it high in the tokonoma space for prayers. They add some special seaweed, nezumi mo ねずみ藻, to the decoration to appease the god of the sea.
The deity in residence at the shrine is Takamimusubi no mikoto 高皇産霊尊 at a special shrine, Takamimusubi jinja 高御魂神社.

On the 10th day of the first month in the new year, they take the bale down, put a ceremonial garment around it and carry it to the shrine in a procession along every household. Torches lit the way and people kneel along the road to pray to the deity.


The sacred shrine fields of Takuzutama Shrin


The red risps of the rice ears. 赤米の赤穂
akage mai 赤毛米
source : hero1945

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


Shrine Izoo no Miya 伊雜宮 Izo no Miya

Ise no o-taue 伊勢の御田植 (いせのおたうえ)
planting rice at Ise

Rice for the Gods
. Ise Grand Shrine 伊勢神宮 Ise Jingu .


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


genmai 玄米 - げんまい brown rice

unpolished rice
It comes in many regional varieties.
brauner Reis, ungeschälter Reis

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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


Akebono 曙 アケボノ Morgensonne im Frühling
Okayama
. Akebono - spring morning light.

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

061 rice akitakomachi

Akita komachi, Akitakomachi あきたこまち
"The Beauty Komachi from Akita"

named after the beauty Ono no Komachi (ca. 825-900), born in Yuzawa Town, Ogachi City, in the southeast of the prefecture.
short grain
Iwate, Akita
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
. WKD : Ono no Komachi .

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


Asahi 朝日 morning light
Okayama

domannaka どまんなか
Yamgata

fukuhikari "shining luck"
Toyama


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



fukkurinko (hukkurinko) ふっくりんこ happy child
Glueckliches Kind
This is also a play with the sound of fukkura, for a fluffy soft cooked rice.
Hokkaido
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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


genkitsukushi
Fukuoka, Kyushu


hananomai, hana no mai
Yamagata, Chiba

hatsuboshi
Fukushima, Tochigi, Chiba

hatsushimo
Gifu

haenuki
Yamagata

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

hime no mochi ひめのもち / ヒメノモチ
"mochi for the princess"

Mochi fuer die Prinzessin
Developed as mochi-grains in the year 1962 at the Tohoku Rice Research Center 東北農業試験場.
It is resistant against many dieseases, like imochibyo いもち病 and yields a large harvest.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
. Rice cakes (mochi 餅) Reiskuchen .


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


hinohikari ”ひのひかり”light of the sun
Fukuoka, Saga, Kumamoto, Oita
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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

hitomebore ひとめぼれ "Liebe auf den ersten Blick"
"falling in love with a person at first glance"
short grain, good in cold regions
Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima

Hitomebore is one of the most popular brands in Japan, grown in large areas ranked second in the year 1994. It is quite resistant to natural damages.
It tasts good when hot or cool.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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


hoshinoyume, hoshi no yume 星の夢  "dream of stars"
Hokkaido


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




Kinuhikari, kinu hikari キヌヒカリ sparkling silk
Glitzernde Seide

This brand has been developed in 1988. The plant is a bit shorter than Koshihikari, but does not bend so easily. The taste is the same as Koshihikari.
Kinuhikari has short culm and high lodging resistance.

Ibaraki, Shiga, Fukuoka


A new rice cultivar 'YUMETSUKUSHI' ユメツクシ
developed by Fukuoka Agricultural Research Center in 1993 was selected from the cross between 'KINUHIKARI' and 'KOSHIHIKARI.


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



kirara きらら sparkling
strahlend. Kirara 397
This was the first brand that changed the image of rice from Hokkaido from being unpalatable to a really delicious treat.
Hokkaido

Traditionally, producing rice in Hokkaido was difficult because of the island’s long, cold winters. However, in 1980 after many years in development, the delicious Kirara 397 variety which is resistant to the cold climate was born. Hokkaido eventually became Japan’s leading rice producing prefecture, topping rival Niigata. Its rice brands such as Nanatsuboshi and Hoshi No Yume won Hokkaido rice an A rank (second out of five) from the Japan Grain Inspection Association in 2004. And yet wholesale prices of Hokkaido rice remained low. That year the price of Japan’s leading rice brand, Niigata’s Koshihikari, was 19,138 yen per 60 kilogram while Akita prefecture’s Akitakomachiwent for 15,646 yen.
Yet Hokkaido’s Kirara 397 only managed 12,888 yen, a price that could not even recoup farmers’ production costs.
source : www.dentsu-pr.com


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





koshihikari こしひかり コシヒカリ, 越光
"light from Koshi"

"NOT: the shimmering hip"
beams from Koshi, Strahlen von Koshi
short grain from Fukui
also from Uonumasan
Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Saitama, Chiba, Niigata, Ishikawa, Nagano, Gifu, Aichi, Mie, Shiga, Kyoto, Hyogo, Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Tokushima, Kagawa, Koochi (Kochi), Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Kagoshima

Hochqualitäts-Reis
quote
Koshihikari was first created in 1956, by combining 2 different strains of Nourin No.1 and Nourin No.22 at the Fukui Prefectural Agricultural Research Facility. It has become very popular now in Japan, in part due to its good appearance. It is one of the most highly-grown varieties of rice in the country, and its taste is said to differ per region. Some people think very highly of the Koshihikari harvested in Uonuma area of Niigata Prefecture and so traded at the most expensive price in all of Japan.
The character for koshi (越) is used to represent old Koshi Province, which stretched from present-day Fukui to Yamagata. Koshihikari can be translated as "the light of Koshi ".
Other rice varieties close to its strains, such as Akitakomachi, Hitomebore, and Hinohikari have been created afterwards by cross-breeding Koshihikari with other Japanese varieties of rice.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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


Kumasan no Chikara ”くまさんのちから”熊産の力
Kumamoto, Kyushu



CLICK for more photos
mirukii kuiin ミルキークィーン "Milky queen"
Toyama
a new brand developed from koshihikari.
with a low amylose content, so the rice is more sticky. The grains are almost transparent before cooking and quite beautiful.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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



from Hyogo

Mangetsu mochi 満月餅 "full moon mochi"
Vollmond-Mochi
It shows a rabbit in the moon pounding rice.

. Pounding rice in the moon .




Mie mochi 三重餅 Mochi-rice from Mie prefecture
"Mochi aus Mie"

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




Murasaki ムラサキ - Murasaki Mai ムラサキ米
lit. purple rice
violetter Reis
a kind of genmai, unhulled rice.

But this name also reminds us of Lady Murasaki Shikibu of the Heian Court.

. Murasaki Shikibu ... 紫式部 .


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


natsuhikari
Koochi, Kochi

Nihonbare
Hyogo

Niigata soosei
Niigata

Notohikari, Noto hikari
Ishikawa


Sagabiyori さがびより "Fine weather in Saga"
From Saga prefecture, Kyushu.
This variety has been developed by the Prefecture, because it is more resistent to the summer heat and changing weather patterns bring more heat to Saga.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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



from Akita

sasanishiki ささにしき bamboo grass brocade
Bambusgras-Brokat
short grain
from Sendai, Miyagi
Created as a mixture of Hatsunishiki and Sasashigure at Furukawa Agricultural Experiment Station in Miyagi prefecture in Japan in 1963.
It keeps its taste even when cool. So it is suited for Sushi and Onigiri.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
auch
Iwate, Yamagata, Akita

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


soraiku
Hokkaido


todorokiwase
early ripe
Niigata

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


Tsugaru otome 津軽乙女 girl from Tsugaru

Aomori




Tsugaru Roman 津軽ろまん - つがるロマン
romantic Tsugaru

Romantisches Tsugaru.
Grown at the foot of Mount Iwaki.
It was derived from Koshihikar, and is seen as the "grandchild" of this brand.
Aomori

From the Tsugaru peninsula of Aomori.

The illustration of the package features this famous
. Nebuta Festival ねぶた .





and with good rice, you make a good ricewine!



六花酒造 津軽 うめ カップ

With fresh water from the mountains of Shirakami Sanchi
and white rice from Aomori, Mutsu Homare むつほまれ
with plum patterns reminding of the Hirosaki Castle
and Mount Iwaki

and in a black bottle




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

yamahikari
Tottori

yamahooshi, yamabooshi
Yamaguchi

yamahikari
Yamaguchi

yukihikari
Hokkaido

yukinosei
Niigata





Yume pirika ゆめぴりか beautiful dream
pirika is a word from the Ainu language, meaning beautiful.
Hokkaido


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


Rice Tasting Event
Sapporo and Tokyo, in March and May each year


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


quote


This rice field in the village of Inakadate, Aomori Prefecture, Japan, tells the story of an ancient battle between a warrior monk and a little hero-archer.
Over 1,000 villagers helped creating this amazing field.




This other field represents ‘The tale of the bamboo cutter’, also known as Princess Kaguya, which is a 10th century Japanese folktale, and considered the oldest extant Japanese narrative.

More is here
source : www.thezigzagger.com


Ganbaro がんばろ

. Japan after the BIG earthquake March 11, 2011 .

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

Kurz- und Langkornreis

Für den Handel unterscheidet man zwischen den beiden Extremen:
Langkornreis (auch Brühreis, Patna, es gibt sowohl trocken kochende indische und javanesische als auch klebrig kochende japanische Reissorten) und
Rundkornreis (auch Milchreis).
Langkornreis hat eine Länge von mehr als 6,0 mm. Das Verhältnis von Länge zu Dicke ist größer als 2 und kleiner als 3 bei Japonica, bzw. 3 und mehr bei Indica. Mittelkornreis ist 5,2–6,0 mm lang und das Verhältnis der Länge zur Breite beträgt weniger als 3. Rundkornreis ist 5,2 mm lang oder kürzer und das Verhältnis Länge zu Breite beträgt weniger als 2.

Die nach ihrer wirtschaftlichen Bedeutung wichtigsten Unterarten von Oryza sativa sind:
Oryza sativa ssp. indica, Langkornreis (Patna-Reis, Basmati-Reis)
Oryza sativa ssp. japonica, Langkornreis, auch Klebreis sowie Risotto-Reis
Oryza sativa ssp. javanica, Mittelkornreis
Oryza sativa var. glutinosa wird zum Beispiel in China oder Thailand angebaut.

Unterart japonica (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica)
Das Korn ist weicher als Langkornreis, wird im deutschsprachigen Raum vor allem für Milchreis gebraucht und ist auch unter dieser Bezeichnung im Handel. Die Körner sind kurz und dick, beinahe rund.

In Japan selbst wird dieser Reis normalerweise ohne Salz in Wasser gekocht und mit Gemüse, Fisch und Fleisch gegessen. Dabei handelt es sich nicht um eine Beilage, da der Reis als zentraler Bestandteil der Mahlzeit angesehen wird.

Auf Grund der großen Nord-Süd-Ausdehnung des Landes und somit sehr unterschiedlichen klimatischen Bedingungen werden viele verschiedene Reissorten angebaut. Die wohl bekanntesten sind Koshihikari und Sasanishiki. Der Reis wird sowohl poliert (hakumai: 白米 oder seimai: 精米) als auch unpoliert (genmai: 玄米) im Handel angeboten.

Neben dem „normalen“ Reis gibt es Reissorten, die für besondere Zwecke angebaut werden.

So ist Mochigome (餅米)
die japanische Bezeichnung für den trüben Klebreis, der normalerweise gestampft wird, so dass eine zähe, klebrige Masse entsteht, die sowohl für traditionelle Süßigkeiten benutzt werden kann als auch als Suppeneinlage oder geröstet als Mahlzeit.
Sakamai (酒米)
ist eine besonders großkörnige und stärkehaltige Reisart, die zur Herstellung von Sake, japanischem Reiswein, gebraucht wird.
Roter und schwarzer Naturreis sind in Japan unter dem Namen
Kodaimai (古代米) auf dem Markt, sie werden wegen ihres hohen Preises üblicherweise dem normalen Reis nur beigemischt.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !



indikamai, indika-mai インデイカ米 / インデイカ種 Indica rice
good for risotto, pilaf and fried rice.


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

ukiine, uki-ine 浮きイネ floating rice, deepwater rice
in Mali, a traditional rice growing method, where the cutting occurs with boats floating along the rice fields.
The stems grow up to five meters when the Niger river water starts to float the fields.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



*****************************
Things found on the way


History of Rice Cultivation
Rice has been cultivated in China since ancient times and was introduced to India before the time of the Greeks. Chinese records of rice cultivation go back 4,000 years. In classical Chinese the words for agriculture and for rice culture are synonymous, indicating that rice was already the staple crop at the time the language was taking form. In several Asian languages the words for rice and food are identical. Many ceremonies have arisen in connection with planting and harvesting rice, and the grain and the plant are traditional motifs in Oriental art. Thousands of rice strains are now known, both cultivated and escaped, and the original form is unknown.

Read more: rice: History of Rice Cultivation
source : www.infoplease.com


*****************************
HAIKU



043 rice kodaimai genmai

kodaimai -
the smell of the gods
from ancient times


Gabi Greve, June 2009



*****************************
Related words

***** WASHOKU : Dishes with Rice
"Gohan" ご飯 or "meshi" 飯 めし.


***** WASHOKU : General Information


. WKD
Rice plant (ine) . A list of kigo.

New rice (shinmai) 

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



"Planting rice"
Ohno Bakufu (1888-1976)
source : facebook

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

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

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

Rice Reis, meshi gohan

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Rice, Reis, with many Japanese words

The Japanese Rice Culture -
die Reiskultur Japans.


Rice is the staple food of Japan.
There are many words for it, from the plant to the cooked product. Many of them are kigo.


Rice plant (ine 稲, sanae 早苗 )
Rice grains are called "kome, mai 米".
On the table and cooked, it is called

"Gohan" ご飯 or "meshi" 飯 めし.


CLICK for more tanada photos
Tanada ... Terraced rice fields of my home in Ohaga
Gabi Greve, Japan


Japan is a rice-growing culture. It has many regional celebrations and rituals related to rice growing and harvesting.
Rice is traditionally much more than just food.

Please read this first and come back:

Japanese Rice Culture
by Nold Egenter




quote
Imperial Rituals in Japan
The Emperor, embodying the god of the ripened rice plant, plants the first rice of the spring and harvests rice from the plants of the autumn. In one of the most solemn Shinto ceremonies of the year the Emperor, acting as the country's chief Shinto priest, ritually sows rice in the royal rice paddy on the grounds of the Imperial Palace.



The Great Food Offering —in which the Emperor spends the night with the Sun Goddess as a dinner guest—is something every emperor is required to do shortly after ascending to the throne. First recorded in A.D. 712, the ritual takes place at night because the Sun Goddess is in the sky during the day.

The rite follows a ritual bath, symbolizing purification, and takes place in two simple huts, made of unpealed logs and lit with oil lamps, erected on the Imperial Palace ground in Tokyo. The huts are believed to represent the original first huts where Jimmu Tenno communed with the Sun Goddess.

During the Great Food Offering, the Emperor absorbs some of the Sun Goddess spirit and thus "becomes a kind of living ancestor of the entire Japanese family." The pre-World War II belief that the Emperor was a living god is based on this ritual.
Murray Sayle wrote in the New Yorker, "I witnessed the most recent Great Food Offering....from my position behind a police barrier a hundred yards away. During my chilly vigil, all I saw was a figure in white silk—presumably the Emperor—flitting from one small building to another. It took perhaps one second in all."

No one but the Emperor has ever witnessed the ceremony. According to a press release from the Imperial Household Agency, "The new Emperor ... offers newly-harvested rice to the Imperial Ancestor [the Sun Goddess] and the deities of Heaven and Earth and then partakes of the rice himself, expresses gratitude to the Imperial Ancestor and these deities for peace and abundant harvests, and prays for the same on behalf of the country and people."
source : factsanddetails.com


A set of harvest festivals in November carried out at the imperial palace and shrines throughout the country:
. Niiname sai 新嘗祭
"Celebrations of the First Taste" .

November 23



. Inari 稲荷 Fox Deity, Rice Deity .


. Toyouke no Ookami 豊受大神
The Great Deity that gives Bountiful .

Deity of Rice and Food


. Akamai shinji 赤米神事 ritual of the red rice .
At Takuzutama Shrine 多久虫玉神社, Tsushima Island, Nagasaki
長崎県対馬市.




mikeden 御鐉殿(みけでん) "the sacred dining hall"
for the deities at Ise shrine.


quote
Higoto asayū ōmike sai
A celebration at the Grand Shrines of Ise (Ise Jingū) in which sacred food is offered twice daily, in the morning and evening, to Amaterasu Ōmikami and other deities.
Also referred to as the regular sacred offering (jōten mike), this celebration corresponds to the daily offering (Onikku) ceremony conducted at ordinary shrines. In response to a dream revelation from Amaterasu Ōmikami during Emperor Yūryaku's reign, Toyouke Ōmikami was moved from Tanba Province to Ise Shrine as the tutelary deity of foodstuffs (miketsu kami).

Based on this lineage, kami seats (shinza) for Amaterasu Ōmikami, Toyouke Ōmikami, and a "deity enshrined on a subordinate altar in the same honden" (aidono no kami) are built in the Outer Shrine's Sacred Dining Hall (Mikeden). The Mikeden has an ancient architectural style with "log storehouse" (ita azekura) wall construction and steps carved from a single piece of timber (kizami kizahashi).
This structure is also where members of the Watarai priestly clan have traditionally served in such roles as senior priests (negi) reciting the norito or as children who observe votive abstinence and serve in ritual services (monoimi).

With the Meiji Restoration, shinza were added to auxiliary sanctuaries (betsugū) and senior priests, junior priests (gonnegi), and shrine administrators (gūshō) began serving inside the Mikeden. Although "Meiji-Period Rules for Ritual Procedures at Jingū" (Jingū Meiji saishiki) did not designate this ceremony as a matsuri, the later "Regulations on Ritual Observances at Jingū" (Jingū saishirei) positioned it as a lesser festival (chūsai) and named it Higotoasayū ōmikesai.
Whereas other Ōmike ceremonies take place in front of the main sanctuary (shōden) building, this celebration is unique because the deity is "worshipped at a distance" (yōhai) from inside the Mikeden.
source : Nakanishi Masayuki, 2006, Kokugakuin



Shingu shinden 新宮神田 rice fields for the deities
at Ise shrine. 神田(しんでん=神殿)
They are 3 hectar large.

. Ise Grand Shrine (伊勢神宮 .

. shinden 神田 - saiden 斎田 "divine rice field" .



. Hoozuki ichi 鬼燈市 lampion flower market .
shiman rokusen nichi 四万六千日 46000 days
Why 46000 days, you might ask?
This is supposed to be the number of rice grains in one Japanese measure of rice, Japan being an old rice-growing nation and wasting even one grain of it was a big sin.


The koku, kokudaka (石/石高) is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year (one masu is enough rice to feed a person for one day).
A koku of rice weighs about 150 kilograms.
During the Edo period of Japanese history, each han (fiefdom) had an assessment of its wealth, and the koku was the unit of measurement.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !



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

Some vocabulary


chagayu 大和の茶がゆ rice gruel cooked with tea and
chahan 茶飯 / 大和茶飯 rice boiled with tea and soy beans
from Nara prefecture 



daikon-meshi 大根飯 rice with radish
gekochter Reis mit geschnetzeltem Rettich



gohan no tomo ご飯の供 "friend of the cooked rice"
condiments and food you place on your rice bowl, for example furikake
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
CLICK for more photos gohan no tomo ご飯の友 "friend of cooked rice"
a spedial brand from Kumamoto. A kind of furikake, with various flavors.
shiso perilla, hijiki seaweed, spicy sesame, norigoma seaweed with sesame
御飯の友






gyohan 魚飯 "fish rice"
Special dish served for celebrations, especially along the Inland Sea and at Takehara. The rich owners of salt production fields served it to their visitors.
Various ingredients are finely shredded, the shrimp flavored with salt. The ingredients are served separately on a huge plate. Each visitor takes a bit of each on his bowl of rice, then plenty of dashi soup is added.




kama-meshi 釜飯 rice, meat, and vegetables boiled together in a small pot
Gericht, bei dem Reis mit den anderen Zutaten zusammen in einem kleinen Topf gedämpft wird
Reis und Beilagen im gleichen Topf gekocht


katemeshi かて めし (糅飯) rice mixed with vegetables, radish, seaweed or other ingredients to make it last longer in times of scarcity
gemischter Reis


kenmai 献米 rice offering
Reisopfer
. shinjin kyooshoku 神人共食
God and Man eating together .

shinsen 神饌 Shinto- Food offerings / Shinto-Speiseopfer
shinsenmai 神饌米 Reis als Speise-Opfergabe in Shinto-Zeremonien.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


koge, o-koge, okoge, rice crust in the pot おこげ (御焦げ)
kogemeshi こげめしdishes with okoge
festgebackener Reis, angebrannter Reis am Topfboden


mochi もち (餅) pounded rice taffy
das Mochi; Reiskuchen


nuka ぬか (糠) rice bran
Reiskleie


ojiya, o-jiya おじや kind of rice gruel with miso base
The name comes from the sound of the slowly cooking broth, jiyajiya じやじや.
kigo for winter
dicke Reissuppe; (mit Miso oder Sojasoße gewürzt)

o-kayu, okayu, kayu 粥 rice gruel
Reissuppe; Reisgrütze
auch ojiya genannt.
(nicht identisch mit dem in Deutschland als REISBREI bekannten Gericht mit Zimt und Zucker)
. . . Chinowagayu, chinowa-gayu 茅の輪粥 rice porridge
chi no wa kayu, served on the last day of the sixth month.



kodaimai こだいまい 古代米 rice of old / my photo
rice from the time of the gods
genmai, gokoku mai



o-kowa, okowa おこわ (御強) "the honorable strong one"
mix of regular Japanese short grain rice and mochi-gome, sticky rice cooked with other ingredients.
kowameshi こわめし
Mochi-Klebreis mit roten Bohnen


Onigiri おにぎり rice balls
der Onigiri; Reiskloß, Reisball


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

sakameshi (さかめし - 酒飯)  "rice wine rice"
special fermented rice kooji used for brewing Sake. It was used by the poor of Edo boiled a bit to make it a Kowameshi 強飯 .


酒飯の掌にかかるみぞれ哉
sakameshi no tenohira ni kakaru mizore kana

my poor dinner
in the palm of my hand...
falling sleet

Tr. David Lanoue


sleet falls
on a palm holding
steamed rice for sake

Tr. Chris Drake


This hokku was written on 10/28 (Dec. 11) in 1803, when Issa was living in Edo. The hokku and the hokku following it in Issa's diary seem to be based on a visit to a sake brewery. Issa had just written a kasen renku sequence with the poet and rich merchant Seibi, so he could have gone with Seibi to visit a brewery. In any case, Issa is interested by the newly steamed rice that one of the brewers seems to be inspecting.

The rice used in making sake is first washed and steam-cooked (not boiled) and then cooled before it is mixed with the other ingredients. This specially steamed rice is still fairly hard on the outside and is not considered food or delicious. The brewer needs to test its feel, smell, color, body, and whether it's been cooked enough, but it's a dark winter day and there are only a few oil lamps inside for light, so he carries a handful of the rice outside the brewery door, where it's lighter and he can see better. The way the warm steam rises up from the rice through the cold sleet falling on it perhaps suggests the intensity of the brewer's stare and his obvious strong desire to steam the latest batch of rice inside just the right amount.

Chris Drake


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

. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .


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


sakurameshi (さくらめし) 桜飯、桜めし "cherryblossom rice"
boiled with sake and soy sauce
sakura gohan さくらご飯 "cherry blossom rice" Shizuoka
mit Sojasoße und Sake gekochter Reis


sekihan 赤飯(せきはん) "red rice"
cooked for celebrations
Reis für Feierlichkeiten, mit roten Bohnen, Reis mit roten Bohnen
Usually salt with black sesame (gomajio) is used to sprinkle over the rice, but in the town of Naruto, Tokushima, people use freshly ground white sesame with a lot of sugar. (The salt fields of Naruto provided people with cheap salt, so on a festive day, they wanted to eat something better, sweet sugar.



semai 施米 (せまい) alms of rice

kigo for late summer
Every year in the sixth lunar month, the Heian court officials would give offerings to the temples and poor begging monks of the capital, Kyoto. Often they also gave some salt.
Summer Ceremonies SAIJIKI


shiina 粃 unripe rice
Bezeichnung für taube Reiskörner, unreifer Reis; unreife Ähre, unreife Frucht


sutamina raisu スタミナライス stamina rice
a plate of rice, pork cutlet, cut cabbage and vegetables fried with sesame oil (Chinese style) and a fried egg on top of it all
From Nemuro town, Hokkaido 北海道根室
There are many dishes with a plate of rice and various topping, Western style. The influence of Western Food was quite strong in this part of Hokkaido.
panchi raisu パンチライス "ice with a punch"
(with sauted pork, some spagetti, a fried egg on a plate of rice)
esukaroppu エスカロップ escalop



takikomi gohan, takikomigohan たきこみご飯 ・ 炊き込みご飯
mixed rice since a number of ingredients are added in the rice.
source :  http://japanesefood.about.com / Recipe
Reis gekocht mit weiteren Zutaten



. taue meshi 田植飯(たうえめし)rice eaten during rice planting  
usually some nigiri for all the participants, eaten in a hurry to finish the work needed for the day.
tauezakana 田植肴(たうえざかな)side dishes for rice planting
usually a few slices of pickled radish takuan and plums (umeboshi).
kigo for mid-summer




togi-jiru, togijiru とぎじる(研ぎ汁)
water in which rice has been washed
Wasser, in dem Reis oder andere Nahrungsmittel gescheuert worden sind



yuzu gohan ゆず御飯 rice with yuzu citrons at temple Sanpo-ji, Kyoto



zakkoku mai, ざっこく(雑穀) rice mixed with various cereal grains like buckwheat, millet, whole grains and mixed seeds
(minderwertige) Geteidesorten
Getreidesorten außer Reis und Weizen


zoosui 雑炊 rice gruel, rice soup with ingredients like vegetables and chicken
Reissuppe mit Gemüse. #zosui



The great rice paddle in Miyajima 宮島しゃもじ
shamoji
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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




kiganmai 祈願米 "consecrated rice"
It is first placed in front of the deity in a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple and the priest performs purifying rites with his wand or chants sutras for purification. Later this rice is sold in the shops to bring happiness for the new year, help students pass the examinations and keep people healthy.

Many shrines in Japan perform these rites during the New Year festivities. Click on the photo to see some more.
shoofuku kigan mai 招福祈願米
consecrated rice to bring good luck

The rites were performed for example at Temple Saidai-Ji in Okayama in January 6, 2010.


peanuts are also consecrated in this way.
shoofuku kigan mame (kiganmame) 招福祈願豆

Beans are also consecrated for the Setsubun festivities on February 2/3.


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


kome kona, kome no kona こめこな / 米の粉 rice flour
ground rice powder

The group "Food Action Nippon" is promoting the use of this, to increase the food self-sufficiency of Japan.
. . . Reference : FOOD ACTION NIPPON(フードアクションニッポン)
Flour is used for noodles, bread and cakes or mixed with wheat flour.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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

observance kigo for the New Year

hatsu kashigi 初炊ぎ (はつかしぎ) first cooking (of rice)
kashigizome 炊ぎ初(かしぎぞめ)
takizome 炊初(たきぞめ), takizome 焚初(たきぞめ)
wakameshi 若飯(わかめし)first cooked rice

hatsu kamado 初竈 (はつかまど)
first use of the hearth (fire)


Firsts things in the New Year

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


List of RICE PLANT KIGO
in the World Kigo Database


Fields, rice paddies (ta, hatake) Japan

God of the Rice Paddies (田の神 ta no kami) Japan

. . . . . fukidawara 蕗俵(ふきだわら)"butterbur barrels" as an offering to the God of the Fields

kometsuki 米搗き professional grain pounders

Nikkoo Goohan-Shiki 日光強飯式Gohanshiki.
Ceremony of eating large bowls of rice

Pounding Rice (mochi tsuki) Japan, Philippines
..... New Year's Rice Dumplings (toshi no mochi, kagamimochi, zoonimochi) and a few more
..... The Hare/Rabbit in the Moon

Raw fish, sashimi, sushi and .. rice balls (onigiri) Japan

..... Rice plants (ine) Japan. A list of kigo. New rice
(shinmai 新米 (しんまい))

Rice fields(tanbo, tanada) Japan. A list of kigo.

Rice cake offerings for the New Year (kagami mochi) Japan

Rice gruel (kayu) Japan. Porridge, congee in many kigo.

Rice wine (ricewine) sake, Japan Reiswein

Withered rice paddies (karita) Japan

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


25 komebitsu small wood bowl for rice

komebitsu 米びつ container to keep cooked rice for serving


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


CLICK for more photos

meshizaru 飯笊 (めしざる) basket for rice
..... meshikago 飯籠(めしかご)
Mostly of woven bamboo, which has some ability to keep the rice from getting bad in summer.
Before putting the rice in the basket, a towel is spread to prevent the rice grains from getting squeezed in the holes of the basket.
kigo for all summer




- quote
jikirou 食籠 jikiroo, jikiro
A lidded food container,
usually layered and lacquered with decorations of sunken gold *chinkin 沈金, carved lacquer *choushitsu 彫漆, mother-of-pearl inlay *raden 螺鈿, or metal leaf decoration, haku-e 箔絵, or sometimes of plain black lacquer, woven bamboo, or pottery. Round, quadrilateral hexagonal, octagonal and circular flower shapes are common.
Made in Yuan and Ming period China and in the Ryuukyuu 琉球 (now Okinawa prefecture), jikirou have been imported to Japan since the Kamakura period. They were later used as sweets containers at tea ceremonies.
A common type is the juubako 重箱 (tiered food box) usually covered with *makie 蒔絵 and consisting of two, three, five or more tiers to store cooked rice, stewed dished, fish, or raw vegetables separately. In the Edo period juubako were common at picnics, and used with sagejuu 提重 (a picnic box holding various food and beverage containers in a light and compact form). The upper classes had highly decorated lacquer boxes while the lower classes had plain wood or unadorned lacquered grounds.
- source : Jaanus

. kago 籠 / 篭 / かご basket, baskets of all kinds .

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



ohachi-ire 飯櫃入 (おはちいれ) container to keep the rice warm
(word used in Kanto)
hitsuire 櫃入れ(ひついれ)(word used in Kansai)
ohachibuton 飯櫃蒲団(おはちぶとん)quilt to cover it
ohachifugo 飯櫃畚(おはちふご)straw mat to cover it
A container made from straw with a lid. The rice containder with the cooked rice (komebitsu) was put it here to keep the rice warm for the next meal.
kigo for all winter



飯櫃入渋光りとも煤光りとも
ohachi-ire shibuhikari to mo susuhikari to mo

warmer for cooked rice -
shines of incrustations
shines of soot

Takahama Kyoshi 高浜虚子



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


Dishes with mostly rice

Bibimba, Korean rice dish
Koreanisches Reisgericht

Chaahan, fried rice
gebratener Reis, chinesische Art

Chazuke
Schale Reis mit Beilagen und grünem Tee übergossen

Chikin raisu, chicken rice
Huhn auf Reis

Donburi
Schale mit gekochtem Reis und Beilagen

Doria
Reiseintopf mit Fisch oder Hühnerfleisch
Italian food イタリアン料理 Spaghetti, Pizza, Pasta, Doria, Pesto

Gomoku gohan (kayaku gohan)
Reis mit aufgeletem Gemüse und Fischstücken

Hayashi raisu
Haschee auf Reis


Karee raisu, curry rice
Curryreis


Kuppa, Korean rice soup
Koreanische Reissuppe

Makunouchi bentoo
Lunchpaket „zwischen den Akten“

Meshi, gohan, white cooked rice
Weißer Reis

Nattokakegohan
Reis mit fermentierten Natto-Bohnen

Ochazuke
Schale Reis mit grünem Tee übergossen

Ohagi
Mochireis-Klößchen, mit Anko bedeckt

Okayu, kayu, simple rice soup
Einfache Reissuppe

Okowa
Mochi-Klebreis mit roten Bohnen

Ojiya, thick rice soup
Dicke Reissuppe

Omuraisu, omlet with rice
Omelett mit Reis

Onigiri
Reiskloß, Reisball

Pirafu
Pilaf, gebratener Reis

Takikomigohan, rice cooked with further ingredients
Reis gekocht mit weiteren Zutaten

Tamagokakegohan, rice with a raw egg
„Reis mit rohem Ei“

Zoosui, rice soup with other ingredients
Reissuppe mit weiteren Zutaten

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


SHU 13 rice cooking 051119


cooking rice in Japan

はじめちょろちょろなかぱっぱ 赤子泣いても蓋とるな
hajime choro-choro, naka pappa,
akago naitemo futa toru na

First use low heat, then turn it up in the middle
and never take off the lid even if your baby cries.


Anfangs choro-choro, langsam anheizen bis es Blasen gibt und man das Blubbern hört, dann kräftig weiterkochen, bis das Wasser papp-pa zischt.
Und auf keinen Fall den Deckel abheben, selbst wenn die Kinder vor Hunger weinen.
choro

The first slow heat gives the grains time to soak up water choro-choro. When they are full of water they can be cooked much faster papp-pa. And after cooking, keep it standing for a while (even if the children are hungry).

Auch die Reihenfolge in der Familie beim Reisessen war festgelegt.

Even the order of eating rice in the family was given.
First the children.
Then the menfolk, starting with the eldest.
Next the mother-in-law and other in-law family members.
Finally the daughter in law.


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



梅雨湿りカレーライスを食べにけり
tsuyu shimeri karee raisu o tabe ni keri

humid rainy season ...
I go out to eat some
curry rice


Wakimoto Maki 脇本 眞樹(塾長)
月曜日, 6月 29, 2009
http://333751044.blogspot.com/2009/06/blog-post_3891.html



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



kinako musubi "きな粉むすび" rice balls with bean flour


似合はしや豆の粉飯に桜狩り
niawashi ya mame no ko meshi ni sakura-gari

so fitting -
bean-flour rice balls
while blossom hunting

Tr. Barnhill

Written in 1690 元禄3年
While visiting Iga Ueno.

mame no ko meshi is cooked rice sprinkled with kinako bean powder (kinako meshi きな粉飯), which can be formed to musubi balls. This is simple but nurrishing food for the very poor.
sakura-gari is an expression referring to the elegant cherry blossom parties of the court of the Heian period. The normal word would be hanami.
Here Basho contrasts the simple food with a free enjoyment of blossoms, just right for the haikai friends in Ueno.

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



seri gohan 芹の飯 cooked rice with dropwort


我がためか鶴食み残す芹の飯
waga tame ka tsuru hami-nokosu seri no meshi

just for me -
the crane left over some
rice with dropwort


A disciple from Iga brought this dish to his master.
Ishikawa Senten 石川山店
dates unknown.
He was the younger brother of Ishikawa Hokkon 北鯤.
One of his hokku is in Sarumino.


1683. Basho is reminded of a a line in the poem by the Chinese poet Du Fu (Tu Fu), imagining the rice gruel at a shop in Seidei town. He is also comparing his disciple Senten to a crane, which likes dropwort very much.
Senten spared some of his own rice and gave it to him.


飯には煮る青泥坊底の芹
meshi ni wa niru Seidei bootei no seri

For cooking rice
dropwort picked at the embankment
of Seidei pond are best.


Seidei 青泥 was a town near the capital of Cho-an 長安, China.



is it for me
the crane leaves rice with parsley
for me to eat

Tr. Reichhold



MORE
Hokku about food and rice dishes by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


. Japanese parcely 芹 seri, dropwort .
Oenanthe javanica
kigo for spring

愛汝玉山草堂靜,高秋爽氣相鮮新。
有時自發鐘磬響,落日更見漁樵人。
盤剝白鴉谷口栗,飯煮青泥坊底芹。
何為西莊王給事,柴門空閉鎖松筠。

Poem by Du Fu.

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

NEXT
Types of Japanese Rice .. 米 kome, mai


. WASHOKU
Favorite Rice Dishes from Edo .
 



My photos with RICE !


Traditional Folk Toys : Rice and Rice straw dolls




"Planting rice" Ohno Bakufu (1888-1976)
source : facebook

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

. Fertility rites - praying for a good harvest .


WASHOKU : INGREDIENTS


For more words with RICE as food, check the main
WASHOKU ... Japanese Food SAIJIKI



[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

4/14/2009

Nasu aubergine

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
. nasu 茄子と伝説 Legends about eggplants .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Aubergine, eggplant (nasu)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Various
***** Category: Humanity


*****************************
Explanation

Eggplant, aubergine, is a kigo for haiku.
Eggplant, aubergine (nasu 茄子) Japan

The origin of the Japanese word comes from 中酸実(なかすみ)nakasumi, slightly vinegar taste, and 夏実(なつみ)natsumi, fruit of summer.
Main producing areas are Kochi, Kumamoto and Fukuoka.

Its purple was also a favorite color of the peopole of Edo 江戸庶民のおしゃれ、茄子紺色.


food kigo for late summer

eggplant, nasu 茄子 (なす), nasubi なすび
first eggplant, hatsu nasu 初茄子(はつなす)


pickled eggplants, nasuzuke 茄子漬(なすづけ)
. . . . WASHOKU
nasu karashizuke 茄子辛子漬け with hot mustard
 


soup with eggplants (usually miso soup), nasujiru 茄子汁(なすじる)
grilled eggplants, shigiyaki 鴫焼(しぎやき)
fried or grilled eggplants, yakinasu 焼茄子(やきなす)
... especially for barbeques


egg-shaped or long eggplants, tsuruboso sennari 蔓細千成(つるぼそせんなり)
... orido nasu 折戸茄子(おりどなす)
"really black", shinkuro 真黒(しんくろ)

mountain eggplants, yamanasu 山茄子(やまなす)
"violet stem", heta murasaki 蔕紫(へたむらさき)

long eggplant, naga nasu 長茄子(ながなす)
round eggplant, maru nasu 丸茄子(まるなす)

pouch-shaped eggplant, kinchaku nasu 巾着茄子(きんちゃくなす)

white eggplant, shiro nasu 白茄子(しろなす)

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


April 17 - day of the eggplant
goroawase - numbers sounding like ..
4月17日 yo i na (su) よい茄子 - you guess it,
the day of the good eggplant


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




aonasu, ao-nasu 青なす "green eggplant"
from Saitama 「埼玉青(さいたまあお)なす」
Tokigawa town ときがわ町

This is a regional plant, also called "white eggplant". It has been introduced in the early Meiji period and used for Narazuke pickles, eaten in miso soup or boiled with other vegetables. It had been out of production after the war.

Local people have now helped to plant this aubergine again and bring it to a large size, some even reach one kilogram, the average is 300 gram. The meat is lightly green and crunchy.
The menu in town offers various dishes, even sweet pie and jam, but the traditional dengaku with sweet miso seems the best.
The harvest is from mid-July till beginning of October.


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


mizunasu, mizu nasu 水なす "water-eggplant"
speciality of Senshu district in southern Osaka Prefecture.

They are round and very juicy and have a beautiful shine.
You can even squeeze the liquid out of a freshly harvested plant. The plants stand in water during the rainy season. They can be harvested from July till late in October.

They taste delicious as asazuke, lightly pickled.
But it is also used locally for curry or fry dishes.


CLICK here for PHOTOS !


One longer variety of this eggplant is the

babanasu, baba nasu 馬場なす
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



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


Here we look at some dishes with this plant.

Aemono なすの和えもの with dressing

Agehitashi なすの揚げ浸しfried and soakes as hitashi


Dengaku, 茄子田楽 with miso paste
なすの田舎風しょうゆ煮 and soy sauce
Dengaku 田楽 dance and food Nasu Dengaku


Itame 茄子のカラフル炒め fried with other vegetables

Kajiki かじきとなすの鍋照り fried with kajiki fish

Mabo nasu 麻婆茄子, a kind of mabodofu

Sarada 茄子の和風サラダ Japanese-type salad

Yakinasu 焼きなす fried

kik, toga
*****************************
Worldwide use


*****************************
Things found on the way



*****************************
HAIKU


めずらしや山を出羽の初なすび
mezurashi ya yama o Dewa no hatsu nasubi

how wonderful and extraordinary !
coming out of the sacred Dewa mountains
to these first eggplants


"After we confined ourself in Haguro-Sanzan Shrine to pray for seven days,we have come down to Tsuruoka Town. Then we are given a warm welcome at Nagayama Juko's residence. How delicious the new egg plants are at the dinner."

Matsuo Basho at Sakata

Minden Nasu 民田なす Eggplant from Yamagata
WASHOKU



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


Matsuo Basho in May of the year Genroku 7 (1694), on his last trip to Kansai.

'Owing to the heavy rains of May, the Ooi River was swollen so that I had to
wait at Shimada staying with Joshuu 如舟 and Jochiku 如竹.'

苣はまだ青葉ながらに茄子汁
chisa wa mada aoba nagara ni nasubi-jiru

the lettuce
leaves are just as green
eggplant soup

Tr. Reichhold


Basho was not feeling well at this time and the prolonged stay at the inn might have been a good rest for him.

The chisa lettuce had been introduced from China during the Heian period. Now we can eat it all year round, but in the time of Basho, it was a spring food, and served here out of season, with the early eggplants of summer. Basho expressed his thanks to the host family with this haiku.




More haiku about eggplants
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

*****************************
Related words

***** Eggplant, aubergine (nasu) (Japan)


***** WASHOKU : INGREDIENTS

. nasu 茄子と伝説 Legends about eggplants .
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

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