Mochi-tsuki
Mochi-tsuki is the pounding of steaming hot rice to make rice cakes for special occasions such as New Year celebration. Although ready-made rice cakes are easily available nowadays, Mochi-tsuki remains a year-end event that draws a crowd and gets you into the festive spirit. Using a large wooden pestle in the shape of a hammer, men pound the steaming hot mochi-rice in a mortar while steam comes at their face and sweat off their body. It is very tiring work. Children also participate using a smaller pestle which is almost as heavy as they are, Meanwhile, women skillfully turn and knead the steaming rice in the mortar between the pounding strokes. The shouting of “yoisho” by all participants during mochi-tsuki can be heard from afar. After finishing the pounding, the women shape the dough into round, disk-like cakes while it is still hot. This is a difficult task because the dough is not only steaming hot but also very sticky, and there is a large amount of it. Freshly pounded mochi is soft with a smooth, chewy and stretchy texture, and of course very delicious. These round mochi cakes are then dried and preserved for making New Year cakes. Getting the whole family and neighborhood involved to work as a team is the key to having a great Mochi-tsuki event.

 

Kagami-mochi decoration
Kagami-mochi is a New Year cake made by stacking two round rice cakes of different sizes – the smaller one on top of the larger one. They are then decorated with auspicious New Year items and placed in tokonoma, the sacred alcove of the home, as an offering to the New Year Deity. Daidai, a bitter Japanese orange, is also put on top of the Kagami-mochi. Because a daidai never falls from the tree even after it has ripened, it is believed to bring the family a fruitful and prosperous future for generations.

 

Kagami-biraki
Kagami-biraki is a special annual custom to with for peace and strength from the New Year Deity. It takes place on the 11th of January every year when the Kagami-mochi decoration which has been offered to the New Year Deity is taken down from the tokonoma and eaten bu the family. The mochi cake is broken into small pieces using a mallet so they can be easily consumed. They are added to sweet azuki bean soup, shiruko or zenzai and eaten by everyone wishing to have a peaceful, healthy and happy life throughout the year.

 

January 5th, 2019
Edited by: Meguro International Friendship Association (MIFA)