The Fascinating Evolution of Children`s Day ( Kodomo no Hi) in a year (2010) in which the rain has kept Ibaraki`s awesome CARP STREAMERS ( koi nobori) mostly out of sight
Typical of this rainy April- a carp streamer pole stands tall but lonely, without its majestic carp
Lovers of traditional Japanese culture usually look forward to April in Ibaraki. After the excitement of HANAMI ( Cherry blossom parties) has died down, there are the amazingly extravagant carp streamers ( koi nobori, which are raised up at the homes of families with boys), to be admired, and photographed.
Taking carp streamers of of the rain- near Lake Kasumigaura
This year, however, with its unseasonably rainy ( and snowy!) weather, these beautiful and highly anticipated festive decorations which usually characterize our spring village-scapes, have mostly been kept safe and dry in their boxes.
Well, the rain must stop at some point, right? And when/if it does, before May 5th, you are sure to see Ibaraki`s abundant and very large and colorful koi nobori waving proudly against the blue sky. It is quite a spectacle!
Let me tell you a little about how this, and other customs related to what is now called Children`s Day ( Kodomo no Hi) have evolved.
Carp streamers ( koi nobori) above nanohana and peach blossoms ( Koga, Ibaraki)
When looking into the origins of various elements of Japanese culture, one often finds dual or multiple roots. Even beginning students of The Japanese language are confronted with this fact as they soon learn that there are two or more ways of reading kanji characters. There are even two ways of counting, the more purely Japanese way- hitotsu, futatsu, mitsu… and then the one based on the Chinese, ichi, ni, san.
It is especially interesting to keep this in mind when discussing Japan’s calendar of traditional annual events.This month’s standout special day is Children’s Day (子供の日, kodomo no hi) which has come to involve a fantastic array of festive decorations and foods. Most notably, there are the carp streamers (鯉のぼり), which can be seen proudly flapping in the wind (in this part of Japan, we are lucky to be able to see especially large and elaborate ones) or displayed at shops and shrines. Inside people’s homes, or at restaurants and hotels we can see the armor or warrior dolls (Go-gatsu ningyo) which have been put on display.
Carp Streamers (koi Nobori)near Lake Kasumigaura
Now, much less commonly, you can see a plant called shobu (菖蒲, this is a relative of the yam and NOT the iris – the flower whose name has the same pronunciation and the same Kanji character!) ) on sale for use in the bath, and even more rarely in this part of Japan (though you can still sometimes see it), placed on roofs, along with some mugwort (蓬,yomogi). At wagashiya (Japanese sweet shops) and convenience stores, kashiwamochi and chimaki
are on sale, as the special sweets of the season.
What does all this have to do with Children’s Day?
First let me say something about Japanese festive days in general. Certain days were recognized by the ancient Chinese as being pivotal seasonal markers. These came to be known as sekku (節句)
when adopted by the Japanese. To mark the seasonal changes, each sekku involved eating certain foods and displaying certain decorations. In those times the significance of these was usually one of keeping away bad luck or ritual protection.
The major sekku which are still widely celebrated in Japan are:
January 7: Nanakusa (seven herbs) no Sekku
March 3: Momo (peach) no Sekku
May 5: Tango no Sekku, or Shobu (calamis) no Sekku
July 7: Tanabata
September 9: Kiku (chrysanthemum) no Sekku
(It is interesting to note that the Chinese, and subsequently the Japane are fond of ODD NUMBERED days and months)
It now being May, this month’s festive day is of course, Tango no Sekku, which is now known as the national holiday, Children’s Day. However, since this day has been recognized as being special since ancient times, there have been many meanings connected to it which have changed over the generations.
If you ask a Japanese friend about the significance of Children’s Day, they will explain that it is a day to celebrate boys and for families with boys to pray for their healthy growth and success. This goes in tandem with March’s Momo no Sekku which is a celebration of girls. They will also explain that carp streamers symbolize strength and perseverance.
The story of Tango no Sekku, however, is much more complicated than this and its history and the origin of its customs are now unfamiliar even to most Japanese. In ancient Japan (and still today), this is the season for planting rice. To pray for abundant crops and fertility in general and remove impurities from the village young women (早乙女, saotome) would spend a day isolated in a special women’s huts called onna no ie (女の家). This hut would be covered with irises and mugwort, which in ancient China were believed to have purifying powers (because of their strong smells). Remnant features of this ancient practice can be seen surviving in the Heisanbo Festival held each May 5th at a small Kashima Shrine in Dejima, on the shore of Lake Kasumigaura.
In the Nara Period (710-794), the Japanese would decorate themselves with garlands of shobu and later in the Heian Period it was common (and still is) to decorate homes with these protective plants. At this time tall poles would also be set up by rice fields to welcome the God of Fertility.
This photo shows shobu (calamis) stems and mugwort (yomogi) on the roof of one of the old samurai residences which are open to the public, in Sakura City, Chiba.
Later when Japan came under military rule, the Japanese name for the plant shobu, came to held significant for its homonym, 尚武, shobu, which means reverence for martial arts. Thus, shobu has remained a part of Tango no Sekku throughout the generations and many Japanese still use it in their baths on this day for driving away evil and fortifying the body. It is surprising that most Japanese today confuse the traditional shobu with HANA SHOBU, which are irises. These extremely beautiful puple flowers can often be seen as INCORRECT sympols of Tango no Sekku at shops, etc.
It was during the years of military rule that Tango no Sekku came to be associated with boys. One possible explanation for this can be that it had originally been a day to isolate women, and that left the boys to be celebrated!
Kashiwa mochi with the leaf unwrapped
Kashiwamochi is a pounded rice cake wrapped in the leaf of a Japanese oak. Eating this sweet in this season is an original Japanese custom and signifies the connection between generations, as these trees don’t lose their leaves until fresh leaves appear!
Kashiwa mochi
Eating chimaki, a conically shaped paste wrapped tightly in leaves, is a custom which originates in China. May 5th in China, is the memorial day of the great poet scholar Qu Yuan (屈原, read Kutsugen in Japanese) who was famed for his loyalty. On the 5th day of the 5th month, men would throw offerings into rivers (he drowned in one)
in his honor. At one point, many men at different locations dreamed that it would be better to wrap these offerings in purifying leaves. This became standard practice, and is now common today in Japan.
Raising carp streamers probably is a continuation of the native practice of setting up poles near the rice fields to welcome the rice god. Since Tango no Sekku came to be a day of celebrating boys, Japanese in the Edo Period (1600-1868) adopted the carp as a symbol of success. This is because of the ancient Chinese story of the carp struggling upriver and transforming into a dragon.
Another interesting reason for the samurai to have admired carp was the fact that this powerful fish, struggles desperately when caught, but when placed on the cutting board, it resigns itself to its fate, and dies with what the Japanese warrior class thought to be DIGNITY.
This custom spread throughout Japan and can especially be enjoyed in Ibaraki where farmers often display fantastic and very expensive koi nobori sets to celebrate their male offspring. For those who live in smaller abodes there are appropriately-sized streamers and even tiny origami or cloth carp.
Finally, there are the dolls and armour which are displayed. Grandparents often spend thousands of dollars on a display for their grandsons, though if you want some dolls for yourself you can get the
same exact dolls for a song at second hand shops (since many Japanese would not buy or are even afraid of used dolls!). These dolls became popular in the late Edo Period as emulating the Samurai class was all the rage for the merchants and then farmers. These dolls and armour are displayed to pray for boys success and health and can be found in a myriad of forms.
A Tsukuba Spring- Carp streamers and the HII rocket at the Expo Center
After the war, since the day had been associated with warriors, the name was changed to the more egalitarian Chidren’s Day, though girls and boys are still actually celebrated separately.
There are many other, more obscure decorations for this season, but I have written too much already, so go search them out for yourselves.
for an interesting way to spend Childrens Day, see my article-
http://blog.alientimes.org/2008/05/up-in-arms/
or head out to the curious and very rustic Heisanbo Festival -
http://hpcgi2.nifty.com/tradevents/wiki.cgi?p=HeisanboFestival
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Praying Mantis Egg Cases Almost Ready To Release Their Loads
Praying Mantis Egg Case in a field in Konda, Tsukuba 2010
In Tsukuba`s wild open fields of April, many of last years reeds, stalks and grasses still stand tall, though many are leaning at acute angles or have toppled over altogether . No matter what their posture might be, these dried out plants have long turned straw color, gray or dark brown.
When my dog and I set out across these areas on our twice daily walks, it is difficult to negotiate our way through unless we stick to the intricate network of well-worn trails which have been created by the small mammals (rabbit, weasel, tanuki, etc) and ground birds ( pheasants and partridges) which live there. (This always gets me to thinking about how conservative all creatures are, always sticking to the usual paths and patterns. Not only in movement, but in thought and language, as well.)
My dog trapped among the dried out vegetation
With all of the dead vegetation spread over these areas, the freshly sprouting new greenery must push its way out from under. When I stand still (or sit ) for a while in the midst of this, I can distinctly hear the creaking and crackling of this growth.
Baby Mantisses Emerging
One thing I cant help but notice on these walks among the dull colored brush is the abundance of praying mantis egg cases ( kamakiri no ran no, 蟷螂の卵のう), which are stuck like brown tumorous growths at various points up the dried out reeds ( in the snowy parts of Japan it is believed that the height at which these egg cases are set in autumn will predict the amount of snow which will fall in the coming winter). They literally line the paths along which we walk.
Young Mantisses
The female praying mantis emits a dab of foam at an appropriate place and then lays her eggs in it. This then hardens to become the case which will protect the eggs until the larvae are ready to emerge sometime in May or June.There are hundreds of babies in each case, though only a handful from each case will survive to adulthood ( that is why there are so many cases around!).
Since I dont use pesticides in my garden, I always break off a few reeds with the egg cases on them and brink them home. There I hope the mantises will eat plenty of bugs. Its also exciting to witness ( when Im lucky) the babies emerging.
I must say, however, that actually seeing the mantises feeding , with their strong scissor- like arms firmly grasping their prey, and their tiny mouths slowly munching it to death is a gruesome, haunting sight.
In many parts of Japan it was traditionally believed that praying mantises could help get rid of moles and other unwanted skin growths. It was not that the insects arms were actually used to slice away at the flesh, but it was a symbolic application to the afflicted spot which people believed would help make the problem spots disappear.
Trail blazed by small mammals in a field in Konda, Tsukuba
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Kanto Plain Is Transformed Into The Mongolian Steppes (again) For Festival
A Mongolian Ger set up in Tsukuba`s Central Park
Tsukuba is located on The Kanto Plain, the largest expanse of flat land in this mountainous country of Japan.Though at just 15,000 sq km (5,790 sq m ), it seems but a mere TUFT OF TURF when compared with the vastness of the Asian Steppes, what better place is there for Japan`s resident Mongolians to hold a festival celebrating their traditional culture. Sitting on the lawn of Tsukuba`s Central Park (Chuo Koen), this past Saturday or Sunday morning, with traditional tents (gers) being set up by costume clad Mongolians,the smell of barbeque and butter tea, and the sounds of the horse-headed-fiddle (morin huur) and throat singing (homi)blaring on the loudspeaker , one might have even imagined (with great stretch of the imagination) that they had been transported to the Mongolian grasslands, where people still live the nomadic life.
If you stayed for a while you could have also watched or even participated in the activities that the Mongols have traditionally liked best (and been VERY good at), namely- shooting arrows, wrestling and riding horses (these they were so good at that they they were able to conquer and control much of the area between Japan and Germany in the 13th century!).
Besides enjoying the festivities, the glorious weather, and the company of old and fresh acquaintance, this event could not help but set one to thinking, not only about the history and culture of Mongolia, but also of the great impact that that country has had on East Asia and regions beyond.
First, there was the sound of the Mongolian language itself, which completely unlike the tonal Chinese, could be mistaken by an overhearer as being Korean or even Japanese. This is because the ancestors of todays Mongolians, carried the grammatical fundamentals of their language with them as they spread out far to the east and west on horseback, leaving their linguistic seeds wherever they went. In some places, especially across a horizontal axis which runs across northern Eurasia, these kernals have bloomed into modern languages including among others Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian , Turkish, Kazakh, Tatar, Uzbek, Uyger, Korean and Japanese. When the KIBA MONZOKU(tribe of horsemen), so often referred to in theories on the origins of the Japanese people arrived and settled in the Japanese archipelago, they brought with them these same seeds, which eventually overwhelmed all over languages spoken by the original inhabitants of these islands. Over the centuries this fundamental grammar took on some of the vocabulary of these other languages and was of course deeply impacted by Chinese and other factors. Still, the languages of today`s Japan and Mongolia, though now mutually incomprehensible, share common roots.
Because of completely different environments, and exposure to different influences, Mongolia and Japan have naturally developed completely different cultures(the most important being that Japanese culture had long been centered around rice production while in the inhospitable climes of the steppes there was veritably NO AGRICULTURE!) Still there are some shared characterics and cultural artifacts which can be seen TODAY attesting to these shared roots. Because discussing these in detail would result in a book- length work, here I will only mention one point specifically brought to mind by last weekend`s festival.
Mongolians enjoying the festivities
One could not help being struck by the uncanny similarity between the Mongol style of wrestling and Japanese sumo. Especially the way the men prepped themselves by slapping their legs and stomping the ground, and also by the way that their names were chanted out before the bouts began. It seemed clear to me that in ancient times this sport had been introduced to Japan by the ancestors of the Mongols or related tribesmen, the above mentioned KIBA MINZOKU (Tribe of Horsemen), who eventually dominated Japan while blending in at the same . It was rivetting for me to see how, this particular activity, wrestling, had survived all the changes over the centuries of Japanese cultural development. Thinking about this, it seemed only natural that todays greatest sumo champion, is also the worlds most famous Mongolian- Asashoryu. One outstanding point of difference (among many), between todays sumo and Mongolian wrestling is that in Mongolia, when about is finished, the loser bends over, and is given a slap on the butt ( a patsh in the tush, as we say in NY), by the winner!
And now for a few thoughts on how the Mongols have influenced the world that came to my head while at the festival. While observing the archery, I watched with interest how reverently each of the Mongolians would treat the bow and arrow( the ones used in Tsukuba were in fact mere toy versions of the traditional weapon), usually touching them to their forehead. It was with their skill with the bow and arrow,and the special ring-trigger they developed which let their arrows fly farther than any other armies, that along with their cavalry techniques made the Mongols invicible (if they had reached the Brittish Isles, though, they would have had to confront the English long-bows and who knows what would have happened).
The terror aroused by these fearsome and virtually unstoppable warriors left an imprint which can still be seen today in many forms. The most impressive of these of course is The Great Wall of China, the worlds greatest construction project ever, which was undertaken in order to (unsuccessfully) keep the ancestors of the present Mongolians out of China. Whenever you go to a convenience store in Japan, you will be confronted with another expression of the ancient fear of the Mongols passed down through the generations- the NIKU-MAN, or steam bun. These were developed by the Chinese as a symbolic way of eating or insulting their enemy- as these buns have the same shape as the Mongolian tents, the ger (pao in Chinese, the same word they use for the buns), much in the same way that for the Europeans the croissant symbolized the Turkish flag, which when eaten would be an insult to that feared foe (also liguistically related to the Mongols, and actually driven out of their ancient homeland and onto the road of European conquest by the Mongols)- The Turks.
As I mentioned earlier, at its zenith, the Mongol armies extended from Korea to Poland. I have always felt that the countries at the edges of this devastated territory, the two countries who for decades fearfully awaited the next dreaded attack, Germany looking to the east, and Japan looking to the continent in the west, had been traumatized by this experience, and developed SPECIAL xenophobic attitudes, which were expressed most dramatically in the mid-20th century, especially in regard to the countries out of which centuries ago they expected a Mongol attack to come from.
Germany had been spared because of the death of Ogedei ( Genghis Khans son), and the sudden (and for the Western Europeans puzzling) retreat of the Mongol armies. The Japanese, however, were actually attacked twice (in 1274 and 1281), and were only able to fight off the invading armies with the help of typhoons, which came to be known as the KAMIKAZE, the DIVINE WIND, which was after that, considered to be the protector of they felt to be a unique nation (unique in that they were not devasted by the Mongols ,as the Koreans and Chinese, before their defeats and occupation, greatly respected by the Japanese elite, had been).
Another important point for Japan is that as China was under attack, some of the great continental minds and talents were lucky enough to make their escape to Japan where they could contribute greatly to the development of Japanese culture (after they were Japanized, of course). Enough of these musings ! Thanks to all the warm hearted and friendly people who produced the festival- it was lots of fun, and very STIMULATING! Next time you munch into a NIKU-MAN, remember what you are symbollically doing!
Niku-Man ( steamed buns) a common snack in Japan derive their shape from the Mongolian Ger!
This is a reprint of my report on the festival last year. The same event was held in Tsukuba`s Central Park today
Recently I have been to the Edo-Tokyo Museum for the exhibition of Mongolian treasures and have also seen a Haniwa
(terracotta figurine) excavated at an archaeological site in Tsukuba which gave me some more thought on the Japan-Mongolia connection. I will post them some time this week!
This Terra-cota Figurine ( haniwa) unearthed in Tsukuba with what appears to be a hawk on its head, reminded me of one of the more famous Hawk-headed marauding horsemen from the Central Asia- Attila The Hun
A gold crown topped with a hawk. Part of the Mongolian Teasures exihition recently held in Japan. Just another something, with its similarity to the haniwa shown above, which suggests to me a connection between Mongolia and ancient Japan.
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Tara No Me ( タラの芽), the King of Wild Vegetables, Growing Right Under My Nose All these Years!
Tara no me growing next to my house in Tsukuba ( note Mt Tsukuba in the background)
Once surely an essential part of the struggle for survival and later important for supplemental nutrition, the gathering of, preparation, and especially the EATING of SANSAI (山菜), wild vegetables, is still a popular way for the Japanese to enjoy a sense of the season, whichever one it may be! In fact, the demand for seasonal SANSAI has led to many of them being cultivated by farmers, and subsequently their easy availability at supermarkets ( these are still referred to as wild veggies, however!)
Despite the fact that Tsukuba`s wild green spaces have been disappearing at a frightening rate, it is still a great place to hunt for wild vegetable, and you will often spot people in cloth gloves ( gunte) and sun hats, carrying scissors and plastic bags ( in Japan people always wear the appropriate UNIFORM, and it is easy to tell what they are up to by what they are wearing!), on their hands and knees closely scrutinizing the ground off in the middle of a wild field. For many, this has become a seasonal ritual, with each person having their own favorite SANSAI.
Last week, my old acquaintance Miura-San gave me a lift back home after a morning spent in Tsuchiura. Now I have long known that he was a master of AIKIDO, but until we pulled into my drive-way I had been unaware of the fact that he was a connoisseur of SANSAI ! Even before he had come to a complete stop he was already excitedly opening his door exclaiming- TARA NO ME ! He then proceeded to rush into the untended field adjacent to my house, and break what looked like fresh sprouts off of a group of tall, sad looking , thorny wooden stalks.
These, he exclaimed, were the KING OF SANSAI, delicious when fried as tempura. With a bunch of these now in hand, he got back in his car, and backed out, waving good-bye, with a huge, happy grin on his face.
When he was gone, I examined the plant he had found more closely. It was in fact a cluster of stalks, each about two meters high and covered with thorns. I realized that though Miura-San had been all excited about discovering this untapped FIND and going home and coking them up, he had, out of consideration for the Tara Tree ( in English- the Japanese Angelica Tree, scientific name- Aralia elata), taken only the TOP SPROUTS ( ICHI NO ME, 一の芽), and leaving the ones on the side. Taking more than that would kill te tree.
For this reason, I couldnt take any for myself this spring, thought I do look forward to samling the fresh sprouts next year.
Tara no Me ready to be made into tempura ( photo by Kaori Kakuta)
For those of you who would like to sample some TARA NO ME for yourselves in spring, head over to the supermarket or food section of a department store ( in Japan, of course!) and ask : TARA NO ME NO TEMPURA ARIMASU KA?
Many Japanese style restauants, including those that specialize in soba noodles, will serve tara no me tempura inthis season.
As you can imagine, besides making them into tempura, SANSAI lovers prepare them for eating in a variety of ways.
And as for me not knowing that the KING OF WILD VEGETABLES was growing just beside my house, I have to admit that Im a bit embarrassed.
It just goes to show you that the things that are most difficult to notice are often RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE ( in Japanese TODAI MOTO KURASHI )
You can bet I will studying up on my SANSAI identification this week.
Voila! Tara no me tempura
And for anyone interested, the TenGooz, a band which has long taken advantage of the amazing pool of foreign musical talent that has passed through Tsukuba over the years, has come out with a new abum which you can listen/ download for free.
Go to:
http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/65790
Enjoy the music with your TARA NO ME !
A full grown TARA NO KI tree ( Japanese Angelica)
You might even find TARA NO ME in stores. I found this pack at a green grocers in Tsukuba for 275 Yen!
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Japan Turns Yellow, As Nanohana (Rapeseed Flowers) Take Over The Spring Landscape ( revisited )
A field of Nanohana by the shores of Lake Kasumigaura
The cherry blossoms might be Japan`s most famous flower of spring (or ANY season for that matter), but alas, in any particular part of Japan, the pulsating, pink, cloud-like canopy that they create usually lasts for just a few days. As the delicate petals start to fall away, filling us with a deep sense of MUJO (無常), the passing nature of all things, the ground does remain a scattered pink for another day or two. But it is at this time that the true color of Japanese spring begins to set in and then completely dominate the rural scenery. I am talking about the wavy yellow carpets of nanohana (菜の花) which take over the riverbanks, roadsides, vegetable field borders and just about any other undeveloped open space.When looked at from a distance, the clusters of little flowers blooming on the tall and slender stems can create a dreamlike scene, especially when they stretch to the horizon filling the air with their pasty, intoxicating scent.
The Japanese have long used nanohana as a food. Archaeological evidence shows that certain nanohana were eaten in the Yayoi period (330BC-300AD), and other species are mentioned in the earlest of Japanese writings (The Kojiki and The Manyoshu) If you are invited to a Japanese home in spring you might very well be served them in the form of OHITASHI ( the leaves , stems and flowers boiled and then flavored with with soy sauce), or my favorite- KARASHIAE (the same, but with some hot mustard added).
Nanohana no Karashiae- Delish! It was in the Edo Period (1600-1868), however, that nanohana (also called ABURANA) really came into their own as new techniques were devised for extracting oil (canola oil) from their seeds. This is called NATANE NO ABURA in Japanese, and it is still used for cooking. What made it so important in past ages, though,was that it was the main fuel used for lights and lanterns ( before that fish oil and sesame oil were used). You might also be surprised to learn that the oil from these same flowers can be used to run deisel engines!
It was probably because the oil made from the nanohana was used to LIGHT UP Edo (Tokyo), that the great Haiku poet Buson (1716-1783) wrote this, one of the most famous of all Haikus- Nanohana ya Tsuki wa higashi ni Hi wa nishi ni (Nanohana-with the moon in the east and the sun in the west!), in which the flowers which provided the fuel for artificial illumination stand between the day and night as the sun is about to set on a spring day. It is also probably because of this poem that the Japanese often associate the beauty of nanohana with dusk.
Another interesting tidbit which I remember when thinking about nanohana, is that these flowers are offered at the grave of the most famous of all Tea Masters and man of impeccible taste- Sen-no-Rikyu(1522-1591), on his memorial day, April 21. This is because the banks of the Yodo River were lines with them as he composed his final reminiscences, as a boat carried him to the spot where he was to commit ritual suicide (under the orders of Toyotomo Hideyoshi).
Nanohana for dinner-Tsukuba 2010
There are several varieties of plant which are referred to as nanohana, and if you see a field of them you might want to ask the farmer if they are for eating or for oil, or which vegetable they are (cale, broccolli, mustardseed etc…).
Stopping to smell the nanohana in Konda, Tsukuba 2010
Even when writing in ENGLISH I prefer to use the Japanese word nanohana over the off-putting rape blossom.There is NO connection, however, between these flowers and violence against women in either English or Western culture. It is just that the latin word for turnip is rapus, and the nanohana is a member of the same family. Thus rape blossom means the turnip flower, and to tell the truth that does not have a very nice ring to it either!
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