A closer look at why eel (unagi) is commonly eaten in Japan in July- especially on certain days called DOYO-NO-USHI (this year July 21st)- again
Each summer in Japan, usually in mid or late July, you will find that department stores and COMBINIs (convenience stores) have set up special displays and counters for promoting and selling ready- to- eat, steamed and grilled UNAGI (eel). At the same time, banners advertising these succulent, snake-like delicacies, can be seen lining the roads leading to shops and restaurants which specialize in them . Even those who are JAPANESE ILLITERATE can clearly make out what is being touted by these fluttering NOBORI (flags), as the U (う), which is the first syllabic character used to spell UNAGI is printed in a long, exaggerated line (often with a head and a tail), forming the shape of an eel!
A NOBORI advertizing UNAGI (eel)
You may ask what this is all about? Your Japanese friends or acquaintances will probably give you the SIMPLE , STANDARD explanation- that eating nutritious eel helps you beat Japan`s notorious summer heat, and keeps NATSU-BATTE (summer lethargy) at bay. They will also tell you that it is customary to have UNAGI ( usually served on rice and in a distinctive sauce) on a specific day, traditionally said to be the hottest of the year, which is called DOYO NO USHI NO HI (土用の丑の日), and which literally means the Day of The Ox During DOYO ( in 2011 this will be on July 21st).
Now all of this is clearly understandable and perfectly correct. But for those you who would like to delve deeper into the roots and significance of this extremely popular custom ( you can bet that I have MY eel every summer! ), I would like to explain just what DOYO (土用) means, why the Day of The Ox (丑の日) during the DOYO is significant, and then, why it is EEL that has become the most popular TONIC for that day. I will also show you that there are alternative foods for those who have not developed a taste for UNAGI (or its distinctive shape).
Let me begin with the basics. The traditional Japanese calendar consists of 4 perfectly balanced, 90 day seasons, with the official first day of each season falling between the solistices (the longest and shortest days of the year) and the equinoxes ( the two days in the year in which daytime and night-time are equal). Accordingly, the first day of spring (RISHUN, 立春) is half-way between the winter solistice (TO-JI, 冬至) and the spring equinox (shunbun no hi, 春分の日), the first day of summer (RIKKA, 立夏), is between the spring equinox and the summer solistice ( GESHI, 夏至), the first day of autumn (RISHUー, 立秋) between the summer solistice and the autumnal equinox (shubun no hi, 秋分の日), and, likewise, the first day of winter (RITO-, 立冬) lies between the autumnal equinox and the winter solistice. As I have mentioned above, there are 90 days between each of these official seasonal changes.
Doyo (土用), according to the traditional calendar, is the 18 (or 19) day period before EACH seasonal change day. And though, as you now know, there are actually 4 DOYO periods in a year, most contemporary Japanese now associate this expression ONLY with the summer.
To understand the etymology and significance of the term DOYO (土用), which contains the Chinese character DO (土), meaning earth, or soil, we have to look at traditional Chinese Yin Yan (陰陽) Theory and more specifically the concept of the 5 elements (五行) which has had such a great impact on Japanese thought. According to this way of thinking, most things in the world can be associated with either YIN (the passive) or YANG (the active), OR with one of the five elements. These are: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each season, of course, is also associated with one of these elements- spring with wood, summer with fire, autumn with metal, and winter with water. As you can see, there are only four seasons, so what about the fifth element- earth? Well, traditionally this became connected to EACH period of seasonal change. That is why this 18 day period, which comes four times a year, is the earth period. According to these beliefs, one should not engage in any projects which upset the earth (digging a well, etc) during these DOYO periods.
Now that we understand what DOYO means ( and PLEASE remember that I am only giving the scantest explanation of EXTREMELY complex traditional concepts), lets look at what The Day of The Ox is, and why that day is considered to be of special significance.
If you look at a Japanese calendar (even today) you often find that printed on it each day of the year has, in order, one of the TWELVE ANIMALS OF THE CHINESE ZODIAC ( junishi, 十二支), just as each consecutive year has. These animals are- RAT, OX , TIGER , RABBIT , DRAGON , SNAKE , HORSE , SHEEP , MONKEY, ROOSTER, DOG ,and BOAR. The characters used to represent these animals as zodiac sign are DIFFERENT from those we use to represent the actual animals. That is why Day of The Ox, is written 丑の日, with 丑、as cow or ox, and not the more familiar (to basic students of Japanese) character: 牛.
Since Doyo periods are usually 18 days long and there are twelve zodiac signs, it is quite common for a DAY of The Ox (ushi no hi) to occur not only once, but twice within that period (Im not good at math, but you can do the calculations yourself).
The questions remains as to WHY the ox would be of special significance during the summer DOYO. OK. This period has traditionally been the hottest time of the year in Japan. Those of you who have experienced this overwhelming heat and humidity know how it can sap you of all your strength and knock you out of action. The ox is significant in that it can act as a COUNTER-BALANCE to the summer heat ! Here is why. Not only each day and year, but also each month is designated its own zodiac sign. The sixth month of the old calendar ( usually July) is Month of The Sheep (未). Directly on the other side of the year , is the frosty 12th month (usually January). The zodiac animal of this, the coldest of months, is the OX ! In other words, the the cold bearing powers of the ox are called forth for assistance when the year is experiencing its hottest days ! In Ying Yang thinking FINDING THE BALANCE is always important, and the Ox help to level out the sheep!
Now you see why the Ox Days are significant during the summer DOYO. But why has eating eel been so popular on these days? Again, the explanation is not simple.
It seems that there has long been the belief that any food beginning with the syllable U (as in ushi- cow), would bring relief from summers oppressive stranglehold. That is why, to this day, besides Unagi (eel), there are those who eat Udon (wheat noodles), Uri (gourd), or Umeboshi (salted plums), on DOYO NO USHI NO HI. Today, I stopped by at an eel restaurant, and they were serving DOYO UME- plums for DOYO along with their unagi.
The man who is credited with having made eel into THE food to be eaten on DOYO NO USHI NO HI is the polymath Hiraga Gennai (1729-1779), one of the more interesting characters of pre-modern Japan. The story goes like this. An acquintance of Gennai who ran an eel restaurant had fallen on slow times. To help whip up business, the well-known and well- loved inventor, writer and artist wrote up a sign for the shop saying that it was the Day of The Ox During Doyo (and a good time to eat unagi, which begins with a U !) The sign was a big hit (as you can now imagine) and thus was begun, along with Valentine chocolates and Christmas cakes and chickens one of the greatest commercial successes linking a particular product with a special day.
Eating eel DOES make sense though, for the Japanese in summer, since it is HIGHLY NUTRITIOUS. In fact, in Japans oldest collection of poems (The Manyoshu) there are two poems on the theme of eating eel to prevent SUMMER WEIGHT-LOSS, by one of the greatest Japanese poets of all time- OTOMO NO YAKAMOCHI.
Something else to consider is that another obvious choice for a nutritious dish on the Day of The Ox would be BEEF. Pre-modern Japanese , however, did not eat animals with legs (mostly) and thus cows were not eaten (eels, on the other hand, are just about as far as you can get from having legs!).
EATING UNAGI
So, there you have it. This years DOYO NO USHI NO HI is coming up, so while you should have no trouble finding eel at supermarkets, you WILL have trouble getting in the better UNAGI RESTAURANTS ( especially on the the 21st this year).
The most popular way to prepare unagi in the Kanto Area ( which includes Tokyo and Tsukuba as well) is called KABA YAKI ( see photo on top), which is steamed and then grilled eel, basted in a special sauce. It it served on rice in a laquer box ( this is called UNAJU) or in a bowl ( UNADON) and most people sprinkle a special condiment called SANSHO ( Japanese pepper, or Shechuan pepper) on top ( somtimes the sanso has a slight numbing effect on the lips and tongue!)
It is interesting to note that in the Kansai Area ( around Kyoto and Nara) the eel is only grilled and NOT steamed. I cannot tell you how it is prepared that way, as I have never eaten unagi in Kansai!
Another way of preparing eel that I would like to try is SHIRAYAKI- which is eel steamed without the sauce. another friend, who is something of a gourmet has told me that UNATORO is delicious. This is pieces of eel mixed into grated yama imo ( a kind of tuber) poured over rice. Sounds deeeeelish!
Avi Landau
Print This Post
A Deeper Look at Japan`s Shichi-Go-San Celebrations ( which are especially extravagant in Ibaraki Prefecture!)
By Avi Landau
One of the questions you are most frequently asked by Japanese people who you meet for the first time is- HOW OLD ARE YOU? This can be a little disconcerting for you once you get beyond a certain age, but dont let it make you paranoid- its not that you look SO OLD or SO YOUNG- its just that in Japanese culture being aware of other`s ages is extremely important. You could even say that in Japan there is a CULT OF AGE. By this I do not mean one of youth or old age ( though youth IS highly regarded in itself). What I mean is that in Japanese culture, one`s age, no matter what it my be, bears with it great significance.
The foremost reason necessitating being aware of another`s age for the Japanese is to determine who is senior and who is junior, since in this Confucian influenced society this will affect the character of the relationship formed and the form of speech which will be used .
Besides this, in Japanese culture, certain ages represent certain MILESTONES or TURNING POINTS in ones life. These include the many UNLUCKY AGES ( yakudoshi, 厄年), the main ones being ages 42 for men and 33 for women. (interestingly these age related events are mirrored almost perfectly for The dead with memorial services on the 1st ,3rd, 7th, 13th 33rd etc. year anniversaries).
Most of these special ages, however, beginning with a baby`s official naming on the 7th day after birth, are happy occassions, culminating in the special longevity celebrations held at 60, 70, 77,80,88,90,99 and 100 years.
Since it is now November, today I would to discuss one of Japan`s most popular, and probably, with its minions of adorable kimono clad kids being escorted to atmospheric shrines by beaming parents and grandparents, its most photo-friendly rite of passage event- SHICHI-GO-SAN ( 七五三), literally the 3-5-7 celebration.
Today, this event is typically celebrated by families with 3 year old or seven year old girls and five year old boys. These families buy or rent FESTIVE WEAR ( HARE-GI- 晴れ着), traditionally meaning Japanese style kimono( though you will often find boys in suits), going to the photographers studio for commemorative portraits ( often in different styles of dress) and then visiting a shrine to pray for the childs growth and health. The child will also usually carry a bag of special candy called CHITOSE AME ( 千歳飴- thousand year candy), beautifully decorated with symbols of long life- cranes, turtles, pine, bamboo and plum as well as auspcious chinese characters.
Optimally this should take place on the 15th of November, though anytime in November is appropriate ( however, I HAVE heard that before the 15th is better than after)
In Ibaraki Prefecture ( yes, it seems that it is true ONLY here), the event is often celebrated with much more extravagance- especially by families from traditional hamlets. After, visiting the shrine, relatives and friends are invited for a reception at a restaurant or even a fancy hotel. Emcees and photographers are invited, speeches are made. It is not very differentt from a wedding.
I have even heard that when children celebrate a shichi-go-san, their family changes the tatamis and shoji doors ( which is also a custom for weddings).
Now just what is the origin of these customs? Well, as is the rule with Japanese culture, the sources are diverse and the evolution intriguing.
As I have often mentioned in relation to Japanese festivals, ODD NUMBERS are considered auspicious ( this concept was introduced in the 6th century from China). Thus, the Doll Festival is on March 3rd ( 3/3), Childrens Day May 5th (5/5), Tanabata July 7th ( 7/7), etc.
It is thus understandable why the aristocrats of the Heian Period ( and subsequent generations of Japanese)would hold rite of passage ceremonies for their children on ODD NUMBERED years.
Another important concept behind the 7-5-3 ceremony is the fact that the Japanese did not consider children to be full members of the community until they were seven years old. By this I mean that children were not registered as part of the population ( in the NINBETSU-CHO), until they were seven. Those who died before that age were not given the usual funeral or buried in their family graves.
Thus attaining the age of 7 signified becoming a member of the community and of becoming a full-fledged PERSON.
Still, in the years from the Heian Period (794-1185) to the end Edo Period (1600-1868), there was no standardized SHICHI-GO-SAN, as we know it today. The noble and samurai families DID have special ceremonies for 3 year old children ( KAMI-OKI) after which their hair was allowed to grow out instead of being shaved. Five year old boys had a ceremony for wearing their first HAKAMA ( special trousers) called HAKAMA-GI. And then for seven year old girls there was the ceremony for tying their first OBI sash, called the Obi-toki.
These ceremonies DID NOT necessarily take place specifically in November.
As I have written many times before, the Japanese populace always admired the higher classes and aspired to their ways. Thus, during the Edo period and the growth of a prosperous and thriving merchant culture, these customs were taken on by the townspeople and farmers as shrines , kimono makers , and sweets makers all promoted this event. It was a huge hit and had a huge commercial impact, hinting at things to come with Valentines Day and Christmas in contemporary Japan.
Just why Shichi-Go-San came to be celebrated in November, and especially on November 15th, remains unclear. Some it is because that was the celebration day of one of the children of the Tokugawa Family, ( which ruled during the Edo Period). Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, to be specific
Anyway, being just after harvest season, it is a perfect time for rural Japanese to celebrate their childrens growth and health in style.
And to make everything I have written about above even MORE CONFUSING!
Traditionally, the Japanese considered chidren to be 1 year old at the time of birth. Even today when considering celebrating the various special age events, many Japanese decide to do so on the KAZOE DOSHI ( meaning the tradiotional way of calculating age). That means that many people that celebrate SHICHI-GO-SAN when their children are either 6, 4, or 2 ! Or celebrate their BEI JU ( for 88 year-olds) when they are in fact 87. With the westernization of all things advancing at a steady pace, however, more and more people are celebrating these events according to their MAN doshi ( which is how westerners have calculated age: 0 at birth).
Good places to see families dressed up for Shichi-Go-San in Tsukuba are the Mt Tsukuba Shrine and the Izumi Kosodate Kannon, near Hojo.
Print This Post
A Deeper Look at O-Sechi (お節)- Japan`s Special New Year`s Dishes (which are served cold)
In a recent TsukuBlog article about O-Shogatsu ( お正月) the Japanese New Year Festival, I mentioned that I would like to write more about Osechi (御節), the variety of special, slow to spoil and symbolically significant dishes, packed into a box or set of stacked boxes, which are eaten over the 3-day New Year`s holiday period. I instead added a link to a site online ( wikipedia) which I said would provide adequate information in English. Later , I re-read the article that I had recommended and found it unsatisfying in terms of what I would have wanted to communicate about this most important ( along with O-Mochi- pounded rice cakes) of all Japanese festive foods . So now, after my own Osechi boxes have already been picked clean, I will try to give a fuller picture of this important custom which is so revealing in terms of traditional Japanese culture in general.
First let`s look at the origin of the term Osechi ( 御節), which an abbreviation of Osechiku (御節供), literally meaning Offerings for Days of Seasonal Change. Traditionally, besides New Year`s, five special seasonal change days (originally brought over from China) were celebrated in Japan. These are all linked to the fact that according to Chinese thought, ODD NUMBERS are auspicious. Thus we have:
O-shogatsu ( the New Year) on the first day of the first month ( 1/1)
Jinjitsu no Sekku ( 人日の節句) on the seventh day of the first month (1/7)
Joshi no Sekku ( 上巳の節句 ) on the third day of the third month ( 3/3)
Tango no Sekku ( 端午の節句) on the fifth day of the fifth month (5/5)
Shichiseki (七夕) on the seventh day of the seventh month (7/7)
and Choyo no Sekku (重陽の節句) on the 9th day of the ninth month
on which special foods were given as offerings to the gods. These Sechiku (offerings) were later eaten by the family or group that presented them.
Since the first day of the first month was, and still is, the most important of these seasonal change days, the term Osechi is now used ONLY to refer to the special dishes of New Year`s.
(the other seasonal change days ( sekku) are still recognized in Japan to varying degrees and have their OWN special dishes which have evolved over the generations. The fifth day of the fifth month is even a national holiday ( Childrens Day), while 3/3 is the popular Doll Festival ( Hina Matsuri) and 7/7 , the Tanabata star Festival. Interestingly, 9/9, the most important of the sekku for the ancient Chinese, besides New Years Day ( because nine is the largest ODD number), did not become truly popular in Japan because in the Japanese language the pronounciation of the number nine -KU-can also mean to suffer.)
Each of the separate dishes which make up what is now called Osechi ( and there can be dozens) are meant to symbolically represent ( through similarities of sound or shape etc) a good harvest, long healthy life, the success of ones descendants and conjure up other positive, auspicious images for the future.
Osechi dishes also usually include representative foods from the mountain and foods from the sea, as well as foods which are cooked in various styles( grilling,boiling, etc.), and different tastes ( sweet, sour, salty).
As with Japanese cooking in general, they also show deep consideration for healthfulness with a good balance of vegetables and protein.
The other characteristic of Osechi dishes, is that they must keep for at least three days and can be eaten as they are, that is, without heating up- because over the New Year`s holiday there was NO cooking, traditionally.
Of course, there are variations in, how many, and what dishes comprise the Osechi from family to family , so it goes without saying that their can be great regional variation.
GOMAME In the Kanto Area ( around Tokyo), there are 3 dishes which are considered essential ( iwai sakana sanshu- 祝い肴三種), which are- GOMAME ( boiled and dried sardines, also called TAZUKURI), KUROMAME (黒豆)- boiled black beans, and KAZU NO KO ( 数の子)- herring eggs.
Kazu no ko ( herring roe) In Kansai ( around Kyoto and Osaka), the GOMAME, while probably included somewhere in the Osechi, in not considered to be one of the essential three. Instead there is TATAKI GOBO (burdock root boiled in Soy sauce) which is considered a MUST ( the other two are the same).
Traditionally these dishes are packed into a set of stacked laquered boxes, four tiers high ( though now 2 or three tiers is the norm and these are often of cheaper material). This makes for convenient serving.
Besides this utilitarian aspect, all the dishes, with their celebratory colors, packed into these small boxes makes a feast for the eyes ( some would say that it is more beautiful than delicious!) and is also symbolic of how the millions of residents of this mountainous island nation have lived cramped together, yet in harmony.
kuromame As I mentioned before there is no ONE set way of packing or stacking these boxes but here is a typical way:
The first tier ( ICHI NO JU 一の重) would have the essentials- the KUROMAME ( representing HARD WORK, DILIGENCE and health- because MAME means beans, diligence , energy and health. Their black color bearing the power to drive away bad energies), the Kazu no ko ( herring roe) which represents many descendants ( there are made up of countless eggs) and health of parents ( NISHIN, herring, is a homophone for NISHIN 二親- two parents), and the GOMAME fish, which represent a good harvest ( sardines would traditionally be used to fertilize the rice fields).Date Maki-伊達巻, an egg and fish paste roll shaped to form a swirl were said to have bee a favorite of the great daimyo Date Masamune. Their scroll shaped also can be seen as a celebration of Japan`s traditional literature, which was written and illustrated on scrolls.
The second tier ( NI NO JU 二の重), contains grilled foods and sea foods- yellowtail (BURI- which represents promotion, as this fish has different names in its different growth stages), shrimp ( whose bent back represents achieving old age), Sea bream ( TAI, which for the Japanese conjures up images of omedeTAI- celebration, etc…
The third tier ( SAN NO JU 三の重) contained vinegared dishes
and the fourth tier ( YO NO JU 与の重, please note that the character here 与 is not the standard character for the number 4 ( 四), which could also be read SHI (death), and is thus avoid. This might also be the reason that four tiers are no longer popular) contained boiled dishes including KONBUMAKI ( kelp) which represents happiness ( because the sound of KONBU is similar to that of yoroKOBU- to be glad) and lotus root, whose holes, which can be peered through, represent the looking toward the future, etc…
As I said, the above does NOT represent the rule and will find variations of this arrangement.
(And there are many more dishes that I have not mentioned yet. I will add to this list little by little and promise a more comprehensive list by next O-Shogatsu)
In Japan today many people order their osechi ( each tier costs at least 5,000 Yen and the price can go much higher than that), but many houswives make some of the dishes themselves even if they do order a set.
Each of the dishes can also be bought separately at department stores just before O-shogatsu.
Its fun to sit around the house for three days, noshing now and then out of the osechi trays ( with plenty of SAKE, of course!), enjoying not only the taste and beautiful presentation of the food but also each little tidbit`s symbolic significance.
Some more O-Sechi favorites: Date Maki (伊達巻), on the left- made of eggs and fish meal, and Kamaboko- made of fish paste. These were part of my own O-Sechi ( 2011)
By the way, though O-Sechi can be picked at freely at any time diring the first three days of the year, at MEAL TIMES it is always taken together with O-ZONI (お雑煮), which is a soup containing O-Mochi ( pounded rice cakes). O-zoni is interesting in that though O-Shogatsu is celebrated by just about everyone in Japan in quite a similar way- there is great variation in O-Zoni, depending on the region. There is even a saying TONARI NO ZONI (隣りの雑煮) which means that even within the same region, or neighborhood, O-Zoni varies from household to household.
I have heard that this sometimes leads to spats in the first year of marriage, since a new bride might make O-Zoni which to her husband is NOT O-Zoni. Or since a brides new family might insist that she make O-Zoni THEIR WAY.
Generally speaking,, speaking in Western Japan the Mochi in the soup is usually round, while in Eastern Japan ( including Tsukuba), it is square.
A famous O-Zoni oddity is that in Kagawa Prefecture ( on the island of Shikoku) the Mochi ( which is round) contains AN (餡)- sweet adzuki beans!.
Also, in the Kinki Region ( Nara and Kyoto), the soup is made of white miso paste,
Since in Tsukuba there are residents who have come from all over Japan, I have always thought it would be fun to have a ZONI event in which the various types of New Year`s soup would be made and served at one place.
Anyway, I hope you get a chance to taste O-Sechi and O-Zoni. Though you can buy the former, the latter is pretty much only made at home. But I think if you mention that you are interested in trying some New Year`s soup with MOCHI to a Japanese friend, that just might bring you some to try!
And one more thing!
The chopsticks used for eating O-Sechi and O-Zoni are different from normal chopsticks- they are slender at BOTH ENDS! That is because while you are eating, the God of The New Year TOSHI-GAMI SAMA is eating with you! They are also often made of willow wood, which is believed o have the power to drive away evil!
Have a great year!
Junko Takasaki`s O-Zoni (2011) in the style of Iwaki (Fukushima Prefecture)-Taro,Carrots, burdock, fried tofu, mushrooms, leaks and chicken in a soy sauce based broth- topped with citron (yuzu) peel shavings
Print This Post
A Fine day For Fire-Walking at Mt Kabasan (加波山) !
It is ironic that with Japan's often gloomy summer rainy season, there is usually plenty more sunshine in mid-winter than there is in mid-summer. And so, though today, the To-Ji (冬至), or winter solstice was certainly the shortest day of the year, it was also one of the sweetest -- with clear blue skies, no winds, and temperatures which were neither too hot nor too cold. In other words, a perfect day for fire-walking, which is what was going on today at Makabe's Kabasan Jinja Shrine, just as it has been on every winter solstice day for more than five hundred years.
When I arrived at the shrine at noon, a dense and excited crowd had already gathered tightly round the area which had been marked off earlier in the day with sacred bamboo (imitake) and rope (shimenawa). Standing on tip-toes (I am not your stereotypical TALL gaijin) I could have a look at what was going on within the sacred space. At the far end, a portable shrine had been set up, with various offerings from the sea (umi no mono), from the fields (yama no mono), and plenty of O-Miki (ritual sake) neatly arranged on an altar which was also adorned with branches of sacred sakaki, which would attract the GODS to this spot.
In the center of the cordoned off space was a neat pyre of chopped pine wood, with some ritual paper representing the deity of the shrine placed on top in the center. Five men, two of them younger, and three much older who were dressed in white robes and head-dresses more reminiscent of the Sahara or Arabia than China or Japan, were busy with various preparations. The oldest gentleman, who I later learned is in his mid-80s, was performing various purification rituals, consecutively waving sakaki, a sword, and blowing a conch (hora-gai).
Quickly tiring of standing on tip-toes, I set about exploring the precincts of this venerable shrine, which legend says was first founded by the semi-mythical barbarian subduer Yamato Takeru, who supposedly prayed at this site for victory in his campaigns of Eastern conquest. Today scores of parishioners clad in white HAPI coats and head-bands were busy chatting in the various shrine offices. Other visitors, from far and near, were buying votive tablets, tossing coins into the main offering box, taking pictures, or just waiting around impatiently for the ceremony to begin.
I was also able to chat with some of the shrine staff about the history of the shrine and the fire walking ceremony (Hi-Watari), which I will relay to you later. But now it was time to get into position for watching and photographing the ritual, and relying on plenty of pent up New York wile and CHUZTPAH I was able to manoeuvre myself into a favorable spot.
At this point, the old men in white were kneeling in front of the altar, muttering incantations with great concentration and solemnity. They then went ahead and lit the pyre, which on the windless day burned beautifully. The crowd watched the flames, as if intoxicated, for more than thirty minutes, as the old priests circled, chanting to themselves, and going through what looked like martial arts KATA (pattern practices), sometimes miming sword strikes which included strong KIAI (cries of EEII). They also would occasionally take colorful amulets from their belts and hold them up to the fire as they circled, looking as if they were seeking the fire's weak points which they would attack.
As the fire burned down, the younger men used long sticks to create a path down the center of the pyre. When this was ready, the oldest man drew his sword and performed another purification ritual. Building up his courage he let out a strong kiai as he passed through the center of the flames. He then stopped in front of the altar acknowledged the KAMI (Gods) and took a swig of O-Miki. He was quickly followed by the other white-men.
When they were finished, it was the parishioners' turns. They all filed through the fire, and then on to the altar, as if drawn uncontrollably to the sacred SAKE.
After leaving the sacred area these locals proceeded to the shrine office where they cleaned their feet, received a certificate of having participated and settled down for some beverages and snacks. After all the parishioners had passed through the flames, it was time for anyone else who wanted to to do so.
This took quite a long time, as all sorts of folks, young old, mothers carrying babies, passed through the fire.
When I asked those who had just passed through if their feet burned, they all seemed to agree that more than hot feet, it was their faces that felt the heat, from the flames on both sides.
When the last person FINALLY passed through, the old man called out - FINISHED. Then pandemonium broke out; as the crowd rushed into the sacred compound.
Many locals bring metal containers into which they put some burnt wood or embers from the fire. They then keep this in their houses for one year as protection from colds. The mad scramble for these red hot pieces of wood seemed very dangerous, but luckily no one seemed to have gotten burned.
The Mt. Kaba Shrine Fire Walking Ritual had come to an end, and everyone seemed very satisfied indeed.
In 1394, the abbot of the Enryaku-Ji temple, which protects Kyoto from the unlucky North-Eastern direction and is probably Japan's most influential temple, travelled the country making pilgrimages to its sacred sites. One place he and his entourage of monks visited was Mt Kaba, which was supposed to have once been used for sacred rites. This priest, Genkai-Shonin (源海上人), carried out various esoteric rituals which were part of the Tendai Sect and had been brought to Japan from India and perhaps Persia, by way of China where the sect's founder Saicho had come into contact with them. It is from these ancient practices that the current Mt Kaba Shrine's Fire Walking Ritual have evolved, and that is why they have such an exotic air. Please keep in mind that until the Meiji Period (1868-1912) Buddhism and what is now called Shinto (native religious practice) were often combined in a syncretic form of worship.
The fire walking ritual is believed not only to cleanse all those who undergo it of one year's worth of impurities, but also helps to invigorate the sun, which until the day after the solstice gradually becomes weaker and weaker in the sky.
I myself almost took off my shoes and passed through the flames. I was seriously contemplating it... but I got cold feet.
Maybe next year.
Print This Post
A Glimpse (and Whiff) of Things to Come
Plum Blossoms In Tsukuba - Feb. 4, 2009
Even in Japan's mild-wintered Kanto region, in most years, on February 4th, radio and television weathercasters can do nothing but complain about the inappropriately cold weather. This year, however, on that day, afternoon temperatures actually reached a toasty 14 degrees centigrade, an unusual case of the weather properly befitting the occasion, Risshun (立春), the first day of spring. And, as an extra treat, many of Tsukuba's plum blossoms (ume no hana), Japan's symbolic harbingers of spring, burst into bloom (perfectly on cue) on the very same day! These earliest blooming of Japan's popular flowering trees are also its most fragrant, and yesterday's warm breezes might have carried their thick, sweet, syrupy smell to your nose.
The traditional Japanese calendar is divided into 24 equal sections called SEKKI (節気), which creates an idealized, perfectly balanced four-seasoned year. The first day of spring is determined as the exact middle point between the winter solstice (冬至, toji) and the vernal equinox (春分の日、shunbun no hi), which usually has RISSHUN fall on February 4th. Subsequently, we have the first day of summer (Rikka, 立夏) on May 5th this year, that being the day equidistant from the spring equinox and the summer solstice (geshi, 夏至）. The other two seasonal turning points, the first day of autumn (risshuu, 立秋) and the first day of winter (rittou, 立冬), are determined in the same manner, creating four seasons, each ninety days long.
Plum blossoms In Tsukuba's Botanical Garden - Feb. 4, 2009
When Japan still followed its old calendar, Risshun, the first day of spring, was also the first day of the new year, the day on which all Japanese would grow one year older together. That is why on the evening of the previous day (February 3rd, this year), it is the tradition to eat the same number of soy beans as your age (sometimes plus one!), in what is called the SETSUBUN festival. Another name for the evening before RISSHUN was TOSHI NO YORU (歳の夜), which could be translated as the BIRTHDAY EVENING.
Of course, the Japanese seasonal divisions are not usually in accordance with meteoroloigical realities, as the coldest days of the year usually hit during the weeks AFTER the first day of spring, and in many parts of Japan the snow remains deep. There is even a famous expression and lyric to a well-known song which goes "HARU WA NA NOMI" (春は名のみ), which means "spring in name only". Despite the cold of early spring, for the Japanese it was the OCCASIONAL warm breeze, the stirring of certain plants and animals and the blooming of the plum blossoms (especially on snow covered branches), that is to say the little CHANGES and HINTS which gave hope and expectation of things to come that were what early spring was recognized as and appreciated for.
The blossoms of the plum tree (ume no ki), which has been bred into such numerous varieties since being brought to Japan more than 1000 years ago by returnees of missions to various Chinese dynastic courts, rival those of Japan's national flower, the cherry blossoms (sakura no hana) in terms of endearment in the hearts of the Japanese people. In fact, in the early Showa Period, there was a heated debate over which of the two WOULD become the national flower. The plum's strong points were not only that it was beautiful and highly fragrant and the first major blossom of the new year and thus symbol of spring's coming, praised so often by Japan's greatest classical poets. It was also a unique feature of the DAILY JAPANESE DIET in the form of UME BOSHI, or salted plums, as well as a popular ingredient for liquor and juice. It was probably the fact that plum blossoms were already the national flower of China (which they still are in Taiwan), and had been introduced to Japan from there that the UME lost out. Of course, there is also the matter of the more delicate cherry blossoms being more representative of the quintessential Japanese notion, MUJO, the fleeting nature of all things.
Despite having been brought in from abroad, the first western scientists to encounter the plum trees, including Philip Von Sebold, mistook them as being native to Japan. This could also be because, though a popular motive of Chinese art, there is no special tradition of viewing their flowers nor is there the custom of regularly eating their fruit.
For the Japanese, there is another interesting significance to the plum blossom: its connection to the passing of entrance examinations! The other day, just as I was mentioning plum blossoms to a friend of mine who has been driven to distraction by her son's upcoming exams, someone's cellphone rang. It was hers. A considerate friend had sent her a photo of a plum tree in bloom as a way of saying, "I hope your son is gonna pass!"
How did the ume no hana come to have such a connection to studies and the passing of tests? Well, the answer is simple: the plum tree was a favorite of SUGAWARA NO MICHIZANE, the great Heian Period poet, scholar and calligrapher who was unjustly expelled from the capital, died in exile, and was later enshrined as the GOD TENJIN, the patron god of scholars, poets, calligraphers and students. According to legend, when Michizane was leaving the capital on the road to exile in distant Dazaifu, Kyushu, it was only his plum tree that Michizane bade farewell with this, the most famous of all his poems.
KOCHI FUKABA NIOI OKOSE YO UME NO HANA
ARUJI NASHI TOTE HARU NA WASURESO
(If the East wind blows this way, send your fragrance to me, o plum blossoms,
even though I am no longer there).
Legend then says that the tree came flying all the way to Kyushu to give the forlorn aristocrat solace to the end of his days (which was not very far off).
Plum Blossoms In Tsukuba's Woods
There are almost always plum trees, sometimes hundreds, at shrines dedicated to Michizane, or TENJIN, as he is called in deified form. In this season, millions of supplicants visit these shrines to pray for exam success, and appropriately the plum blossoms are opening, filling the sacred precincts with the fragrance of HOPE.
Luckily for those of us who live in Ibaraki, Mito, our prefectural capital is the home to one of the most famous places for enjoying plum blossoms, KAIRAKUEN. The ume festival there will begin toward the end of this month.
Print This Post