New Blog — ivan doherty photography

New Year in Japan can be a very sticky affair! Mochi, a very sticky glutinous bashed rice ball is eaten as a traditional custom and placed as a gift to deceased relatives on the on the household Shinto altar. Mochi is tradition in the early days of New Year but is actually eaten all year round in various styles. It can be eaten plain, although more commonly accompanied by a sweet sauce, seaweed or other savoury flavouring. Mochitsuki (餅つき) is the art of making sticky rice balls.

Mochi, the sticky and glutinous rice eaten traditionally at New Year

There is no one solid reference as to the origins of this glutenous rice ball, but it is said to have come from China. Cakes of this pounded rice were first reported around the eighth century to the twelfth century (794 – 1185) known as the Heian period. Other research dates the tradition as far back as 300 BC in the Yayoi period.

Originally these rice cakes were used as gifts to the Gods and they are used in many traditional sports as offerings too, originally in judo, then into other martial arts such as aikido, karate and jujitsu.

Modern electronic equipment has eroded into the Mochitsuki tradition, but it is still widely practiced in both cities and in farming communities in rural Japan.

This is a short photo essay featuring the Nagae family who are peach farmers in the central Japan prefecture of Aiichi. They still practice the traditional method today and brings family and friends together once a year. The barn at the side of the main farmhouse is filled with the sound of pounding, laughter and a sense of community. Mochitsuki is always a good excuse to have a get-together.

Traditionally, the rice is washed beforehand to remove the starch, which helps with consistency. Ideally it should be washed and soaked overnight before the cooking and bashing begins, but these days this is often done an hour or two before cooking.

The second procedure is steaming the rice, traditionally over a bare flame in with a metal boiling pot and wooden steamers called Se-iro (せいろ, 蒸籠) this can take 30 – 40 minutes on an open fire.

After steaming, it is then quickly taken to a grinding machine and then finished off being placed into a traditional granite mortar (u-su,臼) then bashed with a large wooden mallet (ki-ne,杵).

The rice is steamed in these old-style steaming pots over an open flame

The heavy wooden mallet is repeatedly thumped into the rice to create a very glutinous doughy rice ball. This is hard work and is generally shared between family members.

After steaming, it is then quickly taken to a grinding machine and then finished off being placed into a traditional granite mortar (u-su,臼) then bashed with a large wooden mallet (ki-ne,杵).

The cooked rice is then transferred to a grinding machine.

This 50-year old grinding machine still does the job to start the process of pulping the steaming rice.

Grinding can take anywhere between 10 – 15 minutes and needs to watched closely as it shouldn’t be ground too finely.

Cooked rice being ground before the next phase to create mochi

This is when the fun starts! The pounding of the rice involves two people at any one time, one to bash the rice and the other to turn or fold the rice to ensure consistency of texture. The pounder (Tsuki-te,つき手 ), using the ki-ne may prefer to go fast or slow but it needs too be a solid hit, and it must be in sync (vitally important) with the person who turns/folds the rice (kaeshi-te, 返し手 ) between each pound. If you get it wrong, it could involve a trip to the local hospital..

Folding the rice as it is pounded is vital to ensure even consistency throughout the process.

The tsuki-te and kaeshi-te begin the pounding process

They must have hands that don’t feel the heat and constantly wet their palms to prevent the mochi from sticking to their hands. Mochitsuki is hard work, so it often involves many pairs to take turns to bash the rice.

Removing a batch of rice can be troublesome of your hands are not wet.

Some family members are not as adept as others..

Of course, some members of the family may compete to see who can pound the rice fastest and hardest, there is always an element of showmanship. Some towns hold annual competitions for local honours.

Once the rice has been pounded and turned into mochi, it can be cured or dried to be eaten later or straight away with a variety of sauces and sweet mixtures, both sweet and savoury. For example, sweet bean paste, soy flour or grated radish with soy sauce being very common.

Once dried it can be refrigerated and will last for quite a long time, even at room temperature. You can then subsequently grill the mochi, which inflates to several times its dried state, the outer being toasted but with a chewy interior.

The hot sticky heavy rice ball then needs to be rolled into long flat pieces to be dried and cured.

One very traditional way to eat mochi is the New Year’s soup called Ozoni(お雑煮る) the recipe varies per region, some include miso, some do not. The essential ingredients are vegetables and smaller balls of mochi.

Though Ozoni soup is said to bring good luck for the New Year, ironically every year this sticky glutinous delicacy causes fatalities and the hospitalisation of many older people. In early 2019, there were 11 people reportedly hospitalised, with one fatality from choking, 7 of those were aged over 60 (source: CBS news). Every New Year many news channels warn people to be careful over the holiday period.

If you visit Japan around the end of the year, and you get the chance to take part I one of these gatherings, don’t miss the opportunity.

Cheers!

Ivan.

Note

Research for this article was curated from asianartmuseum.com, kyodo news, vice.com, wikipedia, bbc.com, kidswebjapan, inhamamatsu.com and justhungry.com and the Nagae family. Thanks to Tony Collins for editorial help.

RIP Toshiko Nagae

The family matriarch Toshiko Nagae died of natural causes on 27th December 2019 aged 94. My condolences to all her family. She will be missed.