Happy 2003!　　

　　　　Yes, it's New Years once more, and you know what that means- all the shops close down, and the city seems quite a bit quieter than usual- unless, of course, you're on train heading out of town! This is the time of year when Japanese people travel to their furusato (古里-home town) to eat mochi and ozoni soup with their families, go to shrines to pray for good luck in the coming year, and send out hundreds of colorful New Years postcards (年賀状-nengajo) to friends, family, and co-workers. New Years in Japan may seem a little dull compared to the champagne-soaked extravaganzas you find in the West, which may explain why quite a few people skip the furusato trip altogether, and head for a vacation overseas! Nonetheless, New Years in Japan has a special, natsukashii (nostalgic) feeling for many Japanese people.
　　　　You may have noticed pictures of sheep on the new years cards for sale- that is because 2003 is the year of the sheep according to the Chinese calender. Here are some useful Japanese phrases to know when sending out new years cards of your own:

　　　　謹賀新年―kingashinen- Happy New Year!
　　　　明けましておめでとうございますーakemashite omedeto gozaimasu- Very best wishes for the coming year!

　　　　Life in Kyoto plans to offer many new features in the 2003 year, including useful lifestyle information, a new format, and possibly some articles in Japanese and other languages. If there's something you'd like us to feature in 2003, feel free to drop us a line!
　　　　This month's Life In Kyoto features two articles about some of the most important elements of the Japanese New Year- ozoni new year's stew, and ema, wooden prayer cards that are a feature at many shrines people.

　Ema (絵馬)- Shinto votive tablets

　　　　On your first visit to a Shinto shrine, you may have noticed numerous house-shaped wooden tablets hanging on pegs, and wondered what they were. These wooden plaques are prayer tablets called ema (絵馬, literally; picture horse). Ema are offered to Shinto shrines when people pray for a particular blessing or when a prayer has been answered.
　　　　Recently, I visited several shrines in Kyoto in order to research the history of ema. Modern ema originated in the practice of hanging paintings of horses before a deity as a substitute for offering real horses. You may be wondering why horses were offered. According to a brochure published by the Konpira Ema Museum (金比羅絵馬館, Admission \500) in Higashiyama, ancient Japanese people believed that divine spirits would descend to earth riding upon horses and therefore, they would present offerings of living horses to Shinto shrines when asking large favors of the gods. The brochure also says, "…It seems, however, that the financial burden involved in offering live horses led to the creation of substitute forms: clay, then three- and two- dimensional wooden representations, and finally, ema- the painted depictions of horses on wooden plaques."
　　　　As years went by wider variety of the paintings on ema began to depict a wider variety of subjects other than horses. There are a large number of ema that have been preserved to this day depicting characters from historical tales, scenes from festivals, or a specific prayer or vow. Many of the paintings featured on the older ema were created by top-ranking artists on wooden plaques much larger than the ones you see today.
　　　　The practice of offering ema is said to have begun during the late Heian era (平安時代:794-1185). It is said however, that it was not until the middle of the Edo Period (江戸時代:1603-1867) that the practice spread among the common people. Before then, the use of ema was restricted to the privileged classes, such as noblemen, feudal lords and wealthy merchants. These Edo Period ema were smaller in size, featuring pictures painted by the town's ema artists, or the people themselves.
　　　　The long-lasting popularity of ema decreased around World War II, but experienced a revival after the middle of the 20th century, when an ema artist took advantage of the introduction of silk screen printing technology and began marketing his screen printed ema to shrines. His idea was adopted by a popular shrine in Tokyo and has since spread throughout the nation.
　　　　Should you be interested in seeing a variety of ema from different time periods, the above-mentioned ema museum is an ideal place to visit. It is located within the grounds of the Yasui-Konpiragu Shrine (安井金比羅宮) in Higashiyama Ward. The quaint, two-storied museum features over 50 large-sized ema (大絵馬, oh-ema) of historical value, and numerous small-sized ema (小絵馬, ko-ema) from the modern era.
　　　　Among the large ema the museum has on display, there was one that I found particularly amusing. This ema depicted a 54-year-old woman dressed like a Buddhist nun in a clerical robe with her hair shaven, taking a vow of chastity, with the humorous proviso, "But only for a duration of three years". It is said that this ema was presented in 1889 by the woman depicted on it. Isn't it interesting to learn from this ema that such a bold and sexy woman existed over a hundred years ago?
　　　　Modern day ema are generally house-shaped and small in size (about the size of a post-card or a little bigger). They usually bear a printed picture of one of the twelve animals from the Chinese Zodiac (干支,), or a special picture unique to the shrine. On the back of the ema is blank space where the person who is offering the ema can write their name and request.
　　　　Some shrines sell ema featuring an image unique to the area. For example Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社), located in the east end of Shijo-dori has an ema bearing a picture of its Gion-matsuri Festival (祇園祭), Heian-jingu Shrine (平安神宮) located near Okazaki Park has an ema bearing a picture of its main building, and Kitano-Tenmangu Sｈrine (北野天満宮) in Kamigyo Ward, has an image of an ox associated with its enshrined deity, SUGAWARA-no-Michizane (菅原道真, 845-903) who was a distinguished scholar and politician during the Heian era (平安時代: 794-1191). SUGAWARA-no-Michizane is still very popular deity among Japanese students as the patron of learning. If you visit this shrine and you will be surprised to an extremely large number of ema hung overlapping each other. Once you've seen the huge number of ema presented by students, you will realize how severe the competition is for Japanese students seeking to gain entrance to the country's most prestigious universities. When visiting this shrine the other day, I noticed that some students had listed the names for as many as five colleges when praying for their entrance exams. I was surprised to discover that these students had decided to take the entrance exams for five different colleges just in case they failed their first, second, third and fourth choices.
　　　　Most major shrines and some temples provide ema for about \400~\1,000 . Some people are attracted by the interesting variety of pictures on ema-tablets and enjoy collecting them. I discovered a couple unusual ema that would be a collector's dream. I saw some ema in the shape of rice scoops while walking around in the grounds of Matsuotaisha Shrine (松尾大社) located in Nishikyo Ward. Why does this shrine have rice scoop shaped ema? According to the person in charge of public relations at the shrine, Japanese people have regarded rice cultivation as sacred since ancient times, therefore, the scoop has a sacred symbolic meaning. In addition, the shrine hopes that these special ema will "scoop up wishes", just as rice is scooped up, meaning that their wishes will be answered.
　　　　Another unusual ema can be found at the Iwashimizu-Hachimangu Shrine (石清水八幡宮) in Yawata City (八幡市), located in the southern part of Kyoto Prefecture. This ema was made from bamboo (most ema are wooden) and featured a picture of the famous American inventor Thomas Edison on the front and, on its back, his famous phrase: "Success is 1% inspiration (and) 99% perspiration". I asked the man in charge of public relations at the shrine why they had this sort of ema, and he was kind enough to answer my question. According to Mr. Kinoshita, Edison used bamboo from Yawata as the material for a filament inside early electric light bulbs, and therefore, this shrine offers this "Edison ema ", specifically designed for praying for success in entrance examinations.
　　　　However, Japanese people pray to Shinto deities not only for academic success, but also for good health, the continued safety of their families, a good harvest, a thriving business, professional achievement, and so forth. However, it seems that people will offer an ema to a particular god depending on the specific request being made. For example, Jishu-jinja Shrine (地主神社) located within the grounds of Kiyomizu Temple (清水寺) is very popular with young people as a shrine for matchmaking and matters of love. The other day I saw a large number of young girls and couples pouring in and out of this shrine's narrow grounds. On the other hand, the aforementioned Yasui-Konpira Shrine is popular with young and middle-aged women who wish to break off a relationship, or cause a separation between a husband or boy friend and his mistress and/or other girlfriends. This shrine, whose chief deity is said to be helpful in breaking off a relationship with an undesirable person, is ironically located near above-mentioned "matchmaking" Jishu- Jinja shrine.
　　　　All joking aside, 2003 is the Year of the Sheep in Chinese astrology. You'll probably see many ema bearing a picture of sheep when visiting popular shrines. At the beginning of the 2003, the staff of "Life in Kyoto" wishes you all "Happy New Year!"

Inquiries:
Yasui-Konpiragu Shrine (安井金比羅宮) 075-561-5127
Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社) 075-561-6155
Heian-jingu Shrine (平安神宮) 075-761-0221
Kitano-Tenmangu Shrine (北野天満宮) 075-461-0005
Matsuotaisha Shrine (松尾大社) 075-871-5016
Jishu-jinja Shrine (地主神社) 075-541-2097
Iwashimizu-Hachimangu Shrine (石清水八幡宮) 075-981-3001


H. FUKUOKA

　RICE CAKE（餅）and OZONI（お雑煮）

　　　　Life in Kyoto wishes you a Happy New Year!
　　　　As you may know, many restaurants and food stores are closed during the New Year holidays, so you may find it difficult to get a decent meal. Make sure you eat lots of nutritious food so that you don't catch a cold!
　　　　So why don't you try some special Japanese dishes eaten during the New Year holidays? This special cuisine is called osechi-ryori（おせち料理）, and the most famous of these dishes is a soup called ozoni（お雑煮）, which is made using lots of different types of food.
　　　　Although the ingredients of ozoni differ by region and even from family to family, rice cakes called mochi (餅) are an essential part of any ozoni soup.
　　　　Nowadays mochi can be bought in supermarkets or convenience stores throughout the year, but traditionally, it was a food that was made at home and eaten only during the New Year holidays.
　　　　The process of making rice cakes is called mochi-tsuki（もちつき）, a joyful event that the entire family participated in. Firstly, the grandmother or mother of the household would steam a pot of very sticky, glutinous, rice called mochi-gome（もち米）. The steamed rice was then placed in a big mortar. The grandfather or father would form a team with the grandmother/mother, with the man pounding the rice with a mallet, with his female counterpart turning the steamed rice over in the mortar. As they repeated the process in turn, it would make a rhythmic "pettan, pettan" sound, and the big ball of steamed rice would turn into soft, hot, mochi.
　　　　The fresh mochi would be taken from the mortar and placed in a wooden bucket full of rice flour. The grandmother would tear the mochi into to small pieces, then the children and other family members would help shape the pieces into round balls. This was a particularly fun task for the children, especially the girls, who would practice making dumplings from mud while they played.
　　　　They would offer some of the mochi to deceased relatives at the household's Buddhist and Shinto altars, and save the rest for eating. At the end of the event, the children would be permitted to eat it, after dipping it in soy sauce, or coating it with sweet bean jam or soybean flour. Can't you just imagine the delicious smell and taste of hot rice cakes? Mmmm…It makes me long for the good old days!
　　　　However, it is important to be careful when eating mochi, because hot rice cakes are easy to choke on. Every year, there are news reports that some poor children or elderly people who have died after choking on rice cakes. Even my own uncle reportedly choked on a piece of mochi when he was a little boy. His brother, (my father) grasped his younger brother's ankles, and hung him upside down so the mochi fell out of his throat. My uncle was fortunate enough not to appear the evening news. So please be careful should you have a chance to eat these hot, soft rice cakes.
　　　　We eat this precious food in many ways during the New Year's Holiday. Every morning from 1st to the 3rd of January Japanese families eat ozoni soup. It makes both your stomach and heart feel warm. I can say from experience that eating ozoni on New Years morning with one's family is a symbol of happiness for many Japanese people.
　　　　Have you ever eaten Kyoto-style ozoni ? Although there are some minor differences between families, Kyoto style ozoni is a white miso soup made with rice cakes and vegetables such as sliced white daikon radish (大根), Kyo-ninjin（京にんじん：Kyoto carrot）and the large part of a taro root.
　　　　Let me explain these ingredients to you. White miso paste is sweet and rich in aroma. Unlike an ordinary radish, the daikon used for ozoni is very thin and small. You will see them in your neighborhood supermarket as the end of the year approaches. Kyo-ninjin is a special type of carrot native to Kyoto. It is dark orange in color, and a little longer than a normal carrot. The biggest part of the taro root is called kashira-imo（かしらいも）in Japanese.
　　　　There is a lot of symbolism inherent in the choice of foods used to make ozoni. For example, the combination of colors from the white radish and the red carrot is considered a symbol of happiness (it is also the colors of the Japanese flag). The word kashira in kashira-imo means head, which indicates the hope to become a head of something, or to distinguish oneself. I recommend you to add piece of dried bonito fish (katsuobushi :かつおぶし) just before you eat the soup. Not only will it improve the flavor, but the word katsu means "win" in Japanese, so it could be considered lucky as well.
　　　　In addition to choosing ingredients with an auspicious meaning, the ingredients of ozoni vary based on the foods eaten in a particular region. If a married couple come from different hometowns, they are likely to be well aware of the many different kinds of ozoni eaten in Japan, and due to their regional differences an original ozoni "family recipe" will be created as a result of their union. Mochi tends to be the only ingredient common to all ozoni.

　　　　Here are some examples of the many different types of ozoni eaten across Japan:

　　　　Miyagi Prefecture: Clear soup stock made from broiled goby fish(はぜ), with chicken, carrot, white radish, boiled fish paste,（かまぼこ） stalk of taro,（ずいき） Japanese parsley（みつば）, and salmon roe（いくら）.
　　　　Tokyo: Clear soup stock made from kelp（こんぶ） and dried bonito（かつおぶし） with bamboo shoots（たけのこ）, shiitake- mushrooms, chicken, and Japanese parsley.
　　　　Tottori prefecture: sweet azuki bean soup( seasoned with sugar), tofu.
　　　　Hiroshima prefecture: Clear soup stock made from kelp with oyster, carrot, white radish, boiled fish paste, Japanese parsley.
　　　　Tokushima Prefecture: Mixture of white and red miso soup with Chinese cabbage（白菜） and green laver（青のり）.
　　　　Kagawa Prefecture: White miso soup with carrot, white radish, and deep-fried tofu（油あげ）.
(The rice cakes used for this soup are filled with sweet azuki bean jam)
　　　　Fukuoka Prefecture: soup stock made from dried-cuttlefish（するめ） and kelp, fish omelet（だてまき）, bamboo shoots, spinach, shiitake mushrooms.

　　　　Which kind of ozoni would you most like to eat? I would like to try the kind from Kagawa Prefecture- when a friend from that region first told me about it, I thought she was just joking. I simply cannot imagine the taste of white miso soup and vegetables in combination with sweet azuki bean jam. But as the proverb says; "Anywhere you go is home once you get used to it", so whatever ozoni you are accustomed to will probably taste the best!

K.Kimura