Kagami mochi
Kagami-Mochi ( Japanese 鏡 餅 , English "mirror rice cake") is a traditional decoration for the Japanese New Year . It usually consists of two round mochi (rice cakes), with the smaller one sitting on top of the larger, and a daidai (a Japanese variety of bitter orange ) with a leaf attached on top. Under the mochi there can be a sheet of konbu and stick-shaped dried persimmons . The whole thing sits on a stand called sampō ( 三宝 , "three treasures"), on a sheet of paper ( 四方 紅 , shihōbeni ) that is supposed to keep fire away from the house for the next few years. Fires in the Japanese settlements, which were mainly made of wood and paper, often resulted in the loss of entire districts.
Also used for decoration are strips of paper ( shide ) folded in the shape of a flash , similar to those found on Gohei .
The Kagami Mochi emerged in the Muromachi period (14th-16th centuries).
The exact derivation of the name is unclear. The name kagami ("mirror") is said to come from a resemblance to the ancient round copper mirrors, which are a representation of the Kami in Shinto . It is said of mochi that it is a meal for sunny days and that the 'spirit' of the rice plant can be found in it.
The two mochi discs are supposed to symbolize the coming and going of the years, the human heart, “yin” and “yang” or the moon and sun. The bitter orange, whose name daidai means "generations", is supposed to stand for the continued existence of a family from generation to generation.
Traditionally, the Kagami-Mochi are set up in different places in the house, today usually in the Shinto house altar, the Kamidana . Another common place is the tokonoma , a small, decorated alcove in the main room of the house.
While the mochi used to be stamped, kneaded and decorated by hand, nowadays finished Kagami-Mochi are shrink-wrapped and can be bought in the supermarket. The more expensive Daidai is often replaced by a cheaper Satsuma (a Japanese variant of the mandarin) or by a plastic imitation.
There are also variations in the shape of the Kagami mochi. Three-layer rice cakes are used in some regions. These are placed on the Butsudan (Buddhist house altar) or in front of the Kamidana. There is also another three-layer mochi decoration called okudokazari that is placed in the middle of the kitchen or near the window.
The decoration is traditionally broken and eaten in a Shinto ritual called kagami biraki (opening the mirror) on the 2nd Saturday or Sunday in January. This has been practiced in the dōjōs of various Japanese martial arts in particular since Kanō Jigorō , founder of judo , took it over in 1884. Since then it has spread to aikido , karate , and jujutsu dojos as well.
Web links
- Instructions for Kagami-Mochi from "Manner Bijin" (Japanese)
- Kagami mochi FAQ (Japanese)
- Questions and answers on 3-layer kagami mochi from Tokyo Gas (Japanese)
- Kagami Biraki: Renewing the Spirit (en.)