Niinamesai

November 23rd is Labor Thanksgiving Day and Niinamesai(新嘗祭).
Niinamesai is a harvest festival dating back at least to 677. At the festival, the emperor dedicates newly harvested rice and sake to Amaterasu-Ohmikami(the Goddess of the Sun) and eats these offerings.

The planting and harvesting of the rice for Niinamesai are done by the emperor's own hands every year. He went into the rice paddies in the Imperial Palace, planted rice 100 seedlings including sticky rice and ordinary rice on May 24th and harvested them on September 28th this year.

Emperor Akihito will be absent from the festival for the first time due to mild bronchopneumonia this year. The Crown Prince will attend it instead of the emperor.

天地と 久しきまでに 万代に
仕へまつらむ 黒酒白酒を
A-me-tsu-chi-to Hi-sa-shi-ki-ma-de-ni Yo-ro-zu-yo-ni
Tsu-ka-e-ma-tsu-ra-n Ku-ro-ki-shi-ro-ki-wo

"I will offer kuroki(black sake) and shiroki(white sake) to you as long as the world endures," written by Fumuya no Chinu(文室智努, 693-770) in "Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves" (the oldest existing anthology of poetry)

Fumuya no Chinu was a member of the imperial family. The emperor offers alcoholic beverages called kuroki(黒酒, black sake) and shiroki(白酒, white sake) to the goddess at Niinaemsai every year. Shiroki　is unrefined sake made from the newly harvested rice.　Kuroki is a mixture of shiroki and a plant ash made by steaming and charring a plant root called Kusagi.
Some people say kuroki came to be colored with the plant ash due to the fading of the cultivation of the black rice in Japan although the sake was originally made from the black rice.

According to an old document submitted to the supreme organ of the state in 804, girls who conducted ceremonies to worship gods made sake.

The book of laws and regulations that were compiled by Emperor Daigo's order describes the detail process for making black and white sake. According to the book, one-time sake brewery was constructed after rice fields for the sake were decided by fortune-telling on the 2nd day of the 9th month, the sake was made in 10 days in the 10th month. Niinamesai is held one month after making it.

White and black sake are also offered to another important festivals held at Ise Shrine. Reisyu(Amazake) and refined sake were added to offerings after the Meiji Period.  Amazake(甘酒) is a sweet drink made from fermented rice.

Niinaemsai is also held at many Shinto shrines on this day. White sake exclusively for Niinaemsai is available only to the Shinto shrines and the imperial family.  Now black sake is available only to the imperial family, so the shrines offer only white sake to the gods.　

Fujii Honke(藤居本家) in Shiga Prefecture, which was founded in 1831, presents black and white sake for Niinamesai to the imperial household every year. Many breweries will market freshly-squeezed sake around the end of November.

Many farmers worked at sake breweries to earn hard cash during the agricultural off-season. Chief sake brewers called toji(杜氏) made a plan for the year's brewing in consultation with sake brewery's owners called kuramoto(蔵元) in summer. Toji brewers chose members of their brewing teams. Brewery's owners had no right to choose brewers. Toji brewers worked with the members at sake breweries during the fall and winter months.

Toji are contractors and take on full responsibility for the year's brewing. Brewery's owners used a merit system, so excellent toji had plenty of income. if they failed, contracts with the owners would expire at the end of winter.  Toji are similar to the head chefs at Japanese cuisine restaurants or traditional hotels.

Now the number of toji decreased. Some owners double as toji. Some young people choose a career in sake-making.


Awamori(泡盛) is a kind of distilled spirit(焼酎, shochu) made in Okinawa. Awamori called Usaki(御酒) is sold at the University of Tokyo.
A professor of zymology at the University of Tokyo visited Okinawa and collected about 620 types of koji mold(Aspergillus oryzae) from breweries in 1935.  Koji mold for awamori at  Okinawa's breweries disappoeard in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.  In 1999, usaki was revived using koji moid  owned by  the university at a brewery in Okinawa.

Shichi Go San

Shichi Go San(七五三:The Seven-Five-Three Festival) is a traditional event to celebrate children's growth and pray for their future good health. It comes from the ancient three events including obitoki(帯解), hakamagi(袴着) and kamioki(髪置) held on the 15th day of the 11th month in the early Edo Period.

Now we can see boys and girls in formal dress such as kimono taken by parents to a shrine around November 15th.


Kamioki(髪置) was a event that 3-year-old girls (and boys in many areas) grew their hair out from this day.
The girls tie flat sash attached to kimono instead of obi.
Now 3-year-old girls wear hifu(被布) on kimono at Shichi Go San. Originally, hifu was a kind of jackets that is put on over kimono for men.

Tanmono (roll of cloth) for kimono is normally about 36 centimeters wide and about 11 meters long. Generally, kimono for kids 3 and under have one back body piece and kimono for children over 3 years and adults have two back body pieces.

Hakamagi(袴着) was a custom done by the families of warriors for 5-year-old boys.  They wear kimono, formal men's divided skirt called hakama(袴) and a coat called haori(羽織).



Obitoki(帯解) was a custom done by the families of commoners for 7-year-old girls. From this day, they started to put on obi(sash) in place of cloth bands.

kimono, gold-brocaded obi (帯, kimono sash), pink tie-dyed obiage (帯揚げ, obi sash), pink obijime (帯締め, decorative string used to hold a kimono sash in place), red shigokiobi(しごき帯, soft cloth sash)

The bottom of kimonos used to drag along the ground. Shigokiobi was used to adjust their length when women went out in the Edo Period. Now it's used in an ornamental fashion.
In addition, hakoseko(筥迫) is tucked between collars. Hakoseko is a take-along box-shaped purse for women.


七五三のつるし飾り　デザイン・制作　田辺水扇
"hanging ornament for Shichi Go San" designed by Suisen Tanabe

Akira Naito ed.,Shiki-no-Wa-no-Tsurushikazari,(Tokyo:Boutique-Sha,2003),P.4
内藤朗編集,四季の和のつるし飾り,ブティック社,2003,P.21

lunch in November

I had lunch at a Japanese restaurant that a former classmate worked for last week.

Three-tiered boxes, a soup bowl, vinegared food in small hexagonal bowl and sashimi dish are placed on top of the tray.
Goma-dofu(back right), a dish of assortment and rice are set in three-tiered boxes.

Goma-dofu(胡麻豆腐) is mixed with ground-up sesame seeds, kudzu starch and water and is molded. It doesn't contain soybeans.

Sashimi(刺身:sliced raw fish) on a yellow dish shaped chrysanthemum flower. A maple leaf is decorated on them.

A dish of assortment include a chestnut, kinukatsugi(taro with the skin), maple-shaped namafu(生麩, steamd pieces of wheat gluten), ginkgo nuts and others. Chrysanthemum leaf is used as a decoration.
 
 

soup












She participated in short-term training at a traditional Japanese confectionary shop in Kyoto.


Kyo Shirakawa Shigure(left), Aki no Yamazuto(right)


These confections(Kyo Shirakawa Shigure and Aki no Yamazuto) are sold at the store named Yuzuki(游月) in Kyoto.
Two thin branches in this photo are used as chopsticks.






Aki no Yamazuto(秋の山苞)

It means a souvenir from mountains in autumn. This confecition is a variation of ukishima(浮島) which is a steamed moist sponge cake that contains bean paste, sugar, eggs and flour. This confecition includes sweet potato named Naruto Kintoki(鳴門金時), chestnut with astringent skin and steamed yokan.

Kyo Shirakawa Shigure(京白川しぐれ)

Sweet adzuki beans rolled with the dough of Murasame(村雨) which is made by sifting a mixture of beans paste and rice powder, drying and steaming it. Although you can buy this confection year-round, the design on its surface varies with the seasons. This confection has the design of autumn leaves now.

Kyo Shirakawa refers to the Shirakawa River in Kyoto. Both Shigure(時雨) and Murasame(村雨) mean the drizzling rain in late autumn and early winter.


A fish and three rabbits are made only of bamboo. They are displayed at the restaurant. The maker of these does bamboo work for enjoyment.

chrysanthemum festivals(2)



Yashiro Chrysanthemum Festival

Chrysanthemum figure(菊人形,kiku-ningyo）wears a costume made of chrysanthemum flowers or leaves. Gardeners in Edo started Kiku-ningyo in the end of the Edo Period. An old book says that chrysanthemum works like topiary were very popular in Edo Period. This event reproduces the famous scenes of historical events involving famous historical figures.

Nihonmatsu Chrysanthemum Dolls in 2005


Nihonmatsu Chrysanthemum Dolls is being held from October 15th to November 13th in Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture.

this photo by 日本列島お国自慢



Nanyo Chrysanthemum Festival in 2005





Specialists called Kikushi(菊師) fix up dolls with small chrysanthemum flowers.

this photo by 日本列島お国自慢



Nanyo Chrysanthemum Festival


Nanyo Chrysanthemum Festival(南陽の菊まつり) in Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture is being held from October 22nd to November 13th.



Hirakara Dai-kiku-ningyo


Hirakara Dai-kiku-ningyo at Hirakata Park in Osaka ended in 2005 due to aging of kikushi and lack of successors, but several chrysanthemum dolls are decorated every year. Dai-kiku-ningyo was held as one-time event last year. Some chrysanthemum dolls and flowers are placed in the street by citizen volunteers in Hirakata.

this photo by 高画質壁紙写真集無料壁紙


Bonsai(盆栽)
Chrysanthemums are often planted on rock.


Hyogo Prefectural Flower Center








Hyogo Prefectural Flower Center





Yashiro Chrysanthemum Festival




Yashiro Chrysanthemum Festival



















chrysanthemum festivals


Yashiro Chrysanthemum Festival







Hyogo Prefectural Flower Center






Hyogo Prefectural Flower Center





Tatsuno Chrysanthemum Shows





Hyogo Prefectural Flower Center


Edo-giku(江戸菊)
















Sorakuen Chrysanthemum Shows




Hyogo Prefectural Flower Center













Sorakuen Chrysanthemum Shows





Sorakuen Chrysanthemum Shows











Hyogo Prefectural Flower Center



this photo by 高画質壁紙写真集無料壁紙




Akashi Park Chrysanthemum Shows






Noji-giku


Noji-giku(野路菊, Chrysanthemum japonense)  is a chrysanthemum indigenous to Japan. Botanist Tomitaro Makino(牧野富太郎) discovered the chrysanthemum in 1924. He supposed that Noji-giku from Japan developed into a variety of chrysanthemum called Iegiku(家菊, florists' daisy, Chrysanthemum × morifolium syn. Chrysanthemum × grandiflorum Kitam.) However, Noji-giku is not believed to be the ancestor of Iegiku now.

Iegiku is the ancestor of the present bred varieties. It is said that chrysanthemum came from China to Japan as a medicinal plant. Kiku(菊, chrysanthemum) appears in Kaifuso (懐風藻, Fond Recollections of Poetry) which is the oldest collection of Chinese poetry written by Japanese poets in 751, but it is supposed that people in those days didn't have the opportunity to see real Iegiku.


colony of Noji-giku in Oshio


Oshio(大塩) in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture is known as the largest colony of Noji-giku.  Hyogo Prefecture is said to be the northern limit of its habitat. Noji-giku are Hyogo Prefecture's official flower.

most photos by 神戸観光壁紙写真集

Now chrysanthemum with sixteen petals is used as the crest of the imperial family, but the oldest anthology of tanka poems called Manyo-shu doesn't include poems on chrysanthemum and seven autumnal flowers also don't include it. According to a theory, Momoyogusa(百代草) in Manyo-shu refers to wild chrysanthemum.

Nobles in the Heian Period appreciated dead chrysanthemum flowers.They appear in the Tale of Genji.

chrysanthemum festivals(1)

Chrysanthemum festivals are being held throughout Japan.

Chrysanthemum flowers was said to be at their peak four or five days after Rittou(the first day of winter, November 8th this year.)



Hyogo Prefectural Flower Center in Kasai City

  


Tatsuno Chrysanthemum Shows in Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture

   
Atsumono(厚物)

This type has spherical flower heads with tubular petals.

Atsubashiri(厚走り)
Long petals radiate out from the underside of spherical flower heads.


Hyogo Prefectural Flower Center in Kasai City


this photo by 高画質壁紙写真集無料壁紙

Himeji Castle Chrysanthemum Shows in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture




Kakogawa Chrysanthemum Shows in Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture


trident atsumono chrysanthemum

A single plant has three flowers. It's difficult to grow three flowers in a balanced fashion. One in the back should be higher than the others, the two flowers in front should be the same in height and all of flowers should be the same in size. My father made an abortive attempt to grow this chrysanthemum.


Kakogawa Chrysanthemum Shows


(chrysanthemums in front)

Daruma(だるま)

small type of trident atsumono chrysanthemum

Fukusuke(福助)

Small type of atsumono. Top-heavy chrysanthemum is like a Fukusuke Doll.

Hyogo Prefectural Flower Center





Harima-cho Chrysanthemum Shows in Hyogo Prefecture














Ozukuri(大作り)
pinching a single plant repeatedly to make it branch out and making up it in a semi-spherical shape, a gardener produces several hundred flowers. In Shinjuku Gyoen, three plants with flowers between 565 and 627 were displayed last year. This method was started in 1884.


Tatsuno Chrysanthemum Shows


Senrin-zukuri(千輪作り) is modeled after Ozukuri.



Sorakuen(相楽園) Chrysanthemum Shows in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture





at Nihonmatsu Chrysanthemum Dolls


There is a Senrin-zukuri chrysanthemum with three-colored flowers at Nihonmatsu Chrysanthemum Dolls.

Nihonmatsu Chrysanthemum Dolls(二本松の菊人形) is a chrysanthemum show held in Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture.
Due to the quake, the period of the show is shortened (from October 15th to November 13th ) and admission is free this year.

this phot by 日本列島お国自慢


In the Edo Period, "100-variety chrysanthemum(百種接分菊)" was made by grafting 100 different varieties of chrysanthemum onto a single plant.　It appears in the ukiyo-e of Utagawa Kuniyoshi(歌川国芳,1797-1861).
You can see this chrysanthemum at Hamamatsu Flower Park in Shizuoka Prefecture from early November to early December.　The park's Web page shows this chrysanthemum.

Sorakuen Chrysanthemum Shows

cascade chrysanthemums(懸崖作り)

A single plant has many chrysanthemum flowers.



Akashi Park Chrysanthemum Shows in Akashi City, Hyogo Prefecture

















Ise, Choji and Saga-giku are classical varieties of chrysanthemums.



Hyogo Prefectural Flower Center


Ise-giku(伊勢菊)
(chrysanthemums in front left)


Isegiku is like a shaggy pom pom and was cultivated in Ise area(present Mie Prefecture.)

Yashiro Chrysanthemum Festival in Kato City, Hyogo Prefecture


Choji-giku(丁子菊)

It has anemone type flowers.

Choji(丁子) means clove. It's called Choji-giku from its resemblance to clove flowers. One flower in the center is surrounded by six flowers.

Saga-giku(嵯峨菊)
(chrysanthemums in upper left)


It is said that Emperor Saga(786-842) planted this chrysanthemum on the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Sagano, Kyoto.
It's like an upside down broom.

Ichimonji-giku(一文字菊)
(chrysanthemums second from the right)

It's a single-petal chrysanthemum more than 20 centimeters in diameter. It has around 16 petals.

Akashi Park Chrysanthemum Shows

Kudamono-giku(管物菊）
Its all petals are like a tube(管, kuda).



Kakogawa Chrysanthemum Shows



Hyogo Prefectural Flower Center


most photos by 神戸観光壁紙写真集

Hyogo Prefectural Flower Center

this photo by 高画質壁紙写真集無料壁紙














Shinjuku Gyoen Kikka-ten (Chrysanthemum Exhibition) is being held at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Tokyo between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. from November 1st to 15th. The admission fee is 200 yen for adults and 50 yen for middle school students and younger.

Seven exhibit booths are set up in its kaiyu-shiki(circuit style) garden and chrysanthemum flowers are displayed in a traditional Japanese way.

The following web pages introduce last year's exhibition at Shinjuku Gyoen. (The characters may be garbled because the text is written using Shift JIS code as a character set.)

This page introduces Ozukuri(大作り) and cascade chrysanthemums.
This page introduces Ise, Choji and Saga, Kudamono and Ihcimonji.
This page introduces Higo-giku(肥後菊).

The cultivation of Higo-giku started in Higo area(present Kumamoto Prefecture) at the end of the 18th century. Because the 8th lord of the Higo Domain encouraged its cultivation as a mental training for samurai. A member of the domain wrote the technical guidebook for the cultivation of Higo-giku in 1819.

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