Nanakusa-no-sekku
Encyclopedia
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese custom of eating seven-herb rice porridge
Rice congee
Congee is a type of rice porridge popular in many Asian countries. It can be eaten alone or served with a side dish. Names for congee are as varied as the style of its preparation...
(nanakusa-gayu) on January 7 (Jinjitsu
Jinjitsu
In Japan, , literally "Human Day", is one of the . It is celebrated on January 7. It is also known as , "the feast of seven herbs", from the custom of eating to ensure good health for the coming year....
).
The nanakusa are seven edible wild herbs of spring. Traditionally, they are :
- Water dropwortWater dropwortThe water dropworts, Oenanthe , are a genus of plants in the family Apiaceae. Most of the species grow in damp ground, in marshes or in water....
(芹 : せり seri) - Shepherd's PurseShepherd's PurseCapsella bursa-pastoris, known by its common name shepherd's-purse because of its triangular, purse-like pods, is a small annual and ruderal species, and a member of the Brassicaceae or mustard family...
(薺 : なずな nazuna) - Cudweed (御形 : ごぎょう gogyō)
- ChickweedCommon chickweedStellaria media, common chickweed, is a cool-season annual plant native to Europe, which is often eaten by chickens. It is commonly also called Chickenwort, Craches, Maruns, Winterweed. The plant germinates in fall or late winter, then forms large mats of foliage. Flowers are small and white,...
(繁縷 : はこべら hakobera) - NipplewortNipplewortLapsana is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, containing a single species, Lapsana communis . It is native to Europe and northern Asia.-Growth:...
(仏の座 : ほとけのざ hotokenoza) - TurnipTurnipThe turnip or white turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as feed for livestock...
(菘 : すずな suzuna) - RadishRadishThe radish is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe, in pre-Roman times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world. Radishes have numerous varieties, varying in size, color and duration of required cultivation time...
(蘿蔔 : すずしろ suzushiro)
There is considerable variation in the precise ingredients, with common local herbs often being substituted.
On the morning of January 7, or the night before, people place the nanakusa, rice scoop
Shamoji
A shamoji is a flat rice paddle used in Japanese cuisine. It is used to stir and to serve rice, and to mix vinegar into the rice for sushi....
, and/or wooden pestle on the cutting board
Cutting board
A cutting board is a durable board on which to place material for cutting. Common is the kitchen cutting board used in preparing food; other types exist for cutting raw materials such as leather or plastic....
and, facing the good-luck direction, chant "Before the birds of the continent (China) fly to Japan, let's get nanakusa" while cutting the herbs into pieces. The chant may vary.
The seventh of the first month has been an important Japanese festival since ancient times. The custom of eating nanakusa-gayu on this day, to bring longevity and health, developed in Japan from a similar ancient Chinese custom, intended to ward off evil. Since there is little green at that time of the year, the young green herbs bring color to the table and eating them suits the spirit of the New Year.
The spring-time nanakusa are mirrored by the "seven flowers of autumn", which are bush clover (hagi), miscanthus (obana, Miscanthus sinensis
Miscanthus sinensis
Miscanthus sinensis Miscanthus sinensis Miscanthus sinensis (Chinese silver grass, Eulalia grass, maiden grass, zebra grass, Susuki grass, porcupine grass; syn. Eulalia japonica Trin., Miscanthus sinensis f. glaber Honda, Miscanthus sinensis var. gracillimus Hitchc., Miscanthus sinensis var....
), kudzu
Kudzu
Kudzu is a plant in the genus Pueraria in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. It is a climbing, coiling, and trailing vine native to southern Japan and southeast China. Its name comes from the Japanese name for the plant, . It is a weed that climbs over trees or shrubs and grows so...
, large pink
Dianthus
Dianthus is a genus of about 300 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species extending south to north Africa, and one species in arctic North America. Common names include carnation , pink and sweet William Dianthus is a genus of...
(nadeshiko, Dianthus superbus
Dianthus superbus
Dianthus superbus is a species of Dianthus native to Europe and northern Asia, from northernmost Spain and France north to arctic Norway, and east to Japan; in the south of its range, it occurs at high altitudes, up to 2,400 m....
), yellow flowered valerian
Valerianaceae
The Valerianaceae, or valerian family, of the order Dipsacales contains about 350 species in 7 genera. Plants are generally herbaceous and foliage often has a strong, disagreeable odor. They are found native in most regions of the world except for Australia...
(ominaeshi, Patrinia scabiosaefolia), boneset (fujibakama, Eupatorium fortunei
Eupatorium fortunei
Eupatorium fortunei, in Chinese called 佩兰 pei lan, is a plant species in Asteraceae native from Asia where it is rare in the wild but commonly cultivated. The white to reddish colored flowers and herbage smell like lavender when crushed...
), and Chinese bellflower
Chinese bellflower
Platycodon grandiflorus is a species of perennial flowering plant of the family Campanulaceae and the only member of the genus Platycodon . This species is known as platycodon or Chinese bellflower...
(kikyō). These seven autumn flowers provide visual enjoyment. Their simplicity was very much admired: they are small and dainty yet beautifully colored. They are named as typical autumn flowers in a verse from the Man'yōshū anthology.
Cautionary note
The Japanese parsley (Oenanthe javanica) is one of the few non-toxic species of the Oenanthe (water dropwortWater dropwort
The water dropworts, Oenanthe , are a genus of plants in the family Apiaceae. Most of the species grow in damp ground, in marshes or in water....
s) genus, which are otherwise extremely toxic. As this species is not found outside of Asia unless specifically cultivated, one should always consider wild-growing varieties of water dropworts to be lethal, even in small amounts.
External links
- http://f3.aaa.livedoor.jp/~taamchai/japan/jp-flower1-2.htm
- http://www.transparent.com/japanese/jinjitsu-%E4%BA%BA%E6%97%A5/
- http://sokettokun.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2009-01-07