Hina-matsuri at Geibikei

 
In Japan, we have the Doll Festival which is called Hina-matsuri (Momono Sekku) on March 3. This is also the Girl's Festival which prays for women healthy growth. The origin of the festival is Chinese Shangsi(上巳) Festival. Then, it became the current style at later period in Japan.

And here at Geibikei, we are displaying a tiered-stand-for-dolls decoration until the day.

                                          Handmade Accessories

                                                


We are going to treat the visitors to Amazake made from fermented rice on the day of the Girl's Festival this year.

Main Festivals of Iwate on Spring

○Hidaka Hibuse Festival (日高火防祭)

The festival of fire prevention prayer which is about 300 yeas of history is held in Ōshū-shi on April 28 and 29 every year.

The musical accompaniment used for a festival has been specified as the Important Intangible Cultural Heritage of Iwate Prefecture as "Musical Accompaniment On The Float(Yatai Bayashi)" of a fire prevention festival.

○Fujiwara Festival on Spring (春の藤原まつり）

The festival which is the prayer for the dead of four generation of Fujiwara Clan is held between 1st and 5th of May every year.  

Moreover, announcing "Ennen Dance" of an important intangible cultural heritage, and " The procession of going-down to the east of Minamotono Yoshitsune" and "Benkei's Strong Muscle Man Athletic Meet" are opened.

  

○Chagu-chagu Horse (チャグチャグ馬コ）

This is a traditional event in which about 100 horses which dressed up gorgeous clothes have about 200 years of history which marches with sounds of the bells such as "chagu-chagu" from the Onikoshi Shōzen shrine in Takizawa-mura to Morioka Hachiman shurine.

Moreover, this festival has been chosen as the one of "The 100th of The Scenery of Sound to Leave in Japan" at the Ministry of Environment.

Tsuriyama Park

When spring comes, Tsuriyama Park is covered by cherry blossoms.


In my childhood, my family and I used to go there, take the special lunch boxes and enjoy the view. Although it was beautiful view of the cherry blossoms in the daytime, the night view of  flowers in which the lanterns were lighted was also exceptionally beautiful.

Tsuriyama which is 90 metres above sea level is located in the east end of the mountain range which met the Iwai river which makes Mt Kurikoma the original flow. The top of the mountain is an open space called *"Senjōjiki" which can command a whole view of a city area.

The Tsuriyama Park which it takes about 10 minutes on foot from JR Ichinoseki station has a little history. It is reported that the park is the remains of  a castle barrier, and there are the circumstances to which excavation work  was advanced once.


It's just a pity for drivers because there are not much parking spaces around.

The people who are related to the history of Tsuriyama; Sakanoue no Tamuramaro(坂上田村麻呂）, Abe no Sdato(阿部貞任）, Date Munekatsu(伊達宗勝）, Tamura Tatsuakira(田村建顕）

 

*Senjōjiki means the land space of 1000 tatami mats.

Iwate's Food Culture (2)

Mochi Bunka (Rice Cake Culture)

In Japan, we have the customs of eating rice cake for most of seasonal events and the congratulations or condolence. And speaking of Japanese New Year's dishes, it could be called Osechi and Mochi dishes(ryōri).


It seems that mochi ryōri was a main dish more than osechi ryōri since old times to New Year's dishes especially in the Ichinoseki district.


Ichinoseki is known for Japan as an area with the most abundant kinds of mochi dishes. The numbers are said to be about from 200 to 300 sorts. And the custom of eating rice cake in this district in the annual events reaches also more than 60 days a year. That such rice cake culture started going back till the Edo period.
 
Especially, “Mochi Honzen” is a rice cake dish peculiar to this district. It imitates the Japanese honzen cuisine form by rice cake.

There are Anko mochi(rice cake with red bean paste) and different types of mochi, Zōni, pickles and grated Japanese radish on the meal tray. And There are regular manners in the way of eating.

The old days, the southern Iwate around this area was the territory of the Date han. At the farmhouses, they have the custom to pray for peace and good health and took rest the 1^st and 15^th every month. At that time, it is said that the people offered a rice cake to God by the order of the feudal lord.

Above picture is the rice cake dish which I had at my house on New Year's day.

By the way, although some people are believing in public, it is not true all people of Ichinoseki have a machine of pounding mochi at each home.

If you would like to try the mochi cuisine, you should stop by one of the restaurants in Ichinoseki after Geibikei's boat trip. And the lists are below:
 
蔵元レストラン せきのいち (Kuramoto Restaurant Sekinoichi)
Address: 5-42 Tamura-cho, Ichinoseki, Iwate 021-0885
       Tel: 0191-21-1144 


三彩館 ふじせい (Sansaikan Fujisei)
Address: 3-53 Otsukigai, Ichinoseki, Iwate 021-0882
       Tel: 0191-23-4536 / Fax: 0191-23-4537
   E-mail: 11010@d2.dion.ne.jp


カフェ・モンテ (Cafe Monter)
Address: 2F Higashi Koryu Centre
             2-5 Yanagimachi, Ichinoseki, Iwate
Tel/Fax : 0191-26-7300

Iwate's Food Culture (1)

The local culinary specialties of Iwate were produced by the wisdom of rich natural blessing and predecessors.  The east touches the Pacific Ocean and the west obtains the Ōu mountain system which is rich in change of geographical feature.

In old time Iwate, the Sendai (Date) han governed the southern part and the Morioka(Nanbu) han was governing north. Therefore, the difference of each feudal clan system era produced the differences in the area of the food culture of Iwate. On the other hand, in prefecture south area, "the rice cake culture" which used rice spread  and "the grains culture" using Japanese barnyard millet, buckwheat, wheat and the soybean spread in prefecture north area.

Difference in the gastronomic culture by the area

✰ The Northern area: In the northern part area of the prefecture which has fought with a repeated famine in the nature of severe climate and mountains, the foundations of food were cereals.


The typical food ➡ Teuchi Soba (Hand-made Buckwheat Noodles )


✰ Central area: The space of the central area of the prefecture where a paddy field zone spreads for many years is also comparatively large. This area which does not have much snow is cultivating barley and wheat.  And the people devised many way of eating from rice and wheat.　

The typical food ➡Hittsumi (Hatto or Suiton): Hittsumi is the warm pot dishes.  It extends the flour by hand after kneaded thinly and tears it off. Then it puts chicken, burdocks, carrots, mushrooms and spring onions into the pot that boiled up with soy sauce flavor.


✰ Ōu Mountain System area: This area of the Akita prefecture border is a deep heavy snowfall area. Thus local staple food which is not done of the wheat is foxtail millet and barnyard grass. The people often cook the miso soup which put fermented soybeans into mushroom soup stock.

The typical food ➡ Natto Jiru (Fermented Soybeans Soup) 

✰ Sanriku Coast: In the sea of the Sanriku offing where the Oyashio Current and the Kuroshio Current crossed, the people brought about the coast food culture that they used fishery products and the seaweed for abundantly.

The typical food ➡ Donko and Tara Jiru (Dark Sleeper and Cod Stew)