WASHOKU - Melon

http://worldkigo2005.blogspot.jp/2006/01/melon-uri.html
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Snake and Two Melons
魚屋北渓 Hokkei (1780 - 1850)

- quote -
Hokkei was one of the best students of Hokusai, and his pieces were of a very high quality of craftsmanship.
The snake is symbolic of great cunning at a supernatural level. Having it amongst the melons makes it auspicious for family unity.
- source : paradisebound.ca/product/totoya-hokkei -

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WASHOKU hatsugatsuo first bonito

http://washokufood.blogspot.jp/2009/11/maguro-tunafish.html


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first bonito, hatsu gatsuo, hatsugatsuo 初鰹 (はつがつお)
kigo for early summer




十二月の内　卯月初時鳥 - Toyokuni 豊国

The first catch of the season.
First things were much loved in Edo and people payed high prices to get them, some were even first offered at a shrine before consumption.
. WKD : First Things .

目に青葉 山ほととぎす初かつお
me ni aoba yama hototogisu hatsu katsuo

green leaves to look at
hototogisu in the mountains
first Katsuo skipjack

Yamaguchi Sodoo 山口素堂 Sodo
(1642 - 1716)
He was a disciple of Matsuo Basho.

- and a senryu in Edo - reflecting on this one

目と耳はいいが口は銭がいる
me to mimi wa ii ga kuchi wa zeni ga iru

for the eyes
and ears it is fine but
the mouth needs money

We can enjoy a lot for free in spring, but the first katsu fish is just sooo expensive.

- quote -
Thirty-six Views of the Pride of Edo -
The first bonito pick at Nihonbashi (Edo Jiman Sanjūrokkyō Nihonbashi Hatsu-gatsuo)
Painted by Utagawa Toyokuni III and Utagawa Hiroshige II 1864 (Genji 1)

This is a picture that truly shows the "pride of Edo", together with Nihonbashi, a symbol of the city of Edo, hatsugatsuo, the first bonito of the season much adored by the residents of Edo and their admiration was such that a senryū was composed,

Hatsugatsuo
to pawn one's wife for this
is a worthwhile exchange"



Among the choicest of the hatsumono (first products of the season), bonito was loved the most by people in Edo. Especially from the Meiwa and Anei (1764-1781) to Bunka and Bunsei (1804-1830) when there was a bonito boom which drove up the price of tuna to startling levels.
According to the recordings of representative writer of the Edo period Nanpo Ota (pen name Shokusanjin), in the third month of 1812 (9th year of Bunka), 6 out of 17 of the bonito brought to the Nihonbashi fish market were delivered to the shogun household, 3 to a famous restaurant Yaozen for the price of 2 ryo and 8 were handed to fishmongers and of these, one was bought by kabuki actor Utaemon Nakamura for the price of 3 ryo.
- source : library.metro.tokyo.jp -


. senryuu, senryū 川柳　Senryu in Edo .

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WASHOKU - hamaguri from Kuwana

http://washokufood.blogspot.jp/2008/07/hamaguri.html

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時雨はまぐり, 時雨蛤 shigure hamaguri,
clamshells in sweet syrup
speciality of Mie prefecture
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
This refers back to the famous battle of Sekigahara (1600), near Ogaki castle, where the fishermen of Kuwana gave some clams to Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The clams are harvested out of the sand and then left for a while in a bucket of plain water to spit out the sand they still have in their body. They are then boiled in this water with shredded ginger roots and then cooled. Next they are simmered in special soy sauce from Ise (tamari shooyu たまり醤油) and flavored with sweet mizuame syrup.
see the haiku below !

. Sekigahara 関ヶ原 .


yakihamaguri　焼蛤 grilled Hamaguri, baked clams

The clams of Kuwana have quite a soft texture and a rich flavor. Until our day they are served in many restaurants in the city.


桑名 四日市へ三里八丁 - 3 ri and 8 cho to Yokkaichi
(about 12.7 km from Kuwana to Yokkaichi)
葛飾北斎 Katsushika Hokusai

Before starting the walk, people enjoyed some Hamaguri.
They were grilled in a fire with pine cones to add flavor, but it also produced a lot of ashes.
On the image you can see one lady fanning the fire, turning her face the other side to avoid the smoke.


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It was customary to have a bowl of clam soup on the night of the full moon.

Here are two haiku by Yanagidaru:

はまぐりは月見と聞いて死ぬ覚悟　
hamaguri wa tsukimi to kiite shinu kakugo

when the clams
hear about the full moon night
they get ready to die


はまぐりのしぐれ焼き場へ籠で来る
hamaguri no shigureyakiba e kago de kuru

to the place
where they grill clams in sweet syrup
they come in palanquins

Haifuu Yanagidaru 誹風柳多留 (Edo period haiku poet)　
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WASHOKU sakuramochi

http://washokufood.blogspot.jp/2008/02/spring-rice-cakes.html


Late Spring


Sakura mochi, sakuramochi ... 桜餅
Cherry Blossom Rice Cakes

This is a variety of wagashi, or Japanese confectionery consisting of a sweet pink mochi (rice cake) and red bean paste, covered with a leaf of sakura (cherry).

The style of sakuramochi differs from the regions in Japan. Basically, the east of Japan such as Tokyo uses shiratama-ko (白玉粉, shiratama-ko rice flour) and the west side such as Kansai uses dōmyōji-ko (道明寺粉, dōmyōji-ko glutinous rice flour) for batter.

More in the WIKIPEDIA !

In some areas they are also eaten for
the Doll Festival (Hina Matsuri).


三つ食えば葉三片や桜餅　
mitsu kueba yoo sanpen ya sakuramochi　

if you eat three
you have three leaves -
sakuramochi

Takahama Kyoshi 高浜虚子

At the temple Choomeiji 長命寺 Chomei-Ji they are wrapped in three leaves, so if you eat three cakes you have nine leaves.


Utagawa Toyokuni 歌豊国 (国貞) －　向島堤の花並びに桜餅

Two ladies carry Sakuramochi from the temple, maybe as a souvenir to the people back home. They have a pole in their hands and two bamboo baskets full of the sweets!

. Choomeiji 長命寺 Chomei-Ji, Sumida ward, Tokyo . 　　

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WASHOKU - Gion Tofu

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Giondoofu　祇園豆腐　Gion Tofu

- quote -
During the Edo period, the most famous food of Kyoto was Gion Tofu. Gion Tofu is a skewered roasted tofu. And serve with Shiro Miso paste (White sweet Miso paste) to dip the roasted Tofu. Originally had another name but the place was around Yasaka shrine (near Gion area), tourist called as Gion Tofu.
- source : kyojapan.com/gourmet -


CLICK for more ukiyo-e about Tofu !

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http://washokufood.blogspot.jp/2008/07/tofu-toofu.html
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