Volume 8 No. 4

Nikkei Images National Nikkei Museum and Heritage Centre Newsletter ISSN#1203-9017 Winter 2003, Vol. 8, No. 4 Haru Moriyama’s Reminiscences of Oshogatsu in Mission by Fumi Tamagi Toyoki and I decided that for and often neighbours and friends the sake of the children we should helped to make the day a special move to a larger center where they occasion. Toyoki built a large outdoor could get a better education. We cooking pit. About three boxes of moved to a rented house in Mission washed mochi rice were layered on City, which was located only a short top of a huge cauldron full of boiling distance from the Mission water to be steamed. The wooden Elementary School. Toyoki found a boxes had holes drilled in them so that job at P. Bain’s No. 2 Camp at steam could pass through. A clean Dewdney. He came home only when cloth was placed over the holes so he could hitch a ride. In those days that the rice did not fall through. Of everyone did not own cars as we do course, the bottom layer was ready today. The farmers here owned to be pounded first. Watching to trucks, but very few owned make sure that the rice was taken “passenger” cars. Seiji Tashiro was off at the right moment took a lot of one of the first Mission Japanese to kibitzing. The steamed rice was buy a car. placed in the homemade usu We had a family named the (pounding block), a large stump with Haru Moriyama in her retirement Hammonds as neighbours. They were a hollowed out part that served as a years. (Fumi Tamagi photo, 1982) a large family and our children and “bowl”. The men took turns pounding the pounding had to be consistent and the Hammond children became good with the kine (a large wooden mallet) often the bystanders chanted 2/2 friends. Mrs. Hammond was a kindly while the women took turns adding expressions to add to the fun. When German lady who introduced me to the necessary water and turning the the rice was pounded to the right many western dishes. She taught me rice frequently. This took expertise consistency - a sticky, gooey ball, it how to cook dumplings, fruitcake, as the pounding continued while the was placed on a well floured doughnuts, buns and bread to name turner did her job without getting her (cornstarch) table to be formed into a few. I remember I used Royal yeast hands pounded too. The rhythm of Continued on page 2 then. Although I could not speak Contents English, my children served as Haru Moriyama’s Reminiscences of Oshogatsu in Mission 1 interpreters and with much gesturing New Year Celebrations in the Thirties 4 and laughing, Mrs. Hammond and I Shogatsu Celebrations in Tokyo During the 1930s 5 The Japanese Sword Collection of Yoshimaru Abe 6 managed to communicate well. Ethnic Expectations 8 Mochitsuki (rice cake Friends of East Lillooet Reunion September 12 & 13, 2003 9 pounding) is a traditional ritual that Steveston Buddhist Temple 75th Anniversary Celebration 10 most pioneer Japanese families Mission Long Overdue 12 observed at the end of each year in Nikkei Week 2003 Summary 14 JCNM Manager/Curator’s Report 16 preparation for the New Year’s My Dad and the Canadian Fishing Company 17 season. Mochi-tsuki day was a big Shining Light 18 event. Every member of the family Victoria Japanese Community at April 22, 1942 20 1 small, biscuit-shaped mochi. Some of Japan. Washed mochi rice is put in Announcements the mochi was eaten hot and soft the bowl, automatically cooked and Breakfast with Santa fresh from the usu, flavoured with pounded to perfection and mochi Saturday, December 13, 2003 either a mixture of sugar and soy comes out ready to be formed into 9:00-10:30 and 11:00-12:30 Children under 12 - $2.50, Adults -$4.00 sauce or a sweet bean paste filling. cakes. This continuous process Most of the mochi was dried and machine is convenient, but all the Mochitsuki stored for later use. fun of mochi-making has been Saturday, December 27, 2003 Mochi was used in the taken away. Simpler still - most 12:30 - 15:30 traditional New Year’s breakfast. On people now buy mochi nicely NNMHC New Year’s morning, Toyoki wrapped in plastic. JCNM Lecture Series expected every member of the family We continued the tradition January 20, 2004 to be dressed and at the table bright of placing a two-layered mochi Tenney Homma and early for a formal exchange of stack in front of the family altar “Researching Your Family History” greetings. (The traditional New every New Year’s. Large mochi February 19, 2004 Year’s greeting included a thank-you cakes were made for this purpose. May Komiyama “A History of the Japanese in the United for last year’s help and cooperation, A mandarin orange was placed on Church of Canada” and a request for the same to continue top of this stack. This okagami, I during the present year. The am told, is partly religious, but March 16, 2004 Midge Ayukawa expression ai-kawalazu was used. mostly just decorative and festive. “Japanese Picture Brides” This term literally means “without a Toyoki always placed two change in love”.) Toyoki expected small evergreen trees (kado-matsu everyone to eat at least one bowl of or literally entrance pine) one on Nikkei Images is published by ozoni (a type of soup). I usually used each side of the front door. In the National Nikkei Museum katsuo (dried bonito flakes) to make Japan, the kado-matsu is usually and Heritage Centre Society the soup. I added vegetables such as placed at the front entrance on New carrots, daikon, gobo (burdock), Year’s Day. Originally pine, Editorial Committee: bamboo shoots, Japanese bamboo and plum were used. Sho- Stanley Fukawa, Grace Hama, mushrooms and seaweed. The soup Chiku-Bai or pine-bamboo-plum Frank Kamiya, Mitsuo Yesaki, was flavoured with a bit of soy are symbolic of the good wishes Carl Yokota sauce. I added the mochi cakes, given at a special celebration. The which absorbed the flavours and pine has a good root system, many Subscription to Nikkei Images cooked to a nice soft consistency. branches and good foliage. Thus, is free with your yearly I remember how I warned the the pine symbolizes a wish for a membership to NNMHCS: children to eat slowly so as not to flourishing family. The bamboo is a Family $25 choke on the mochi. Most of us straight, tall tree with a good root Individual $20 loved ozoni, but I am sure some of system. It does not break when Senior/Student $15 the children would have preferred blown and it propagates well. The Senior Couple $20 a breakfast of porridge, toast and bamboo, too, symbolizes a stable, Non-profit Association $50 eggs. flourishing family. The plum is a long Corporate $100 Dried mochi kept well. lasting tree with dainty blossoms $1 per copy for non-members Weeks later, we would enjoy mochi that has a lovely scent. The plum served in various ways. Mochi symbolizes longevity and all that is NIKKEI PLACE cakes were often heated in a hot lovely and good. 6688 Southoaks Crescent, oven until soft and puffy. This We invited the Hammonds Burnaby, B.C., V5E 4M7 Canada served with sugar and soy sauce for New Year’s. They were tel: (604) 777-7000 was considered a tasty teatime impressed with our suzuri buta. The fax: (604) 777-7001 treat. Sometimes hot mochi cakes suzuri buta was made on special [email protected] were coated with sweetened occasions. It consists of a large tray www.jcnm.ca soybean flour. with food arranged in an artistic Today many people of manner. A small evergreen branch Japanese origin prepare mochi in stuck in a holder (usually a chunk of an electrical device imported from potato or daikon served this 2 represented old age, as they seemed to be bent with age. We always enjoyed makizushi (rolled sushi). Makizushi was made by rolling flavoured rice jellyroll-style with seaweed or nori. I placed five different ingredients in the center. These were usually eggs, barbecued unagi (eel), shitake (Japanese mushroom), kampyo (type of marrow) and flaked fish, which was coloured red. Sometimes for variety I used spinach or celery. The makizushi was cut and arranged with cut side up. Ginger, which was coloured red, was slivered and arranged as a garnish for this dish. Five items were used in the centre of the makizushi as the odd numbers are considered lucky numbers. It would be considered a faux pas to use four items for example. Four was especially avoided as the word “four” in Japanese is shi, which is the word for “death” as well. Little superstitions like this dictated many set procedures for the Japanese housewife. We also always had inarizushi, flavoured rice stuffed into age bags. Age is made from soybeans. We bought tofu and age from a family who made them as a business. Another type of rice dish Oshogatsu table laden with many Japanese dishes in the Tamagi home. Haru’s consisted of rice steamed with family continues her tradition of celebrating New Year’s with a sumptuous dinner. azuki (red beans) and shaped like (Fumi Tamagi photo, ca. 1990) a cherry blossom or other geometric purpose) was placed in the center. also always had a whole baked fish. shapes with special presses. This represented the forest or The baked fish was eased carefully Nishime was another favourite mountain.

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