Hanabira mochi

I never knew of a Japanese confectionery that is only sold around New Year until I started learning Japanese tea. Showing blessing for the year, appreciation for the food, and happiness for the New Year.

Origin

I first met Hanabira mochi at a New Year tea ceremony organized by my tea teacher. Hanabira mochi is made with a sweetened burdock and white miso and pink colored miso wrapped in a half moon shaped mochi or rice flour. In the old days, Japan had many farmers that cropped rice which they made mochi preparing for the New Year to thank god for food. They would dry a fish called “ayu”, a sweetfish, and put it up across the mochi.

In the Heian period around 794, they would have an event for three days from New Year hoping for strong healthy teeth. The kanji for age “齢” has a teeth meaning kanji “歯” in it meaning having a strong teeth equals long living life, even in the Analects of Confucius says “Roughten teeth are the end of life”. They ate radish and gourd, deer and wild boar meat, ayu, well balanced food that would bring nutrition to the teeth.

Another story is that the Imperial Palace gave out Hanabira mochi representing “Ozoni” as a New Year’s food which is a miso soup (what kind of miso they use is very different in the region but I won’t tell the story here) with always mochi inside. It does make sense of Hanabira mochi having a miso inside the mochi when we know “Ozoni”.

As I mentioned before, Japanese were farmers back then, made a mochi out of the cropped rice and showed appreciation to god for the food, wishing for happiness for the New Year. With the leftovers, they made “Ozoni”, traditionally the first food we eat for the New Year. This is hoping for happiness and health for the family.

How did it get to be a New Year tea ceremony confectionery?

It is said that the beginning was Gengensai, who is the eleventh tea master of Urasenke, one of the largest Japanese tea society, brought Hanabira mochi to the Imperial palace New Year tea ceremony on the request of Kawabata Doki, a Japanese confectionery shop for over 500 year history.

With my family we always eat Hanabira mochi on the day before the New Year. I guess there’s no rule but with green tea that I make and Hanabira mochi, it makes me feel relaxed and prepared for the New Year.
Oh! The taste. With a soft mochi, and not too sweet miso with sweetened burdock has a unique but delicate and elegant taste. I always like Sentaro or Futatsuchaya but many Japanese confectionery shop sells it only this season so try and find your taste!