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[Tsuchiya Orimonosho's Pot Holder Has Been Added]

Three sides of cloth, carefully hand-woven using unbleached linen yarn, are sewn together. This pot holder has a firm texture and is very convenient when you want to quickly grab an iron kettle or a frying pan.

Its calm, gentle appearance, as if taken from nature, and the unique texture of hand-weaving blend seamlessly into your kitchen and dining table.

Tsuchiya Orimonosho's Pot Holder
https://www.shokunin.com/en/tsuchiya/

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[The Story of Setsubun]

Setsubun, meaning “season-dividing day,” has long marked the transition between seasons and is held on the day before Risshun (the start of spring). This period, shifting from the harsh cold of winter to spring, is considered a time of great transition in the balance of yin and yang energies. It was traditionally believed that the energies of heaven and earth become unstable during this time. Consequently, it has long been regarded as a period when evil spirits and misfortune are likely to appear.

Setsubun marks the moment when winter’s yin energy peaks and spring’s yang energy begins to stir. During this transitional period when the energies of heaven and earth converge, all things are prone to change. Legends speak of tsukumogami—old objects becoming supernatural beings—and the emergence of demons and epidemics. It was seen as a time when humans were susceptible to illness and adverse effects on their physical and mental well-being.

To welcome the new season peacefully, people have performed rituals to ward off evil spirits. The most representative of these is “bean-throwing” (mame-maki), where beans are scattered while chanting “Fortune in, demons out!” The “Kagerō Nikki” (Diary of a Dragonfly), written by Fujiwara no Michitsuna’s mother during the Heian period, describes people enjoying the “oni-yarai” (demon-chasing) ritual to drive away demons. Later, during the Muromachi period, it evolved into the bean-throwing form we know today.

The connection between beans and the warding of evil lies in the word “mame.” In Japanese, “mame” can be a pun for both “demon eyes” (ma-me) and “destroying demons” (ma-me). This linguistic link reflects the ancient belief in kotodama (the spirit of words), where the act of scattering beans became a symbolic ritual to strike and shatter the “evil eyes” of demons.

Furthermore, beans are one of the five grains (rice, wheat, millet, sorghum, beans) and have been regarded as entities embodying the spiritual power of life. In grain spirit worship, the five grains were used in sacred rites, and beans and rice in particular were thought to possess the power to ward off evil. The use of roasted beans also stems from this belief. Raw beans were considered taboo as they might sprout, symbolizing “misfortune sprouting anew.” Furthermore, the word for “roasting” (iru) is a homophone for “shooting” (iru). Therefore, hard-roasted beans were deemed spiritually appropriate for “shooting” and piercing the demon’s eyes to neutralize their evil power.

The customs of Setsubun embody both a playful spirit and the earnest wish of people to safely navigate the changing seasons.

References
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/節分
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/言霊

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[Yamakujira]

Snow season has arrived. Is it snowing in your town? This ukiyo-e print, “Bikuni Bridge in Snow,” from Utagawa Hiroshige's iconic series “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo,” depicts a snowy Ginza scene from 160 years ago. The location is near the intersection of Sotobori-dori and the Tokyo Expressway, not far from our Ginza showroom. The view looks from Yaesu 2-chome towards Ginza 1-chome. Before the expressway was built, the Kyobashi River flowed beneath this area. Bikuni Bridge was located where the Kyobashi River met the outer moat of Edo Castle. In the painting, the stone walls of Edo Castle can be seen in the distance on the right. What appears in the background along the outer moat road is likely the fire watchtower believed to have stood near the Sukiyabashi Gate (present-day Sukiyabashi Intersection). Looking even closer, you can spot a sign for a roasted sweet potato vendor reading “Maru-yaki 13-ri.” At the time, sweet potatoes harvested around Kawagoe were popular. Since the distance from Edo to Kawagoe was 13-ri, and playing on the phrase “better than chestnuts (kuri/9-ri) by 4-ri” (9-ri + 4-ri = 13-ri), “13-ri” came to signify sweet potatoes. But what truly stands out is the “Yamakujira” (mountain whale) sign, isn't it?

“Yamakujira” referred to boar meat or game meat in general. Shops handling the meat of four-legged animals were collectively called “momonjiya.” Boar meat served on a plate resembled a peony flower, hence it was called “botan” (peony). Deer meat was called “momiji” (maple leaf), and horse meat, whose color resembled cherry blossoms, was called “sakura” (cherry blossom). The most famous momonjiya was Koshuya in Kojimachi Hirakawacho. The sign in the painting likely belongs to Owariya, which served peony hotpot. Since eating game meat was officially prohibited at the time, merchants apparently passed it off as a type of whale to continue their trade.

Even today, you can savor botannabe at a restaurant called Momonjiya (Toyodaya) in Ryogoku. Established in 1718 (Kyōhō 3), it's a long-established shop now in its ninth generation at this location. Originally a herbal medicine shop dealing in Kampo remedies, wild boar served as a popular medicinal ingredient for treating cold sensitivity and fatigue recovery, leading to its transformation into a restaurant. This wild boar, sourced from regions like Tamba and Suzuka, becomes increasingly tender the longer it simmers. We enjoyed it as sukiyaki. The seasoned iron sukiyaki pot added a sense of richness, heightening the festive mood. While the word “boar” (猪) evoked a meaty image, the meat was incredibly tender and light, with no gamey taste, making it easy for even women to enjoy. This time it was sukiyaki, but I hear in Kyoto, and elsewhere, they also serve botan nabe (boar and vegetable hotpot) using white miso or the restaurant's own special broth. I definitely want to try that next time.

Still, this Edo-period food culture of calling something forbidden “yamakujira” and then everyone happily eating it together... is it sophisticated? Or just lax? It feels like wordplay, making me want to peek deeper into the Edo world that continues into the modern era.

Kiya's Sukiyaki Pot
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kiya/sukiyaki.html
Ginza Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/ginza.html
Momonjiya
https://momonjya.gorp.jp/

References
https://colbase.nich.go.jp/collection_items/tnm/A-10569-7405 (ColBase “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Bikuni Bridge in Snow”)
https://www.kabuki-za.co.jp/syoku/2/no170.html
https://cleanup.jp/life/edo/68.shtml#:~:text=野猪肉を「山くじら」「,「さくら」と呼んだ%E3%80%82
https://earlybird.life/edotokyo-028
https://tokuhain.chuo-kanko.or.jp/detail.php?id=3217