Japan History and Culture

The opening of New Year’s rice cakes (Kagami biraki,鏡開き)

Kagami Biraki also known as the “Rice Cutting Ceremony”, literally “Mirror opening “or” Breaking of the Mochi.” means “to break the image of ourselves and our actions of the previous year. Many martial arts dojos hold such ceremonies to mark the beginning of the New Year. It traditionally celebrated on the January 11 (odd numbers are associated with being good luck in Japan).It refers to the opening of a Kagami mochi was offered to the Gods. Kagami biraki not cut with a knife, and instead the mochi(a round cake made of rice) was broken with one’s hands , wooden hammer or a wooden Taru (sake barrel) and to the opening of a cask of Sake at a party, wedding banquets, sporting events, starting a new company, ceremony, etc. People bake mochi into smaller pieces are roasted and put in zenzai or shiruko (sweet soup of boiled beans) or zoni (vegetable and meat soup) or eat it with salt or soy sauce.

 The first calligraphic of the New Year (KAKIZOME)             

Kakizome, literally “first writing” is an event for New Year to writefor the first time using a traditional writing brush. This date is traditionally set on January 2nd. Therefore often called “Kitsusho Hajime” (First fortune writing).Elementary schools and junior high schools have kakizome competitions annually.

The Kakizome of writing tools is using black writing ink,special paper called gasenshi (画仙紙) which, at almost 28×85cm, is much larger than the normal monthly works. The standard works are written on hanshi (半紙) which vary in size, but our official size is almost 26×36cm, scrolls, and decorative plaques.

The traditional procedure of Kakizome is making black writing ink with Wakamizu (first laved water of the year) by facing Ehou (the fortunate direction of the year from Oriental Zodiac teachings) then writing auspicious words or poetries such as long life, spring, or perennial youth.

 
Every year on January 5th, it is broadcasted nationwide about 4000 people gather for Kakizome as one of the calligraphy enterprises hosted at Nihon Budo-kan in Tokyo by Nihon Budo-kan Foundation.