日本語は英語の後に続きます。Japanese follows.

My tea-mate travelled to the Kannamesai of

the Ise-jingu Shrine and Kyoto.  I received a

box of “Oitopoi from Doki Kawabata” as a

souvenir.  “Oitopoi” means “cute” in Court

language spoken by court ladies.  It’s a

Japanese dry sweet.  Its elegant sweetness

goes well with matcha. 

oitopoi

“Kannamesai (The First Fruits Festival)” is

a court event held in mid-October.  It is a

festival held by the emperor to offer the

new rice of the year to Ise-jingu Shrine and

to thank its blessings, and is said to last for

nearly 1300 years. 

kamamochi

I had some Japanese wagashi sweets related

to the harvest in the season of harvest.  The

“kamamochi” of Daikokuya-kamamochi-honpo

in Kyoto, which takes the shape of a sickle

used to harvest rice and expresses a wish for

a good harvest, and “Nerikiri (a Japanese cake

made of white bean jam which is coloured and

shaped)” is the “year of abundance” which is

shaped like rice ears.

 nerikiri

お茶仲間が伊勢神宮の神嘗祭と京都を

旅してきた。お土産に京都の御粽司

「川端道喜のおいとぽい」をいただいた。

宮中女官の御所ことばで「可愛い」という

意味の和三盆のお干菓子。上品な甘さが

抹茶によく合う。

 

神嘗祭は、十月中旬に行われる宮中行事。

天皇がその年の新米を伊勢神宮に供え

恵みに感謝する祭事で、1300年近く続く

とか。

 

実りの季節、収穫にちなんだ和菓子を

いくつかいただいた。稲を刈る鎌の形を

かたどり豊作への願いを込めた京都

大黒屋鎌餅本舗の「鎌餅」に、練り切りは

稲穂をかたどった「豊年」。