Red bean porridge - Azukigayu

Rice porridge boiled with red beans. Unlike ordinary white rice porridge, it turns red, and the color is believed to have magical powers, so it was used to ward off disasters when moving houses or setting out on a journey. It is also made as a special food for festivals and annual events, especially at Ko-shogatsu and the Daishi-ko on November 23rd. In eastern Japan, it is customary to have red bean porridge on the morning of the 15th of the New Year, and it was also used in events such as toshiura, which predicts the year's harvest, and narikizeme, which is a ritual to pray for an abundant fruit harvest. In the general public, porridge divination is done using a porridge stirrer or porridge stand, while at shrines, it is often done using bamboo or reed tubes or pipes, and is called the Tsutsugayu Festival or Kudagayu Ritual. At the Tsutsugayu Festival of Mitsumine Shrine in Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, the ratio of rice grains to red beans in 36 reed tubes is checked to predict the harvest. There are also various local customs that have been passed down, such as eating red bean porridge on the 15th will ward off evil spirits for the year, avoid being bitten by poisonous insects, and blowing on it before eating will bring a strong wind during the rice flowering season. In haiku poetry, it is also called jugo nichi gayu (15th day porridge), mochi no gayu (hope porridge), or unjo shuku (red-colored porridge), and is a seasonal word for the New Year.

[Takeda Dan]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

小豆を入れて煮た粥。普通の白粥と違って赤く染まるので、その色に呪力(じゅりょく)を認め、屋移りや旅立ちに災異除(よ)けとして用いられた。またハレの日の食物として神祭や年中行事にもつくられ、小正月や11月23日の大師講に著しい。東日本では正月15日の朝は小豆粥が通例で、その年の豊凶を占う年占(としうら)や果物の豊穣(ほうじょう)を呪願する成木責(なりきぜ)めなどの行事にも用いられた。粥占(かゆうら)は、民間では粥掻(か)き棒、粥立て棒を使い、神社では竹やアシの筒、管によることが多く、筒粥(つつがゆ)祭、管粥(くだがゆ)神事などとよばれる。埼玉県秩父(ちちぶ)市の三峰(みつみね)神社の筒粥祭でも、36本のアシ筒に入った米粒と小豆の割合を調べて作柄を占う。また各地で、15日に小豆粥を食べると一年の邪気を払う、毒虫に刺されない、これを吹いて食べると稲の開花期に大風が吹くなどの言い習わしも伝えられてきた。俳諧(はいかい)では十五日粥(じゅうごにちがゆ)、望(もち)の粥、紅調粥(うんじょうしゅく)ともいい、新年の季語になっている。

［竹田　旦］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例