Noshi - Gift wrapping

Abbreviation of Noshi Awabi. Abalone meat is peeled and cut into thin strips, folded and sandwiched between red and white paper, and tied with Mizuhiki, and is attached to gifts on auspicious occasions. Japan is surrounded by the sea, but in the days when fishing techniques and transportation systems were underdeveloped, there was a strong desire to eat fish and shellfish as fishy food. Even though everyday side dishes were mainly vegetables, people longed to eat fishy food for auspicious occasions. In this context, Buddhism formally prohibited the eating of fish, and all meals at Buddhist ceremonies were vegetarian. Therefore, gifts other than for Buddhist ceremonies were accompanied by "Noshi Awabi" as a representative of fishy food to show that they were not vegetarian. In some cases, fish fins are attached to kitchen doors, and two or three pieces are scratched off and attached to gifts on happy occasions; in some places, a chicken feather is also added. The reason why New Year's Kagami-mochi (rice cakes) are decorated with large noshi and bundled noshi, and the fact that bundled noshi is included in the betrothal gifts at weddings, was to emphasize that the gift was not intended to bring bad luck. Therefore, gifts for bad luck were originally not to be wrapped in noshi, but in recent years, it has become common to wrap gifts in black and white or blue and white paper instead of red and white, and to attach noshi tied with mizuhiki of the same color. Regardless of whether it is good or bad luck, yellow paper is used for the abalone part of the noshi, and there are also gift wrapping paper with noshi and mizuhiki printed on it, and noshi envelopes used when giving money, and the original meaning has been forgotten and it has become a formality.

[Shoji Inoguchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

熨斗鮑(あわび)の略。アワビの肉を桂(かつら)むきにしたものを薄くのし、紅白の紙を折って挟んで水引で結び、めでたいときの贈答品につける。日本は周囲を海に囲まれているが、漁業技術や運送態勢の未発達な時代には、魚貝類を生臭物(なまぐさもの)としてあこがれる気風が強かった。日常の食事のおかずは野菜が中心であっても、めでたいときの食事には、ぜひとも生臭物を口にしたいと念願した。そういう背景のなかで、仏教はたてまえとして魚食を禁じ、仏事のときの食事はすべて精進(しょうじん)料理であった。そのため仏事以外の贈答品には、精進でないことを示すために生臭物の代表として「熨斗鮑」を添えることになった。魚の鰭(ひれ)を台所の板戸などに貼(は)り付けておき、2、3本ひっかいて、めでたいときの贈答品に添える例もあり、鶏の羽を1本添える所もある。正月の鏡餅(もち)に大(おお)熨斗、束ね熨斗を飾るのも、婚礼の結納品目に束ね熨斗が入っているのも、凶事でないことを強調する意味があった。したがって凶事の贈答品には、熨斗をつけないのが本来の形であったが、近年は紅白の紙にかえて黒と白または青と白の紙に挟み、同色の水引で結んだ熨斗をつけることが一般化している。吉凶にかかわらず、熨斗鮑の部分に黄色い紙などを使い、また、熨斗と水引を印刷した進物用の包み紙や、金銭を贈るときに使う熨斗袋もあり、本来の意味が忘れられて形式化している。

［井之口章次］

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