The Seven Herbs of Spring

Japanese: 春の七草 - はるのななくさ

Seven kinds of young leaves picked on the seventh day of the New Year and put into nanakusa-gayu (rice porridge with seven herbs). They are called Seri (water dropwort ), Shepherd's purse, Gogyo ( sacred herb), Hakobe (chickweed) , Hotoke -no-za (buddha's seat), Suzuna (turnip) , and Suzushiro (currant vine) . ⇔ Autumn seven herbs. [Essay] (1) While the autumn seven herbs are for viewing, the spring seven herbs are for ingredients in nanakusa-gayu (rice porridge with seven herbs). The custom of putting young leaves into porridge on the seventh day of the New Year and eating them seems to have started around the Engi era. The custom of picking and eating young leaves in the New Year to emulate their vitality has existed since ancient times.
(2) In the Chinese Liang Dynasty's "Jingchu Saijiki," there is an article about eating a soup made from seven kinds of herbs on the seventh day of the New Year, the human day, to ward off misfortune and pray for eternal youth and longevity. The custom of eating nanakusa-gayu is thought to have spread from ancient Japanese customs under the influence of this Chinese event.
(3) The types of the seven herbs do not change depending on the era or place. In the "Shukosho-I" ( 1445-46 ), it is written, "Serina, natsuna, five shapes, open the Buddha's seat, without any legs, these are the seven kinds." In the Otogi-zoshi "Seven Herbs Story," we see "Pottery, nettle, Ogata, tabirako, Buddha's seat, suzuna, suzushiro," but in "Yashina Higusa-Ihen" ( 1784 ), there is a poem that is still known today: "Serina, natsuna, five gyaau, hakobera, Buddha's seat, suzuna, suzushiro, these are the seven herbs."

Source: The Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary About the Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary Information

Japanese:

正月七日に摘んで、七草がゆに入れる七種の若菜。芹(せり)、薺(なずな)、御形(ごぎょう)、繁縷(はこべ)、仏座(ほとけのざ)、菘(すずな)、蘿蔔(すずしろ)の称。⇔秋の七草。[語誌](1)秋の七草が観賞の対象であるのに対し、春の七草は七草粥の食材である。正月七日に若菜を粥に入れて食べる習慣は、延喜年間頃に始まるらしい。新春の若菜の生命力にあやかって、これを摘んだり食べたりする習俗は古来からすでにあった。
(2)中国、梁の宗懍の「荊楚歳時記」には正月七日、人日に、災厄を払い、不老長寿を願って、七種の菜の羹を服するという記事がある。七草粥の習俗は、この中国の行事の影響の下、日本古来の風習が淵源となって広まったものと思われる。
(3)七草の種類は時代や土地により一定せず、「壒嚢鈔‐一」（一四四五‐四六）には「せりなつな五形たひらく仏の座あしなみみなし是や七種」とあり、御伽草子「七草草紙」には「芹、薺、御形、たびらこ、仏の座、すずな、すずしろ」が見えるが、天明四年（一七八四）の「やしなひぐさ‐前編」には現在も知られる「せりなづな五ぎゃうはこべら仏のざ、すずなすずしろこれぞ七くさ」という歌がある。

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