Young water - Wakamizu

The first water drawn early in the morning on New Year's Day. Also called Hatsu-mizu. In the Heian period, in the Imperial Court, the Chief Water Officer would draw fresh water from a sealed well early in the morning on the first day of spring, and women in attendance would offer it to the Emperor as a breakfast. Later, the morning rituals fell into disuse, and the custom of drawing fresh water early in the morning on New Year's Day became established. Today, the water is drawn by the man who is the chief priest of the Toshigami Festival, wakamizu, who gets up early in the morning and goes to a well, spring, or river with a newly purchased ladle and bucket, calling it "wakamizu mukae." It is offered to the Toshigami, used to rinse the mouth, boiled and drunk by the whole family as "fukucha," or used to prepare zouni. In some places in Western Japan, it is the housewife's role to draw the water, but there seems to be some hidden reason behind this. The general practice for drawing the water is to chant auspicious words such as "draw good fortune, draw virtue, draw happiness" and "draw golden water" and to offer mochi (rice cakes) and washed rice. However, in Akita Prefecture, people put half of a round rice cake into the well and put the rest in young water to take home, and in southern Kyushu, people drop a rice cake for teething into a bucket of young water and tell the fortune of the year by how it turns over. In some parts of Kitashitara County, Aichi Prefecture, people pick up two pebbles from the well and keep them in the bottom of a water jar or in a tea kettle all year round. These young waters are believed to have the power to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune throughout the year, but at the same time, they are also expected to have the power to rejuvenate people, as in the ancient belief in ochimizu (a type of water that changes with time). In recent years, with the spread of running water, the custom of drawing young water is on the verge of disappearing in many places.

[Noriaki Tanaka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

元日早朝に初めてくむ水。初水ともいう。平安時代、宮中では、あらかじめ封じておいた生気(せいき)のある井戸から、主水司(もいとりのつかさ)が立春早朝に若水をくみ、女房の手によって天皇の朝餉(あさげ)に奉った。その後、朝儀が廃れ、元旦(がんたん)早朝にくむ風が定着した。現行民間の若水は、年神祭の祭主である年男が未明に起き、「若水迎え」などと称して新調した柄杓(ひしゃく)と手桶(ておけ)を持って井戸や泉・川に行ってくんでくるもの。年神に供えたり、口をすすいだり、沸かして福茶などといって家族一同で飲んだり、雑煮(ぞうに)の支度に用いたりする。西日本にはくむのを主婦の役目にしている所があるが、何か隠された理由があると思われる。くむ作法としては、「福くむ、徳くむ、幸いくむ」「こがねの水くみます」などのめでたい唱え言をしたり、餅(もち)や洗い米を供えるなどが一般的であるが、秋田県などのように、丸餅を半分だけ井戸に入れ残りを若水に入れて持ち帰ったり、九州南部のように、歯固(はがた)めの餅を若水桶に落として表裏の返り方で年占いをするなど、所によって特色ある作法が守られている。愛知県北設楽(きたしたら)郡の一部には、このとき井戸から小石を二つ拾ってきて、一年中水甕(みずがめ)の底や茶釜(ちゃがま)に入れておく所があった。これら若水には、年中の邪気を払い幸いを招く力が認められていたが、同時に、古代の変若水(おちみず)の信仰のように人を若返らせる力も期待されているのであろう。近年、水道の普及に伴い、若水をくむ風は各地で絶えようとしている。

［田中宣一］

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