🍚 Aka-mochi (Red Rice Cake)

Aka-mochi is a red-colored rice cake made from red corn flour. It is said that around the Kamakura period (1185-1333), Anyo Shonin, the founder of Amidadera Temple, brought the seeds of corn, the ingredient of "aka-mochi" (red rice cake), from his native Gunma Prefecture to Nagasu, Bando City, and introduced them there. When the Tone River floods due to heavy rainfall, most crops along the river are adversely affected by water damage, but only tall corn avoided flood damage. Because rice wasn't as abundantly harvested as it is now, it is believed that 'Akamochi,' made from corn, became a source of food. Corn is an annual grass of the Poaceae family. In the summer, it produces ears, and as the autumn harvest approaches, the nutritious grain changes to a reddish-purple color. 'Akamochi' is made by grinding this into powder, and it cannot be made without red corn flour. ecause it can be cultivated in regions where rice and wheat may have difficulty growing, it was often grown in areas prone to flooding, such as rural areas along the Tone River, Naka River (Nakagawa), and Kuji River. However, nowadays, with land improvement leading to the creation of paddy fields, the number of people cultivating corn has become limited, and obtaining corn flour consistently has become challenging. In an era when rice cultivation was not as reliable due to weather conditions and other factors, 'Akamochi' was eaten not only as a staple food to fill the stomach but also enjoyed as a snack during breaks from agricultural work.