🍚 Fuki-dawara (Soybean Rice wrapped in Butterbur Leaves)

In the Yamato Kogen region, the day marking the beginning of rice planting is called "Sabiraki", and on this day, people create "Fukidawara" and offer it on household altars, praying for a bountiful harvest. Since it is made on the day of the start of rice planting, it is also called "Sabiraki Gohan" or "Daizu Gohan." The use of butterbur leaves for wrapping imparts a delightful fragrance to the dish. The soybeans cooked with rice symbolize the wish for the beans to grow large and abundant. Due to its resemblance to a rice bag, it is called "Fukidawara." People arrange 12 rice seedlings and 12 Fukidawara on the ridges of the paddy field, offer them, and then the family gathers to pray for a fruitful harvest and safety during the rice planting period. Afterward, they eat the dish right there before proceeding with the rice planting.