🍚 Mossou Meshi (Mixed Rice made with a Mold)

"Mossou meshi" is a type of rice that is molded into a certain shape using a wooden mold. Sushi rice or mixed rice is molded into a round or fan-shape. It is said to come from Buddhist vegetarian cuisine where monks prepared a single bowl of rice in a wooden mold so that each person would get an equal portion as that was all they ate for one meal. In the Seisan region and other parts of Kagawa prefecture, Momote festivals were held each year to wish for a bountiful harvest, safety at sea, and to drive away evil spirits. Young boys would wear "kamishimo" (=formal wear) and aim arrows at a target using bows. A total of 200 arrows were shot, and two arrows were counted as one, which is how the festivals got its name. The festivals differ slightly per region. In Mitoyo city, "mossou meshi" was served at these festivals which is how this dish became popular among locals. (Below is the broadcast at lunchtime at local schools in Mitoyo) "Meat mossou is a local dish of Toyonaka-cho, Mitoyo. After the festival of Kojin (God of fire), the Touya, the head of the festival, makes mossou meshi for everyone and everyone eats it while thinking of ways to make the festival better for the following year."