🍱 Ohagi

"Ohagi" is a well-loved dish throughout Japan. The red color of azuki beans has long been believed to ward off evil spirits, and as such, it has been incorporated into various seasonal celebratory dishes. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, "Ohagi" is offered as an ancestral ritual. This practice is said to be rooted in the belief that the azuki beans, known for their protective properties, combined with the use of sugar, which was considered precious at the time, conveyed gratitude to ancestors. "Ohagi" is also known as "Bota-mochi," and there are various theories about its origin. One representative explanation is that it is called "Bota-mochi" in spring and "Ohagi" in autumn, reflecting the change in seasonal names. In spring, it is named after the peony flowers (“Botan”) that bloom during that time, while in autumn, it is named after the bush clover flowers (“Hagi”). Kyoto is a renowned region to produce azuki beans for "Ohagi," especially the "Tanba Dai-nagon Azuki" variety, which is known as a brand of azuki beans nationwide. Cultivated mainly in the mountainous basins of the Naka-tan and Minami-tan regions, the region's significant temperature fluctuations between morning and evening throughout the year contribute to the growth of large, beautifully shaped azuki beans with a strong sweetness, including those resembling traditional court caps ("Eboshi") or straw bags for rice ("Kome-dawara"). The "Tanba Dai-nagon Azuki" is said to have taken its name from "Dai-nagon", a high rank that it is not customary to commit "Seppuku" (ritual suicide), because its skin does not tear easily when cooked, and it is hard to "cut off the belly".