🍡 Seigaku Mochi

Invented by "Ohara Yugaku", a farmer leader active in the late Edo period. The name 'Seigaku mochi' is a reference to the study of 'seigaku' taught by Ohara Yugaku. "Seigaku" is based on the concept of harmony between morality and economy, and the idea that people should live in accordance with their natural conscience and help each other. The "seigaku mochi" was invented after trials by Yugaku, who wanted to make a kind of rice cake available to farmers who were unable to eat glutinous rice, which was expensive at the time. "Rice flour" is used without being ground into powder, steamed twice and prepared using a mortar and pestle, similar to the process of pounding mochi (a mochi pounding machine can also be used). This technique spread primarily among rice farmers in the Katori and Kaiso regions, which were once famous for their rice production. Unlike mochi made from glutinous rice, this method boasts excellent preservability due to its non-hardening quality. It has been widely transmitted and passed down. It is also known by the alternate name "Tsukinuki Mochi."