🍡 Yashouma (Colorful Mochi)

In the northern regions, February 15th is a day known as Nehan-e, commemorating the death of Buddha, and there is a custom to make "yashouma" and offer it on the Buddhist altar. Yashouma is a steamed rice-flour dumpling colored and molded, and it used to be made in almost every household. Generally, "yashouma" was made in homes or temples and given to children, a practice known as "yashouma o hiku" (pulling yashouma). The typical shape is a long, stick-like dumpling with a convex top using chopsticks, but various shapes exist, such as triangular, hourglass with a narrowed center, or petal-shaped. In recent years, yashouma with colorful patterns has become popular among children. In Ueda City, dumplings called "neji" are made by kneading rice flour, coloring it with red or green food dye, and filling it with sweet bean paste. These dumplings are shaped like vegetables, flowers, animals, and more. The annual event "Tozawa no Neji" held in February, recognized as a nationally selected intangible folk cultural property, involves children pulling a straw horse, visiting a roadside god, and praying for good health and a bountiful harvest.