Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

WOOD MALLET FOR MOCHI (RICE CAKE)

Date Range From

1930

Date Range To

1950

Materials

WOOD

No. Pieces

1

Height

73.0

Width

50.8

Diameter

9.5

Description

HEAD HAS 2 CRACKS, ONE IS 22.8 CM LONG, OTHER IS 33 CM LONG. POUNDING EDGE IS WORN. HANDLE LOOSE, MADE FROM AN AXE HANDLE. POUNDING HEAD MADE FROM TREE TRUNK. HANDLE IS CRACKED, COVERED IN BLACK TAPE.

Subjects

FOOD PROCESSING T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

MAKING OF MOCHI WAS AN ANNUAL EVENT JUST PRIOR TO NEW YEARS. SPECIAL RICE WAS STEAMED & POUNDED INTO A DOUGH & SMALL CAKES ABOUT 5 MM THICK & 6 CM IN DIAMETER WERE MADE. TO POUND THE MOCHI, VARIOUS VESSELS WERE USED TO IMITATE HOLLOWED OUT LOGS USED IN JAPAN. A WOODEN MALLET WAS USED TO POUND THE MOCHI, THE MALLET USED MUCH LKE A SLEDGE HAMMER. OFTEN FRIENDS OR NEIGHBOURS WOULD GATHER TO MAKE MOCHI TOGETHER. THEY WOULD CALL OUT "GOOD MOCHI", OR "YOU'LL BE A DANDY" , AND "GREAT TASTING MOCHI". AS MOCHI NEARED ITS PRIME TEXTURE, ONE PERSON WOULD POUND AND THE OTHER WOULD TURN MOCHI IN THE "USU"(VESSEL TO MAKE MOCHI UNIFORM). DONORS HUSBAND ONCE MANAGED THE BUDDHIST CHURCH AND THE CO-OP STORE IN RAYMOND. THE STORE ONCE FUNCTIONED TO RAISE BADLY NEEDED FUNDS FOR THE CHURCH AT ONE POINT. MRS. FLO SENDA (YOSH) IS DONORS DAUGHTER. MALLET FEATURED IN LETHBRIDGE LIVING MAGAZINE IN MAY/JUNE 2009. CONCEQUENTLY, NEW RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED WITH DR. ROBERT HIRONAKA AND FLO SENDA (NEE HIRONAKA), CLARIFYING DETAILS SINCE ORIGINAL DONATION WAS MADE IN 1979. SENDA STATED THAT THE DONATED MALLET WAS MADE BY HER FATHER, YOICHI (HARRY) HIRONAKA, FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING SWEET RICE-BASED MOCHI. MOCHI, SHE SAID, WAS MADE IN ADVANCE OF JAPANESE NEW YEARS DAY CELEBRATIONS – USUALLY A DAY OR TWO PRIOR. PRODUCTION BEGAN WITH THE WASHING AND STEAMING OF SWEET, STICKY RICE KNOWN AS MOCHIGOME. THEREAFTER, THE RICE WAS DUMPED INTO A VESSEL – IN THE CASE OF THE HIRONAKAS, A CEMENT-LINED DRUM – WHERE, IT WAS POUNDED IN A RHYTHMIC FASHION WITH MALLETS. SENDA’S PARENTS HOSTED THE ANNUAL EVENT; INVITING HER EXTENDED PATERNAL COUSINS, ON ACCOUNT THAT HER FATHER WAS THE ELDEST SON AND BECAUSE HER PARENTS’ HOUSE WAS THE LARGEST AMONGST HER EXTENDED FAMILY. SENDA’S EARLIEST MEMORIES OF THE MOCHI-MAKING EVENT INCLUDE HER AWAKENING ON 30 DECEMBER TO ONE OR TWO BATCHES OF MOCHI ALREADY BEING MADE. TWO COUSINS – NAOCHI AIMOTO AND KAISUKE HIRONAKA - WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR POUNDING THE MOCHI WHILE HER FATHER FLIPPED THE IMPACTED RICE OVER WITH HIS HANDS BETWEEN HITS. THE POUNDING, SAID SENDA, WENT ON ALL MORNING. IN FUTURE YEARS, THE JOB OF POUNDING THE RICE WAS TAKEN OVER BY SENDA’S SIBLINGS AND COUSINS. IN THE EARLY YEARS, IT WAS SENDA’S (NEE HIRONAKA) AND HER SIBLINGS’ JOB TO MAKE MOCHI WITH THE POUNDED RICE. THE RICE WAS FORMED BY THE WOMEN TO FORM A MOCHI PATTY. ONCE MADE, SHE RECALLED IT WAS STILL WARM AND WAS, SOMETIMES, EATEN IMMEDIATELY WITH SWEETENED SOY BEANS AND/OR GRATED WHITE RADISH SEASONED WITH SHOYU. MOST MOCHI WAS LEFT TO DRY AND HARDEN. THEREAFTER, SOME WAS PLACED BY THE KIDS ON A COAL STOVE WHERE, IT “WARMED AND PUFFED UP”. THE EXPANDED MOCHI WAS, THEREAFTER, PLACED IN OZONI SOUP FOR NEW YEARS DAY BREAKFAST, EATEN WITH SUGAR AND SHOYU. MOCHI, ACCORDING TO SENDA, HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN JAPANESE CANADIAN FOLKLORE, REPRESENTING THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSEVERANCE. “NO MATTER HOW MUCH ONE IS POUNDED DOWN” SHE SAID, “(MOCHI, LIKE PEOPLE) SPRING BACK UP.” THE PURCHASE ENDED THE TRADITIONAL PRODUCTION OF MOCHI WHICH, ACCORDING TO SENDA, WAS AN ANNUAL EVENT THROUGH THE 30S AND 40S AND LONGER. SOMETIME AFTER SENDA LEFT HOME, HER MOTHER BOUGHT AN ELECTRIC, COMMERCIAL MOCHI MAKER. AFTER THE MALLET FELL INTO DISUSE, IT WAS STORED IN A SUB-GRADE ICE HOUSE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE MALLET, PLEASE REFERENCE THE PERMANENT FILE. SEE ATTACHED FAMILY HISTORY P19790275000-GA NARRATIVE BELOW SOLICITED FROM REYKO NISHIYAMA IN EARLY 2010 WHEN THIS ARTIFACT WAS EXHIBITED AS PART OF THE GALT’S TREASURES & CURIOSITIES DISPLAY. THE NARRATIVE BECAME THE BASIS FOR THE ARTIFACT’S LABEL COPY IN THE EXHIBIT. *** TOWARDS THE END OF DECEMBER EVERY YEAR, I WOULD WAKE UP TO THE SMELL OF STEAM AS MY MOTHER WAS STEAMING THE MOCHI-RICE IN PREPARATION FOR MAKING “MOCHI CAKES” FOR NEW YEARS. THE STEAMED RICE WAS PLACED IN A CEMENT “USU” THAT HAD BEEN KEPT WARM WITH HOT WATER. THEN MY FATHER OR MY OLDER BROTHER WOULD POUND THE RICE WITH THE MALLET. THE RICE NEEDED TO BE TURNED OVER AFTER EACH POUND AND MY MOTHER OR FATHER WOULD TURN THE HOT RICE OVER AND OVER. AFTER THE GRAINS HAD BEEN POUNDED INTO A SMOOTH CONSISTENCY, IT WOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO THE TABLE COVERED WITH CORNSTARCH (TO PREVENT STICKING). MY MOTHER WOULD SQUEEZE OUT SMALL ROUND PORTIONS WHICH WE WOULD QUICKLY SMOOTH INTO MOCHI. BY THE AFTERNOON, THE TABLE WOULD BE COVERED WITH HUNDREDS OF “MOCHI” WHICH WERE CAREFULLY STORED TO BE SAVORED IN THE WEEKS AHEAD. ONE SPECIAL DISH WAS THE “OZONI” SOUP WHICH WAS SERVED ON NEW YEAR MORNING. THE BROTH WOULD BE FLAVORED WITH FISH CAKE (KAMABOKO), SOME SHRIMP OR “MATSUTAKE” (PINE MUSHROOM). THE “MOCHI” WOULD BE TOASTED ON TOP OF THE COAL STOVE AND MOTHER WOULD DROP THESE INTO THE BROTH. TODAY “MOCHI” IS MADE IN AN ELECTRIC “MOCHI” MACHINE. OUR GRANDCHILDREN LIKE BAKED “MOCHI” DROPPED IN SUGAR AND SOY SAUCE. ***

Catalogue Number

P19790273000

Acquisition Date

1978-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail