Food and the Heart

The Power of Rice 1

It was well known, and observed by the ancients, that there was a great difference in the profits of each food according to its material, method of preparation, and method of ingestion. It is only that what was perceived as the underlying theory was completely different from the current nutrition theory. How much negotiation is there between these two laws? In addition, how much readiness is satisfied or deficient can be identified from the results? It is inevitable that people in the past could not understand our school in advance. Shouldn't their successors have looked at the ruts of the cars in front of them and carefully decided the course of their research? They begin a new discussion on a seemingly mundane and small problem, just as they have done before. This is because many of them often distract the attention of those who call themselves researchers and disappear without taking advantage of the important facts that are being worked on.

observe（動）遵守する

ingestion（名）摂取

underlying（形）基礎となる、根本的な

nutrition（名）栄養学

readiness（名）用意が出来ていること

deficient（形）不足した

inevitable（形）不可避な

in advance......前もって、あらかじめ

successor（名）後継者

rut（名）轍

discussion（名）考察

mundane（形）平凡な

distract（動）気を散らす

work on......取り組む、研究する

First, let's talk about chikara mochi (power rice cake). When I was traveling on foot, there were teahouses at the top of many of the mountain passes, selling rice cakes in front of them. The name of them was always chikara mochi, and other than the name, it was just an ordinary specialty. So-called hikers these days will still get to see the remnants from time to time. For example, they are sold at the top of Mt. Tsukuba*. Why do teahouses sell chikara mochi to them in places where they have climbed with great effort? Probably because there are many people who want to say it, most of them are names of historical strongmen such as Benkei and Soga Goro**, and in fact, there is even a moth-eaten mortar for rice cakes that Musashibo used in temples in Yashima, Sanuki Province.

specialty（名）特産品、名産品

remnant（名）名残、残存

moth-eaten（形）虫に食われた

The use of a mortar was mainly a woman's role until a horizontal pestle, such as a horse's face, which is used today, came in. All grains, not only rice cakes, were prepared by their slight hands. The fact that the mortar is carefully kept is simple and clear, and it can be considered that the origin of the name chikara mochi has been forgotten. Even if Benkei pounded rice cakes with it first, or if he just stopped by and ate them, it is actually strange that they were called chikara mochi, so one question is how the name came about. Our method is not necessarily complicated. We need only a little patience to find out when the same word is used nationwide. There may be no immediate, definitive answer. But at least we know the path of transition. So we can get closer and closer to the root. The chikara mochi was the only example.

horizontal（形）水平な

pestle（名）杵

slight（形）か弱い

pound（動）搗く

come about......生じる

patience（名）忍耐、我慢

definitive（形）明確な

transition（名）変遷

*Mt. Tsukuba: An 877-meter-high mountain in Ibaraki Prefecture. It has been worshipped since ancient times, and there is a shrine on the top.

**Benkei and Soga Goro: Musashibo Benkei (? - 1189) was a monk who was a vassal of MIinamoto no Yoshitsune, a warlord, and was known for his supernatural power. Soga Goro (1174 - 1193) is known to have attacked his father's enemy with his younger brother Juro.