It can be guessed from various examples that strength was not always provided in the form of rice cakes. The situation in which chikara-meshi was used was almost the same as that of chikara-mochi. For example, in Aijima, Nagato Province, there is still a custom that a pregnant woman is invited to her husband's relative's house and treated to a feast around the time of the ceremony of wearing a belt* to pray for easy delivery, and the meal is called chikara-meshi here and chikara-yobi (calling the power) in Toyoura County. In Okinoerabu Island in the southern part of Satsuma Province, when a baby is born, a special meal is provided for the baby in the evening, which is called chikara-meshi. In the western part of Miyazaki Prefecture, it is also said that the mountain god visits when a baby is born and stays there until a naming celebration ceremony is held on the seventh day, and the act of offering food to the mountain god as soon as a baby is born is called chikara-meshi. This is an almost nationwide custom. Usually, this is called ubutate-meshi, ubuya-no-meshi** (rice of a maternity hut), or ubugami-no-meshi (rice of the childbirth god), and it can be interpreted in various ways, including worshipping a god or expressing gratitude to a midwife for her hard work. In some regions, a dimple was made with a finger in the center of a bowl of rice piled high so that a baby girl could have a dimple, and a small stone was placed on the tray so that a baby boy could have a hard head. It was originally intended as a food for the baby, even if the baby didn't eat it. Also, inviting as many female relatives living in the neighborhood as possible and having them eat it in a lively manner would make it a communal eating ceremony centered on the baby. In the coastal area south of Sado Island, this rice is also called ubumeshi or yonameshi and it is sometimes referred to as chikara-meshi, meaning to give strength to babies. For example, near Tokyo, this is called chikara-gohan in a part of Iruma County, Musashi Province. There, rice is cooked right after childbirth and eaten by as many people as possible. The rice used to cook this rice was brought by a pregnant woman in advance, and it was common for her husband to cook it just as the baby made its first cry, offer it to Kojin-sama (the god of the hearth) first, and then offered to the midwives and visitors. There is also a village near here that calls this event ubuyashinai (postnatal feeding). This term is often seen in the records written by upper nobles in the medieval period, and this term is still used in its original form in many regions. Some Japanese literature scholars may interpret this term literally as a gift of food for a mother who has just given birth, but in this context, the focus was actually on the baby. In the Imperial Family, a solemn ceremony called oon-itadaki-mochi or itadaki-mochi was held after the birth of a child. During this ceremony, the young crown prince, still in diapers, would have an audience with his father, who was expected to throw rice cakes, making this a kind of chikara-mochi ceremony.

feast（名）ごちそう

nationwide（形）全国的な

gratitude（名）感謝

midwife（名）助産師

dimple（名）えくぼ

solemn（形）厳粛な

diaper（名）おむつ

Chikara-mochi was also offered in case of mishap. For example, in the Tamana region of Kumamoto Prefecture, rice balls that are always eaten by relatives just before the coffin is taken out are called chikara-meshi. There is a nationwide custom of eating rice before a funeral, often referred to as tachiwa-no-meshi or detachi-no-meshi (rice for departure). In the Tohoku region, a similar practice is called yautsuri (moving). Alternatively, red bean porridge or round-shaped rice balls (avoiding triangular shapes) are eaten. Although there are slight differences, these meals do not seem to be offered to the deceased. Instead, they are considered a kind of ritual meal eaten as a farewell to the dead, symbolizing the rice that gives strength to the living.

mishap（名）不幸、不運

farewell（名）別れ、告別

However, other cases have recently been discovered. In Onogawa Village, which borders Shinano and Hida, a set of chopsticks is placed upright in a tall pile of rice and offered in front of the coffin. People who gathered there just before the coffin was taken out ate one bite at a time with these chopsticks, and this is called chikarameshi here (Takeshi Imai reported). Overall, all the relatives of the deceased were affected by the impurity associated with the house of mourning. Even if they try to eat separately, they cannot rid themselves of the impurities. Therefore, this may not apply in all situations, but the chikara-meshi eaten on this day was believed to possess spiritual power. In mountain villages in Mitoyo County, Sanuki Province, in addition to the rice offered by the pillow of the deceased, the rice given with the last water when death is deemed inevitable is called michinokiri (reported by Kiyoko Segawa). The dead immediately began their journey to Zenko-ji Temple, so they needed strength to do so. In the Kumano region of Wakayama Prefecture, it is said that the dead go to Mt. Myoho, and in some areas it is said that the dead go to Tenjiku***, so ancient people believed that people departed as soon as their eyes closed. Therefore, the necessity of providing powerful foods for the deceased, believed to be shared symbolically with their wives and children, was probably recognized. However, since there was an invisible change of the times in this point, it cannot be said for certain without considering it in more detail.

deceased（名）故人

impurity（名）穢れ

mourning（名）服喪、服喪期間

deem（動）みなす

symbolically（副）象徴的に

invisible（形）目に見えない

*the ceremony of wearing a belt: On the Day of the Dog, which is the fifth month of pregnancy, a pregnant woman wears a girdle to pray for a safe delivery.

**ubuya: A hut built to isolate women during childbirth to avoid impurities.

***Tenjiku: The word originally refers to India, but here it refers to the mythical or imaginary world.