Soba Canada
Japan Nowadays ...to know real Japan and Japanese better
(1) Geography
(2) A Brief look on the History
(3) The History of Washoku (Japanese Cuisine)
(4) Soba and Japanese Culture (from Washoku Seminar at George Brown College, 2009)
(5)
Topics ... coming soon
In the Japanese version of this Homepage, we inserted the page which explains
about Canada and Canadians by giving useful and/or interesting informations
to know Canada and Candians better. Because we have a strong impression
that Canada despite of its popurarity as tourists' destination, most of
the people do not know real Canada and Canadians. What people know seems
sometimes just a reflection of piece of informations mainly prevailing
in the South of the Border. Canada's happiness together with unhappiness
is its neighbourhood. The neighbour is so powerful and active and try to
lead the world. But thanking to such a strong neighbour, we do believe
Canada should take their own role to present themselves to the world more
properly. In the same way, Japan and Japanese are also mislead by stereotyped
informations. Japan is not a country only with competitive electronics
or ninjya and geisha same as Canadian smoked salmon or maple syrup and
Green Gables at PEI.
Recent world could be well described to say "Only constant is the
constant change". So world is steadily changing day by day. Even if
you would find your company's name in the peaceful morning on the headline
of the newspaper for the buncruptcy, it would never be so strange nowadays.
It really could happen to any company or instead of bunkruptcy it could
be only a short notice of lay-off. Sorry but it's not my intention to tell
such an inauspicious thing. Anyway the world is changing. Our daily lives,
culuture and consciousness too.
So we would like to write something about Japan and Japanese nowadays in
series to know Japan better. Though this is pretty personal and would not
represent main stream of the opinion but you could draw some image at the
end about current Japanese and their way of living and/or thinking.
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1) Let's start with geography
Japan is a small island country at the east end of Asian continent. About
130 millions of people are living in 378,000km² land stretching from
north to south in a crescent shape with about 3,000km coastline. Comparing
with 9.97 million km² of Canadaian size, Japan is only about 1/26.
But no complaint because Canada is 2nd largest country in the world after
Russia(CIS) which can count 22.40 million km², in another words Russia
covers 18% of our earth's surface. Northern end of Japan located around
North 45º which belongs to sub-frigid climate zone and almost the
same longitude as Montreal. Southern end located North 25º in sub-tropic
zone. Our capital, Tokyo, located at North 36º which is roughly the
same as Memphis,AK or Nashville,TN and little bit north of Los Angels,
CA. or Gibraltar connecting Atlantic Ocean to Mediterranean Sea. However
most of Japan enjoy a mild oceanic type of climate with four distinct seasons
because of its warm current called Kuroshio (Black Current or Japan Current)
running from south to north. Having rugged mountains running almost the
full length of the country, it gives Pacifc and Japan Sea sides of the
islands totally different climate patterns. Nearly 70% of the land is mountainous
area covered by dense forest. Tokyo however stands on the big Kanto Plains
on the Pacific side , April and May having cherry blossom with opening
of new school sessions, June rainy season called Baiu, July and August
hot and humide summer sometimes having sleepless tropical nights, from
September to November cool and fresh with autumnal tints everywhere. But
sometimes famous Tyhoons are coming too and gives various damages to the
rice crops etc but still they are considered as one of natural blessings
from the heaven. December to February dry but fine winter with almost no
snow. March starts coming into bud. This is the cycle in Tokyo.
Japan enjoys the great topographical varieties because of its many volcanic
mountains everywhere including famous Mt.Fuji (3,776m, highest peak in
Japan) even though dormant for nearly 300 years. The rivers are short and
fast-flowing and form deep gorges in the mountainous area. Some european
mountaineers about hundred years ago said japanese rivers are not rivers
but a water-falls. It shoots. Distinct four seasons, mountains, rivers
and sea, all these features make Japan as one of the most picturesque countries
in the world. 
Furthermore you can enjoy "Onsen" (hot springs) anywhere. Thus
creating Japan's unique Onsen culture. People enjoy and relax soaking sometimes
in open air looking up millions of stars in the sky and become a philosopher
or a poet. Onsen gives people a break. It also cures or prevents diseases.
So sick peoples normally take 2/3 weeks stay in Onsen and it is called
as "Tôji". A writer is also an enthusiastic Onsen lover.
So I will guide you fantastic Onsen later. Together with active volcanic
activities, Japan is lying just on the Circum-Pacific eathquake zone and
famous for its world's most seismologically active area. There were many
disasters. In Tokyo area, the Kanto Great Earthquake of 1923 with magnitude
7.9 (Richter scale 8.3) destroyed Tokyo and Yokohama Area completely. "Tsunami"
is originally a japanese word but now it became an international word because
of a disaster hit South Asia at the end of 2003.
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(2) A brief look on the history
Until ten or twenty thousand years ago, Japan was still connected to the Asian continent by land but became island due to the crust movement of the earth. The sea protected Japan from invasion only with one exception by Mongolian invaders with a force 150,000 strong in 13th century but were failed due to typhoons and then a word "Kamikaze" born. Kami is god and Kaze is wind, ie Divine Wind saved the country. But it had fairly easy access to the advanced
foreign cultures and this allowed Japan to learn and abosorb their cultures
and latest technologies but at the same time Japanese succeeded to develop
and grow highly independent
and its own Japanese culture. World history is written in this colour.
Jomon Period(circa 14,500 b.c. - 300 b.c.)
After the last Ice Age about 20,000 years ago, our globe was gradually
(taking about 10,000 years) getting warmer and surface of the sea swelled
more than 100m in height. Consequently Japan was cut off from the continent
and became current archipelago. But it was still about 2 DC cooler and
sea surface was 30m lower than present. About 6,000-5,000 years ago, continued
warm period lifted sea suface further which is called Jomon Kaishin. Sea
level was about 3m higher and warmer than present. This made typicall Jomon
civilization with bigger villages with cultivation of rice, millet, barley
and beans on top of hunting, fishing and picking. Earthenware decorated with Jomon cord-marking
is famous. Maruyama Sannai Ruin of Aomori is famous for this period.
But late jomon period again brought colder weather resulting shrinkage
of the sea (called Yayoi Kaitai) and forcing people to grow Tochinoki (Japanese
horse shestnut) instead of Kuri (Chestnut) and also made buckwheat growing
popular which is strong for cooler climate.
Recent doctorine says that very this Jomon period formed and made up the
prototype of the Japanese.
334 b.c. Alexander the Great begins his conquest to the
East and destroyed Persian Empire.
Yayoi Period (circa 300 b.c.- 300 a.d.)
New rice cultivation method was conveyed from continent
and use of metal tools were started and set the fundamental patterns of
Japanese life. Also a large number of complex political units called Kuni
emerged and began to unite under the hegemony of Yamatai Koku ruled by
Queen Himiko which is still mysterious where it was actually located and
whether Yamatai Koku can be equated with the early state of Yamato.
221 b.c. China unifies under Qin dynasty.
Kofun Period (circa 300 - 593 a.d.)
Large tumuli (Kofun) were built for deceased members
of the ruling elite. The first state in Japan called Yamato emerged and
established diplomatic relations with Korean states and Chinese courts.
It was mid 6th century that Buddhism was introduced from the asian continent.
375 Invasion of Hun, the nomads in Central Asia, triggered The Germanic Miglation
China, Sui Dynasty (589-618), Tang Dynasty (618-907)
622 Prophet Muhammad arrives at Medina and the Islamic
era begins.
Asuka Period( 593 - 710 a.d.)
On 4th century Yamato (current Imperial family) consolidated Japan and strengthen the foundation of Japan by introducing various Chinese systems such as Buddhism, ideology(Confucianism), social and writing systems also arts. In the two ancient chronicles written in the 8th century, "Kojiki"(712 a.d. which is oldest history book of Japan) and "Nihon Shoki" (720 a.d.) say Emperor Jinmu began his reign on 11th February of 660 b.c. and recorded many Japanese mithologies including the birth-myth of the nation. 
That's why Japanese national holiday called National Foundation Day was
set aside on that day. These chronicles were compiled by the order of the
Emperor and especially "Kojiki" clearly represents Emperor family's
ideology thus went upto the age of the gods. So very interesting but difficult
to prove them scientifically.
Shotoku Taishi (Prince) (574/622a.d.) whose profile was printed on the
head of old 10,000 yen bill is famous in promoting Buddhism and lead the
country with many political innovations including the Constitution with
17 articles. Japan 日本 in japanese language is translated as "Nippon"
or "Nihon". Both meaning is the same. ie, "Where the sun
rises." This is a word created by him. When he sent a diplomatic letter
to China's Sui dynasty, he wrote "The emperor where the sun rises
gives a letter to the emperor where the sun sets....." Blooming days
called Asuka culture based upon Buddhism were here.
Nara Era (710 - 794 a.d.) 
Era based on "Heijou Kyou" in Nara. In art it is devided to Hakuhou
era and Tenpyou Era. This Era is characterized by the full implementation
of the Ritsuryô system of government. Taihou Ritsuryô(Code)
in 701 a.d. and Yôrô Ritsuryo(Code) in 718 a.d. were compiled
based upon Buddhism and Confucianism. The huge, 15m high, bronze statue
known as Daibutsu of the temple Tôdaiji is a good example to show
new heights in intellectual and cultural acheivement. Manyou Shyu 万葉集 is a great book of poetries. Kakinomoto Hitomaro 柿本人麻呂 is called as The Saint of Poetry (歌聖）.
Heian Era (794 - 1185 a.d.) a.d.)
A capital was set in Kyoto until moved to Tokyo in 1867a.d. During this
era, Japan completely assimilated the essence of Chinese systems and created
its indigenous institutions in all fields. The development of Kana syllabary
made the outburst of literary creativity. It mainly used for composing
Waka (japanese poetry). Lovers communicated each other through Waka. Kokin
Waka Syuu is a fruit of this era. Court ladies produced great works of
Heian Literature using it. Genji Monogatari (Tale of Genji) by Murasaki
Shikibu and Makura no Soushi (Pillow Book) by Sei Shou Nagon are the two
greatest.
800 Charlemagne crowned by Pope Leo 3 as Charles 1, emperor of the
Holy Roman Empire.
1066 William, duke of Normandy, is crowned king of England.
1096 The first expedition of the Crusaders.
Kamakura Era (1185 - 1333 a.d.)
Opening the era of Samurai warriors who overpowered the nobility. Formally, the leading Samurai warrior were appointed by the 
emperor as his "Shogun in charge of conquering barbarians" and
with this designation his feudal government called "Bakufu" was
formed. First Shogun was Minamoto Yoritomo who founded his Bakufu in Kamakura
which located about 60km west of current Tokyo. Samurai era continued upto
the end of Edo Era for nearly 700 years. Kamakura society exalted Loyalty,
Honour and Frugality. This spirit was later sublimated to the Bushidô
and became a backbone of the Samurai (warrior).
The most dramatic event of this era was Mongol invasions taken place twice. In 1274 with forces 40,000 and 1281 150,000 strong they landed around Hakata, Kyusyu and had fierce battles. But Kamikaze (tyhoon) blew and sent them to the bottom of the sea. This was the only foreign invasion Japan had in our history except MacArthur's ocupation as a result of the WW2.
1271 Marco Polo sets out on his journey to the court
of the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan
1279 Kublai Khan conquers China and establishes Yuan
Dynasty (-1368).
1337 England-France Hundred Years' War bigins.
1347 Black Death rages in Europe (-1351)
1368 China, Ming Dynasty (-1644) founded.
Sengoku (War time) Era(1438 - 1568 a.d.)
Anything could happen. A word Gekokujô (the overturning of those
on top by those below) characterizes this era. Days for struggle for hegemony.
Only the worriors with power could survive.
1488 Bartholomeu Diaz finds Cape of Good Hope
1492 Christopher Columbus lands in the Bahamas.
1498 Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut in India via Cape
of Good Hope.
1519 Ferdinand Magellan sails out for Round the World
voyage
Azuchi Momoyama Era(1568 - 1600 a.d.)
A hero Oda Nobunaga followed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi re-united the country and devised new measures to govern the country on a nationwide basis. Especially T. Hideyoshi was a hero of the heroes. He was born just as a poor peasant but went up to the highest position of the country as "Kanpaku Dajyou Daijin" (Imperial Regent and Grand Minister of State) and governed the country as he wanted. Gorgeous and progressive era backed up by the self-confidence. Age of Daimyos (feudal lords), big marchants and common folks. Foreign trades were very active. During this short but spectacular Era, Japan underwent the transition from the medieval to the early modern era. Japanese venture overseas was very active and the activities of European traders and Cathoric missionnaries in Japan too gave this era a cosmopolitan flavour.
1588 The Invinsible Armada was destroyed by British Royal
Navy.
1600 British East India Company incorporated.
Edo Era(1600 - 1867 a.d.)
Tokugawa Ieyasu as Shogun is a founding father of Tokugawa Bakufu. A Haiku
(Japanese poem of 17 syllables) discribes the characters of three heroes
as follows using a bird called "Hototogisu"(a little cuckoo)
;
1) Oda Nobunaga- - A little cuckoo, if you don't twitter, I will kill you.
2)T. Hideyoshi- - A little cuckoo, even if you don't twitter, I will try
everything to let you twitter.
3) Tokugawa Ieyasu- - A little cuckoo, if you don't twitter, then I will
wait till you will.
So T.Ieyasu had waited and waited patiently and strategically for his
turn after the death of O. Nobunaga at Honnouji Temple in Kyoto.
Era of the great peace both inside and outside for more than 2 centuries.
Dispite of Sakoku (National Seclusion) policy, Japan enjoyed developments
in all fields. Industies, money economy and matured culture etc. Tokugawa
law relied heavily on Confucianism; Chuu (忠 loyalty) and Kou (孝 filial piety) were conservative and supportive of the existing social and
political order.
Stable hierarchy "Shi（士） - Nou（農） - Kou（工） - Shou（商）" (Warrior - Farmer - Artisan - Merchant) worked well for 2.5 centuries.
1644 China, Qing dynasty (-1912) established.
1689 English Bill of Rights enacted.
1776 Continental Congress issues the US Declaration of
Independence.
1789 French Revolution begins.
1804 Napoleon becomes emperor of France.
1839 Opium War begins in China (-1842)
1861 Civil War bigins in USA (-1865)
Meiji Era(1867 - 1912 a.d.)
End of the Samurai feudalism and a beginning of modern industrial state along with its emergence from isolation into the ranks of major world powers.
Since The Age of Discovery, the world had been explored by Spain and Portugal
first then followed by other European countries and invention of machines
and their usage completely changed the manufacturing system (the industrial
revolution) which created more wealth in great efficiency but in other
hand it also created drastic social changes domestically such as the establishment
of capitalism, clear conflict between the classes and the occurrence of
various social problems. Internationally they needed colonies to get materials
cheap and as exclusive markets to sell products and with the development
of capitalism this appeared as Imperialism which is the new form of the
conquistadores. Toward the end of Edo Era, there were nearly a thousand
of whale catching boats from US and European countries in adjoining seas
of Japan and they wanted Japan to provide provisions and stuffs needed
for whale catchers. 
*Source of the photo at left: 日本財団図書館 http://nippon.zaidan.info/index.html a picture of one one Perry's fleet）
Especially in 1853 US Commodore MC Perry came to Japan in a fleet and threatened
with guns for Trade Treaties to force Japan to give up 250 years old isolation
policy. Colonialism was in full swing around this period. All great powers
furiously fought each other to expand their colonies.
The First Opium War (1840 - 1842) triggered ruthless invasions of the world
great powers. British wanted to solve one-way trade with China from whom
they bought silk and tea but nothing they had except cotton goods what
China wanted to buy. They used Opium of India and sold it to China in order
to save payment in silver for silk and tea. Thus they build up perfect
triangle trade between Britain, India and China. To buy cotton from India
and sell cotton manufactured goods by return. To buy silk, tea and pottery
from China and sell cotton goods to China. And India of British colony
started to sell Opium and got paid in silver. But the Opium was illegal
in China even at that time and they strengthened the law to stop the import
of opium only resulting huge increase of smuggling. In 1839 China confiscated
British owned opium and burned it down and banned all trades by British
traders which lead to the Opium war. Though there was a strong opposition
in Britain from puritans for sending a fleet for this immoral dirty war,
nevertheless the troop was sent and China was succumbed completely to British
fire power and obliged to sign on Nanking Treaty in 1842. Thus China was
obliged to open up 2 additional ports (total 5) for free foreign trade
by giving up restricted controled trade in the past. Hong Kong was ceded
to Britain and huge reparation was levied also most-favoured-nation status
was given etc.
In 1858 British Empire abolished Mughal Emperor and put India under direct
control (1858) by taking a chance of Rebellion of Sepoy and later (1877)
established India Empire, Queen Victoria as the Emperor of India.
Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Philippine, Vietnam, Java, Borneo, Sumatra and so
on were all colonized and lost sovereignty. Knowing all of these invasions,
Japan didn't have any other option but to make up its mind to build a modern
country by absorbing western civilization and technology to catch up western
great powers with a sloagan "Catch up and outstrip" for the protecttion
of the country's independence and for the survival of the people. Japan
is the only country in Asia who could maintain independence.
Japan was successful in this decision and later ranked as one of world
major powers but it also meant Japan undertook all kind of evils and problems
of the colonialism, imperialism and capitalism backed up by the western
civilization and philosophy and threw away our own traditional culture
and phylosophy as useless obsolete things. Current world is suffering with
so many serious problems and conflicts which seem to be almost impossible
to solve. But the world is changing and have to be changed now. It could
be an unavoidable decision for Japan at Meiji Era but it must be the time
to review such style of westernization and steer the helm together with
other countries for the creation of the new world.
In 1867 modern Japan has started. The Canadian Confederation was also the
same year; The Dominion of Canada. Meiji Emperor made an oath and published
"Charter Oath of Five Articles" as a basic policy of new Japan.
Article 1. All affairs of State shall be referred to public opinion through
general conferences.
Article 2. The government and the people shall act in harmony energetically
carrying out administrative matters.
Article 3. No citizen, whether a civil or a military or one of the common
people, shall be discouraged in the pursuit of his aspirations.
Article 4. Evil practices of the past shall be abandoned and universal
justice shall prevail.
Article 5. The foundation of Imperial regime shall be strengthened by the
acquisition of knowledge from throughout the world.
1876 A Graham Bell invented telephone.
1896 First modern Olympic Games held in Athens.
Taisho Era (1912 - 1926 a.d.)
Struggle between Imperialism and Democracy.
1914 World War One begins (-1919).
1917 October Revolution in Russia.
Showa Era(1926 - 1989 a.d.)
The era of violent changes with war and peace. It was the longest imperial
regime (64 years) in Japanese history. WWⅡwas a first experience of defeat
for Japan which gave drastic shock and changes to all Japanese mentally
and materially and the Emperor has become just a symbol of the country
with no actual power. Japan was occupied by Allied Force and and put under
control of its GHQ (General MacArthur of US Army) for 7 years (until the
effectuation of Treaty of Peace with Japan on 28th Apr., 1952 known as
"San Francisco Peace Treaty"). Aims of the Allied Force at beginning
were to wipe out militarism completely and to establish peaceful democratic
Japan. (But soon "Cold War" was getting clear by the foundation
of Peoples Republic of China (1949) and outbreak of the Korean War (1950
- 53) and the world was separated by the Iron Curtain. Consequently Japan
was considered as a breakwater of East Asia against communism and the idealistc
plan at the beginning was modified accordingly.)
GHQ ordered;
1) Dissolution of the Great Imperial Empire of Japan. Emperor's human
declaration etc.
2) Change of representative system allowing revival of the political
parties and extended the suffrage to women etc.
3) Fundamental reform of the educational system. USA's 6-3-3-4 system
was introduced.
4) Dissolution of Zaibatsu (Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo and Yasuda) and enacted Anti-monopolyAct.
5) Agrarian reform to improve tenant farmers status by setting max
rent and redistributing farmland etc.
6) For libration of workers, 3 basic labour laws were enacted and
approved the right to organize union etc.
7) Enactment of the Constitution in which article 9 denies the right of belligerency and any military forces for the solution of international conflicts and clearly declared the principle that sovereignty resides in the people and guaranteed the fundamental human rights in a wide range.
8) Various renewals of legislations including the Civil Code. It
abolished patriarchal system and introduced equal right of
married couple based upon the equal rights for both sexes etc.
A lot of good things were given (or forced) but in the same way a lot of
good things were lost.
Balancing? Don't know... but it is clear that only after the serious struggle
we will make it real. We must digest "good thing" by our own
effort to make it a real good thing. Just a given thing one-sidedly will
never be good only by itself. Blood, sweat and tears of the people were
always required to make it firm and real. The world should know that especially
USA. "Don't give money to beggers. They will just spend all for eating
pleasure" is the proverb. To tout democracy to the people who never
think about it will never help such people but just result in a self-complacency.
And getting lost-good-things back on top of the digested-good-things will
make real peaceful new Japan.
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo Tribunal) was held from 3rd May 1946 to 12th Nov., 1948 to punish the leaders including Prime Minister General H Tojo for the Joint Conspiracies done during 1928 - 1945 to start wars of aggression against Peace Loving Countries. Crimes were categorized as Type A (crime against the Peace) , Type C (crime
against the humanity) and Type B (normal war crime). 23 peoples were sentenced
death by hang for crime against Peace and 7 were executed. Nobody was indicted
for Type C and 7 were sentenced for Type B. Japan accepted the judgement
of this Tribunal and agreed not to object in San Francisco Peace Treaty
(article 11).
There were a lot of doubts on the ground of this Tribunal for lacking legitimacy
and even rules for the procedures and more importantly there was no Crime
against the Peace at that time nor even at present. Many people even Allied
Force side judged this as the vengeance of the victory nations and their
actions in the war were never questioned. So the view of majority of world
scholars of the international law are negative for this Tribunal but just
see it as a political show.
Everything have to be started from Zero. But the economy was rapidly restored
and developped leveraged by both Korean and Vietnam War and one more important
fact was that expenditures toward military budget was not necessary due
to the Constitution. In 1970 Japan grew world No.2 in GNP after USA. In
1979 Ezra F. Vogel wrote a book "Japan as Number One: Lessons for
America" (Harvard University) and analyzed the reasons for such a
miracle growth. After experiencing 2 oil shocks, high growth economy turned
to stable growth but again in mid 1980 Bubble Economy came and in this
extravagance the era has been succeeded to Heisei.
1927 C. Lindbergh flies across the Atlantic Ocean.
1929 US stock market crashes and Great Depression begins.
1933 A. Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany.
1939 World War Two bigins (- 1945)
1945 United Nations established.
1949 The People's Republic of China established.
1962 Cuban Missile crisis
1963 President John F Kennedy was assasinated
1964 Tokyo Olympic, held first time in its history at
non-white country and it recorded highest participation especially
from AA (Asia, Africa) countries which obtained their independence after
the WWⅡ. 
Heisei Era (1989 a.d. - present)
In 1993 the Bubble Economy bursted out and land price / stock index fell
down to less than half of the end of Showa Era. Also collapsed a traditional
value. ie, The myth of the land price which was believed to be "the invincible".
Re-structuring, Down-sizing, Re-engineering and Out-sourcing etc.…So many
ordeals have to be challenged for economic re-flotation by erasing the
shadow of the Bubble including bad debts of financial institutions. Japan
is continuing its slow but steady efforts to achieve greater diversity
in its social fabric to allow everyone's real freedom for fulfilling life.
1989 Berlin Wall demolished.
1991 Soviet Union dissolved.
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(3) The History of Washoku (Japanese Cuisine)
Washoku (和食）means Japanese Cuisine. We will briefly look how Washoku and
its culture are developped. It is interesting to see that foods and dietary
practice are the direct reflection of each era.
★When you eat Japanese foods, you use "Hashi" (箸), chopsticks in English. It appears in old myth. At the beginning there were Izanagi and Izanami no Mikoto (Gods who jointly created Mizuho no Kuni 大八州豊蘆原の瑞穂の国 ie Japan) and they had three children. Eldest sister Amaterasu Omikami
was a god of the sun in charge of Takamagahara (Heaven), Tsukuyomi no Mikoto
was a god of the moon in charge of the sea and the youngest brother was
violent Susanoo no Mikoto who were ordered to govern Yoru no Osukuni. But
as he didn't follow to this order, he was banished from the heaven. Japan's
first official history book written in Nara Era (712ad) recorded this myth
of Izumo which famous "Slaying of Yamata no Orochi by Susanoo no Mikoto"
is as follows; When he came to Izumo, he saw a chopstick is coming down
from upper stream and thought someone is living.
Visiting upper river, he found weeping old man and woman with a lass.
The story starts like this and in short he saved the lass who were to be
offered as a sacrifice for a monster called Yamata no Orochi with 8 heads
and 8 tails and got married with her and same time found a sacred sword
called Kusanagi no Tachi 草那芸之大刀 from one of monster's tail. This is one of the 3 treasures which have
been inherited by successive Emperors as the token of the Emperor. It is
called Mikusa no Kamudakara or Sansyuno Jingi三種の神器. Other two are Yata no Kagami 八咫鏡 and Yasakani no Magatama 八尺瓊勾玉. So chopstick has been used in Japan since the era of myth but in early
stage chopsitcks which were found in Yayoi ruins were just one bamoo stick
bent in U-shape and used for religious ceremony. It is said that Prince
Shotoku started to use current 2 sticks-as-one-set-chopstick in the court
which was brought back by Ono no Imoko in 607, the Japanese envoy to Sui
Dynasty, China and built up our own table manner.
★Another episode appears in Nihon Shoki日本書記. 12th Emperor Keiko visited eastern province where he was served Umugi
no Namasu, kind of abalone and in appreciation he gave the chef Iwakamutsukari
no Mikoto磐鹿六雁命 the official reputable surname of Kashiwade no Omi膳臣 and appointed him to be Kashiwade no Ootomobe膳大判部 as the chef of the court. This chef was enshrined in posterity as a god
of cooking mainly for Miso and Shouyu. It's Takabe Shrine高家神社 in Chikura, Chiba Prefecture and there are Houchou Shiki ceremony in every
autmun having visitors related to cooking.
★3rd century; Kowaii強飯, steamed rice, appeared and red beans were added for the celebration.
The name Kowa was given due to its hard texture. Kayu粥 is cooked in water and soft, so it is called Yowaii弱飯.
★4th century; Vinegar酢 started popular.
★6th century; Soy Bean Sauce醤油 was brewed.
★675 Emperor Tenmu天武天皇 decreed to prohibit to eat meat such as horse, cow, dog, monkey and bird. This decree is based on Buddhism's precept of abstaining from taking lives combined with Shinto's basic concept of Kegare穢れ(Uncleanness). Beasts such as wild boars, deers and wild birds including
pheasant were outside the scope of this edict.
★ Mid 8th century; Dairy products were broght back by the envoy to
Tang dynasty, China together with fried bean curd treats called Tougashi(唐菓子). Raku酪(refined milk drink)、So蘇(condensed milk)、Daigo醍醐(something like cheese and butter) were getting popular amongst the nobility and So蘇 and Narezushi熟寿司 etc. were used for the tax payment. Brown sugar was brought to Japan
by famous Tang monk Ganjin鑑真 who built Toshodaiji(唐招提寺).
★8th century; Tea was introduced early in this century. The Daikyo Cuisine大饗料理 was its peak. This was developed as hospitality and banquet of the
nobility. Guests sat facing large trays on which soy sauce, vinegar (mainly
plum vinegar), salt and sake were arraged for the guest's personal
use in addition to the meal itself. Side dishes for sharing were placed
in between pairs of guests which allowed each guest to flavour
their own meal to suit their tastes. Pheasant, sea bream, carp and trout
were often used and the chefs at the Imperial Court established key techniques
for these dishes together with frying and boiling. Until the Heian
period, a spoon was set out in addition to the traditional chopsticks
with a diverse collection of utensils in such materials as silver, copper
and glass.
The staple food of the nobility was Kowaii
made with polished rice while common people's dish was some other grain such
as barnyard millet, foxtail millet or buckwheat. Hoshiii乾飯 was developed for better preservation. This was boiled rice that
had been dried out and could be eaten as was just with saliva or by adding
water.
★12th century; Heian era lead by the nobility ended and entered into the
age of Samurai Worriors which lasted nearly 700 years until the end
of Edo Era. Minamoto Yoritomo opened Kamakura Era and diet life turned
to be very unaffected but vigorous with simple meals featuring brown rice
as the main dish.
Eisai栄西, a Japanese monk, together with others returning from Sung Dynasty, China promoted the Rinzai school
臨済宗 of Zen禅 Buddhism and built Kenninji and also promoted the practice of having tea which lead to the Tea Ceremony 茶道 together with Kaiseki Ryori懐石料理 later. The popularity of Shojin Ryori精進料理, vegetarian cuisine based on the dietary restrictions of Buddihist
monks, spreaded throughout the country leading to the development of soy
bean products like natto, ganmodoki. Miso was added to the traditional
flavours and citizens also began to enjoy the early morning meal of
the Zen monk.
★15 - 16th century (Muromachi Era); The Daikyo Cuisine of the nobility
was too complicated and didn't match to the life style of the newly born
samurais.
They modified the Daikyo Cuisine in their style and Honzen Cuisine本膳料理 was born. At every type of celebration such as Kakan加冠 or Genpuku元服, both are the male coming-of-age ceremonies and/or weddings etc strict sake drinking etiquette is set as Shikisankon 式三献(ceremony of changing cups. a tray with 3 sake cups and side dishes is
served 3 times) and there after celebrants take their seats and the Honzen
banquet begins. It was served on indivisual trays with legs like small
tables. It was basically composed of a Honzen (a main tray or first
course), followed by Ni no Kyou二の饗 (second tray) and San no Kyou三の饗(third course). At an especially polite gathering, a further four
and fifth courses might have been served. And at the most magnificent banquet
it was said that guests enjoyed up to seven courses. However, most of these
courses were served just to show the highest hospitality
of the host and dishes just to be eaten by eyes only (watched).
All types of meals were served in Honzen Ryori and the basic form was a
setting with a main course of seven small dishes, a second course of five
small dishes and a third course of three small dishes placing main course
in the center, the second course at the guest's right and the third course
at the left. If there were still more trays to come, they were placed form
the right, in the order of the fourth tray to the inside right of the main
tray and the fifth tray to the left of that. Black or vermillion lacquer
ware utensils were used. Honzen Ryori, established as samurai etiquette,
have been handed down over the generations to the present and set as a
standard in formal situations even today.
Various cooking techniques and manners have been developled by the nobility,
samurai and monks according to their way of lives. Arts of cooking, the way
to setting the ceremony and manners at various occaisions etc had been
passed down secretly only with oral instruction from parents to children
who were embraced by the nobility and samurai. Several schools of cooking such as the Shijou school四条流 of the nobility, the Okusa school大草流 for Ashikaga Shogun足利将軍 and Shinji school進士流 for one of samurai etc, also Dougen道元, the founder of Soutou Zen曹洞宗, expounded that every daily work itself is the performance of the spirit
of Buddhism and cooking was one of important training for monks. He wrote
books at Eiheiji in which Shoujin Ryori精進料理 cooking was explained. Thus Eiheiji school永平寺 was born.
It was at this time that chefs began to be called as Houchou Nin 包丁人(Knife people) but chefs preparing Shojin Ryori using grains and vegetables were called Chousai Nin調菜人（Vegetable preparers)．
With soy sauce taking the stage as flavouring, the art of cooking made
remarkable advances establishing the model for today's Japanese cooking.
The custom of eating miso soup also began around this time. Even with the
sake of the samurai, ita was normal to simply drink unrefined sake only
with miso as a snack in Kawarake (pottery without glazing).
★Azuchi Momoyama Era (1573 - 1598);
Portugal and Spain introduced their culture, guns and Christianity. Potatoes,
squash and chili peppers as well as the Western European style of cooking
with onions and oil and bread and sponge cake were brought in. And at this
time steamed Kowaii was replaced by the Himeii姫飯 eaten today, white rice cooked in water and the usual two meals a day
increased to three.
The tea ceremony was perfected during this period by Sen no Rikyuu and
Kaiseki Ryori took shape.
★Edo Period (1598 - 1867);
In the unique environment of national isolation, Japanese own culture matured. At the beginning of the Edo period, the most delicious treats for merchants were Nara Chameshi (rice boiled in tea and flavoured with sake and soy) and Takuan (pickled daikon radish) while for the peasants, meals were modest with assorted grains and vegetables. Accompanying the development of a monetary economy and improved distribution networks came a thriving urban culture of Edo (current Tokyo). Utamaro's Ukiyoe paintings depicting the everyday lives of merchants were everywhere a sign of luxury and dining out gained popularity with the appearnce of Soba蕎麦 (Below is a man eating soba at Yosobauri from Kabuki, source:Tsubouchi Memorial Museum, Waseda University, ) and Nigiri-Zushi 握寿司(sushiballs). 
Botefuri棒手振り (sellers carrying their merchandise on poles over their shoulders as shown
at left on the Hiroshige's famous Ukiyoe series of Tokaido 53tsugi, Nihonbashi
where you can see sellers), food carts and quick launches popped up and
the true Ryori Chaya料理茶屋 (high end restaurant) were established together with specialized restaurants
such as soba-ya蕎麦屋, sushi-ya寿司屋 and unagi-ya鰻屋(eel). Especially Sobaya was so popular regardless of the social ranks,
genders, alone or in group and people enjoyed soba relaxed with the best
sake酒 (Japanese rice wine) available in the city. So the sake served at Sobaya
was called Jyousyu上酒 and was the best drinking spots together with Unagi-ya.
The banquet style Kaiseki-Ryori会席料理 which is different from original Cha Kaiseki Ryori茶懐石料理 is enjoyed by wealthy merchants and same time drinking and/or big eating
games became popular and gourmets with a vast knowledge of cookig began
to appear in great numbers. The Edo at this time was one of the biggest
city in the world and an urban center with the most advanced food service
industries in the world.
At the same time, the strict etiquette of Honzen Ryori gave way to the
simpler Fukusa Ryori袱紗料理, a meal which could be enjoyed itself without being bothered by the formality and spreaded from samurai to merchant class. The basic menu consisted of Ichiju Sansai一汁三菜 , simple course with a soup and three dishes. Of course you can try more
elaborated mourse of Niju Gosai二汁五菜 or Sanjyu Nanasai三汁七菜. Samurai are said to have eaten this meal after changing from their formal costumes into everyday clothing.
Chefs too no longer served only the samurai and the nobility as in the
past but rather worked as professianals at restaurants. The old system
of passing down expertise from parent to child shifted to an apprentice
system. A true richness was seen in the dietary culture, to the extent
that cookbooks for the common people to enjoy reading appeared outside
of the specialized cooking and technical books.
★Meiji Period (1867 - 1912)
Ending the long feudal period, the country started working towards establishing
the open nation. With the theme of of "Catch up and Overtake"
the Western European countries.
With the opening up of the country, the styles of living gradually became
westernized and western schools of cooking began to take its root. These
so called Japanized Western style meals spread quickly throughout the nation.
A saying of the time goes "The sound of drumming on bald heads cuting
off Chonmage is the drumbeat of the westernization movement." Many
people cut off their traditional topknots and began to wear western clothing,
eat sukiyaki and cutlet, brew beer and wine, and produce butter, ham and
chocolate. Meanwhile the common people began eating anpan (bread roll filled
with anko beans paste) in one hand while drinking a glass of milk in the
other and the first school lunches appeared in some schools.
★Taisho Period (1912 - 1926)
The country was enveloped in the dark shadow of the rise of radical nationalism
with WWⅠ and the great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 which destroyed Tokyo and
Yokohama completely. The Taisho democracy worked towards democratizing
society and putting their new educations to use. The general public was
reading western books and enjoying literature, theatre, music and art.
Newspaper, magazines and radio featured many stories on cooking, contributing
to the richness of cultural life. The westernization of cooking continued,
leading to such foods as 
Katsudon (rice with pork cutlet and egg), Curried rice, Hashed meat with
rice and Ramen (noodle) gaining a strong foothold in the Japanese diet.
Nutritional education was started and Japanese people began the tradition
of the family dinner at the same table. It was during this period that
the domestic production of whiskey and mayonnaise began.
★Showa Period (1926 - 1989)
Begnning of this era with worldwide depression and defeat in WWⅡwas the
period of upheaval, rebuilding the scorched earth of the country. The lives
of the people only grew worse as food insecurity increased. The rice ,
key staples were rationed but these rations did not provide the sufficient
amounts for survivals, meaning that most had to run to the black market
just after the war. But such bad situation was overcome soon due to strong
economical recovery. Tv and cars entered in our daily life together with
other convenient electric appliances like rice cooker, fridge, washing
machine etc and also instant ramen was invented and all types of packaged
and frozen foods were developed. This let to decreasing the burden of the
housewives and promoted social progress. The food service industry continued
to grow with the appearance of fast foods and family restaurants. Later
the growth of temperature controlled supply chains and other new logistics
infrastructure and the progress afforded by other new technologies allowed
food to be produced and distributed in abundance. It was possible to get
foods and raw materials from around the world almost effortlessly, which
naturally let to the beginning of an era of mass production and mass consumption
and peaked at Bubble economy. Anything at higher priced merchandises went
out first. However the credit slowly but steadily undermined in the society
and number of critical problems erupted simultaneously and environmental
pollution etc became a serious issue.
★Heisei Period (1989 - Present)
Bubble economy continued and demands for rare items knew no bounds and
ultra-spicy (Gekikara激辛） and ethnic foods including Italian saw a sudden surge in popularity.
The burst of bubble economy followed by sudden high value of Yen stagnated
the economy and many companies saw unprecedented layoffs and were forced
to move production sites to overseas. Restructuring and reengineering became
key words of the era. People were insecure and fearful in their new uncertain
situations, unable to see what lay ahead. The collapse of the Bubble leaving
financial institutions saddled with massive amouts of bad debts changed
patterns of the consumers, with the arrival of pizza door delivery (宅配) and foods for easy microwaving, eating ready-made dinners at home called
Nakashoku中食 came into fashion and Nakashoku industry grew up fast. Nakashoku is cheaper
than dinning out at the restaurants but taste better than the routinely
home made dishes, of course avoiding cooking work at home. Red wine boom
came supported by health oriented middle class people (because of polyohenol
contained in red wine) especially on Friday many peoples bought a bottle
of red wine together with Nakashoku dishes called Osouzai to spend a quiet
, frugal but a little happy Friday evining at home.
A number of food safety issues such as E coli O157 food poisoning, residual
pesticides on vegetables and grains, genetically modified foods, the use
of additives without authorization and BSE etc lead to the "Slow Food"
movement attempting to return to the natural foods of the old days leading
more and more people to re-think the conventional lifestyle of the convenience
"more volume, cheaper, easier and cleaner looking".
Soba is such a trendy food now.
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(4) “Soba & Japanese Culture” (3rd Washoku Seminar)
23rd Mar.,
2009 at George Brown College, Toronto
By Tetsuya Iizuka
(Soba Canada Inc.)
There was a 3rd Washoku seminar sponsored by Consulate General of Japan and Japanese Restaurant Association
of Canada on 23rd Mar., 2009. I have given a lecture about Soba and demonstrated
Sobauchi (Soba making) followed by the tasting of genuine fresh Soba. It's
my pleasure to have many nice words from the attendees and I believe this
presentation would have helped Canadians to understand about Soba and our
culture a little bit.
1) Introduction
Good evening. I am Iizuka Tetsuya. But please just call me Ted. I am the Missionary of Soba.
This evening I’m going to give you some information on Soba. Then I'll
show you how it’s made the authentic way. And finally you’ll be able to
taste real, fresh Soba.
Soba, like sushi, is a traditional food in Japan. Can those who have tasted
soba before please raise their hands? Good*. And for those of you who answered
yes, can you raise your hands if it was real soba like they eat in Japan
(not the dried stuff that you can buy in Canada)? There’s a big difference.
*More than 90% of the attendees raised thieir hands but about 40% who said
Yes raised their hands for real fresh soba.That means only about 1/3 of
the attendees know the real soba. The attendees were all people with some
interest for soba and japanese culture but for the general public percentage
would be still very low I presume.
Dried soba is convenient. You can make it at home in just minutes. But
if you check the label, you’ll probably find wheat flour at the top of
the ingredients. Labelling laws dictate that ingredients should be listed
in the order of their weight. In Japan, regulations* stipulate that as
long as there is 40% buckwheat flour used, it is not required to write
on the lavel the percentage of soba flour used. And the contents of buckwheta
flour used in majority of commercial dried soba is less than half. So is
it Soba or Udon of wheat flour noodle?.
* Japanese Agricutlural Standard Act stipulates standard Dried Soba (kanmen乾麺）should use buckwheat flour more than 40% and if used more than 50% it can be written as High Class Soba. Products can carry JAS marks (general JAS mark is at left) with the packages if they are graded by producers, manufacturers, distributors, or importers who are certified by third party organization. But it is the option of the entrepreneur if they want JAS mark on their marchandise or not. So if they decide not to use JAS mark, they can sell any type of soba. So it may be extremely rare to find out soba with JAS mark on it. Another standard for Hoshi Soba (乾しそば） is based on Consumer Agency's Rule No.10 dated 30th Sept., 2011. Amongst Dried Soba, if buckwheat flour is used, such noodle shall be called as Hoshi Soba. Any percentage of buckwheat flour to be used is the option of the makers but basically percentage used should be clearly stated on the lavel except if used more than 30%. 
Also Fair Competition rule has a stipulation for Fresh Soba (Nama-men生めん)
which says the noodle with more than 30% of buckwheat flour is called as
Soba. And if compliance approved by the industrial organisation, it can
bear Fair Competition Mark (公正マーク） shown left. However again you will not
find such marchandise in the market. There are a lot of loopholes for the
stipulations. But anyway even best soba contains more than 50% and rest
is about 25 - 30%. A reason for such low percentage was the ability of
noodle making machines in the past. they were poor and if used more than
40% of buckwheat, the machine had failed to make the noodle because buckwhheat
didn't contain gluten at all. But nowadays the innovation of technology
and the change of economic/social demands ask noodle makers for better
quality products. Noodle makers association's internal guideline of "more
than 30% and in case of less than 30% percentage should be clearly stated
on the package should be reviewed.
That’s why I asked if you have had fresh soba. Unless you’ve tasted freshly made buckwheat soba, you haven’t experienced the real soba. It’s not just a matter of taste; it’s a respect for quality which goes to the heart of a fulfilling life, good health, sharing happiness with other people. If you want to really understand soba, if you really want to understand “washoku,” then you must understand that in this simple thing we find the fullness of life.
Just 2 or 3 decades ago, sushi was exotic and hard to find food in Canada.
Now you can find it in any supermarket. That popularity is very positive
but it also can create problems in ensuring quality standards. We are now
starting to see soba catching on in North America. In New York City, for
example, there are now more than half a dozen restaurants claiming to serve
real hand-made soba. But knowledge is necessary to tell real from fake.
So let’s look at some of the facts about real soba.
2) About Soba
You can find all of today’s information on my Web site: www.sobacanada.com.
And you’ll be able to find the text of this lecture, as well.
Buckwheat is thought to have originated in Yunnan, China. It was then conveyed to Europe through Silk Road trading routes. It was brought to this continent by John Smith or the Pilgrim Fathers.
In Japan, buckwheat seeds have been found among artifacts of the mid-Jomon
period about 5,000 BC. So you can imagine how long and deep is the relationship
of soba with the Japanese culture. The first records mentioning soba appeared
in the Shoku Nihongi (続日本紀) the official history book of the Nara period in which the Empress Gensho
decreed that buckwheat had to be cultivated as preparation for famine and
disaster.
Soba has been eaten in the form of groats for a long time, but through
the spread of stone mills at the beginning of the Edo era, soba in noodle
form became common. Now, if you refer to soba, it means noodles (“sobagiri”)
in Japan.
Buckwheat is a very robust plant and can grow in cold, barren land that won’t support other crops. So buckwheat was known as a “poor man’s crop” around the world. In Japan there is a saying, “Bragging about soba reveals your poor background.” In Normandy, if the king’s taxman found galette au sarrasin, a kind of buckwheat pancake, on the table, he didn’t even try to collect taxes from the household. Galette au sarrasin is tasty when hot, but turns to something like stone when cold making it a symbol of poverty in that region.
Once the Tokugawa Shogun established the government in Edo (the former
name for Tokyo,) the city attracted people and merchants to the new capital.
Edo is thought to have been the largest city in the world at that time.
There was a saying at the time that “Fires and brawls are the flowers of
Edo.” Vast numbers of people migrated into the city as workers. The new
arrivals were poor but healthy while rich Edokko or people who had lived
in the town for several generations were suffering from “Edo Wazurai,”
or beriberi. Soba turned out to be the prevention and cure, the secret
that had protected the newcomers.
Beriberi is caused by a deficiency in Vitamin B. Rich people could afford
polished rice; the poor ate whole rice or soba cheaper but much more nourishing.
So Edo Wazurai became a condition among the rich. The actual cause of beriberi
was unknown until the mid-20th century. Japanese Imperial Army doctors
who studied in Germany believed it was the result of bacteria, while Navy
doctors studying in England believed the cause was a dietary deficiency
and proposed equipping the entire Imperial fleet with baking ovens. This
did not, in the end, go forward because of budget constraints.
The Edokko character is hotheaded but warmhearted and frank. People of
Edo are sportsmanlike and not particularly attached to money and status.
They are likely to spend the day’s earnings buying drinks for friends.
(宵越しの銭は持たぬが江戸っ子）
Edokko are very discriminating about food. They appreciate seasonal flavours,
particularly the very early produce of each season. Hatsu-Gatsuo, first
sake, first(shin) soba, first(shin) tea, and so on are eagerly pursued.
There is a saying that first foods (hatsu mono) extend life at least 75
days. There is haiku that expresses this enthusiasm: “初鰹 舌に消え行く 小判かな,” meaning “Early bonito, melting on the tongue, is a gold coin.” During
Tenmei-ki, or the 2nd half of the 18th century, the price of an early bonito
soared to between 1 Ryo to 2 Ryo; in today’s dollars that would be between
$2,000 and $4,000. To stabilize prices, the government tried to put many
conditions or even prohibit on the sale of Hatuso-mono, or first foods
of the season, through a series of regulations.
The spirited personality of the Edokko is reflected in the manner of eating soba (especially Zaru Soba). You just dip the bottom third of your soba with chopsticks in dipping sauce and suck into your mouth with a light slurping sound. While slurping is rude at the Western table, in Japan it shows a sophisticated Edo style even today.
3) Buckwheat as a plant
The scientific name of common buckwheat is “Fagopyrum Esculentum”. It is
fast-growing annual plant. From sowing to reaping it takes only 75 to 90
days. Buckwheat is resistant to insects and cold.
Its “Infinite Inflorescence" unlimited growing character makes buckwheat
robust and easily grown in the wild. Distinct from wheat or rice, buckwheat
is not “tamed” by human cultivation. Thus the harvest efficiency is not
as good as wheat. But while inconvenient for the farmer, buckwheat’s wild
character ensures survival of its genes for the future.
The economic and social importance of buckwheat ranks far lower or more
correctly "negligible" than for wheat; it is classified among
“Special Crops.” in Canada. The hidden benefit for buckwheat is that it
has escaped corporate exploitation and has remained a safe and natural
crop. This commercial neglect, however, leaves it without influential sponsors.
Despite its future opportunities as a cash crop which definitely give excellent
health benefit to human, it still remains unrecognized and under-appreciated.
4) World Production and consumption
World production ranges between 2.5 to 3 million kilotonnes. Roughly speaking,
50% is produced by China, followed by 40% coming from Russia and Eastern
Europe. Japan’s production is ranked around 10th with a 1% share. Canada
once shared the 10th position with Japan, but regrettably production here
has been declining bitterly in recent years.
Manitoba is called the “Buckwheat Capital of Canada,” and has been exporting
about 80% of its production to Japan. It has also developed new varieties
such as famous Mancan* variety that are being grown worldwide. I sincerely
hope that Manitoba will revive its past successes in buckwheat cultivation
shortly.
*Mancan's Man stands for Manitoba and of course Can is for Canada.
The cultivation itself is very easy. In Japan it is called a typical Sanchan agri-crop. Sanchan means “grandpa, grandma and housewife,” referring to the fact that after sowing there’s not much to do but admire the pretty white flowers, and that even these feeble folks can cultivate the plant. In fact, however, diligence together with good administration is essential for producing a high quality buckwheat. A human’s life is never so easy that we can expect fortunes by just sleeping.
The vast majority of consumption is for human food though a portion is
diverted to animal and bird feedstuffs. In Japan nearly all soba is consumed
in the form of noodles. The Japanese consider themselves the most enthusiastic
soba eaters in the world. Other than Japan eating soba in noodle form is
only in some parts of China and Korea. Buckwheat is consumed in Russia
and Eastern Europe as kasha, which is easily preserved. In North America,
it is often used in production of bread, cookies and energy bars. More
recently, it has been introduced into cosmetics and medicines.
5) Washoku and Soba
Washoku (Japanese Cuisine), including soba, has recently been enjoying
the spotlight as a healthy cuisine. The Japanese archipelago extends 3,000
km from north to south. The northern part has a sub-arctic climate while
the southern part is sub-tropical. But the majority of the land mass is
blessed with a mild oceanic climate and has four distinct seasons. 70%
of the land is mountain and surrounded by sea, which let the Japanese enjoy
rich foods in abundance from sea to mountain in any season. Rice is eaten
as a main dish accompanied by the best foodstuffs of the season served
on small plates in a variety of shapes and sizes.
At the heart of Washoku cuisine is a deep respect and enjoyment of the
natural qualities of food. It has developed techniques to disclose and
enhance the essential taste and texture of ingredient itself. It avoids
over-decoration, and instead uses simplicity to express the changing motifs
of Mother Nature on the plate with gratitude. Such respect reminds us to
avoid reckless exploitation of fish and animals etc., to stop destroying
nature in the name of development and to question our addiction to convenience
at the expense of true value, the quality.
At the table in a Japanese home, if you don’t finish your rice properly,
leaving even a grain in your bowl, you’ll be scolded by your parents for
not being thankful to the farmers’ hard work. You are taught not only gratitude
and respect for others, but also the importance of harmony with nature,
the work of others and, in fact, with the whole universe we live in. Acknowledging
that we are all equally made creatures of this universe is a first step
in eliminating war, environmental abuse and the problems that bring upon
ourselves.
Soba is simple but delicate food. Basically only flour and water are used. You can’t cheat with soba because its simplicity tells all. Bad flour makes bad soba. Bad water makes bad soba. It’s said that the skill of the finest soba master contributes only 20% to the quality of good soba; the rest is due to the quality of the flour. So a beginner’s soba can be superior to that of a master using poor flour. This points out the importance of good materials.
Sobauchi is the highlight of soba making. But it is only a small part of
the whole process, maybe 5% to 10%. Selection of good buckwheat, proper
storage, cleaning, sorting, milling and so on are behind the scenes but
their timing and management determine the final quality. So in such meaning,
even finest soba master's sobauchi in the whole precess represents only
2% of whole works
During the Edo period, it took a minimum of 5 years and 3 months apprenticeship
to become a Soba Master. The first 3 years are devoted just to working
flour and water in the kibachi bowl. Two years follow for learning the
flattening and rolling or “noshi.” The final stage of cutting took only
3 months.
I have nearly 10 years of experience in sobauchi or soba making, and still
it is a challenge every time I put my hands in the flour. A different soba
comes out every time. But on rare occasions a beautiful soba takes shape
under my hands. It makes me happy all day.
I suggest that when you eat well made fresh soba once, you will see the difference and wonder what substance you had been eating before.
It happened to me. I was born in Asakusa, a district of Tokyo that is the
traditional centre of the Edo culture. I had several favourite soba restaurants
and thought of myself something like a connoisseur. After learning sobauchi,
I returned to my old favourite restaurants. But the old enthusiasm was
gone. They weren’t serving real soba at all. Stay comfortable in ignorance
or let knowledge sweep away the certainties of the past. To be really a
human, you have to chase the truth.
After this introduction, I hope you understand a little about soba and
Washoku, and the attitudes behind them. The West has been attracted to
Washoku as a healthy food alternative. It is. Partly because it uses fresh
superior quality seasonal ingredients in balance. But more importantly,
it expresses positive attitudes about the life and the world. This is the
kokoro or heart and mind of Japanese cooking that makes it healthy.
I think fusion with other food cultures would contribute to the development
of Washoku tradition in the future. But only if the kokoro is understood
and sought. Otherwise, we’re just taking the style and not the substance
that gives life. This is the most important lesson I can hope to share
with you today.
6) Soba and Health
As we discussed earlier, Edo Wazurai or beriberi was the seed of the blossoming
of soba culture. But soba’s benefits are not restricted to the prevention
of beriberi. Please refer to the paper entitle “Ingredients Comparison Chart of Buckwheat Flour & Wheat/Rice etc.” It will introduce you to the health benefits of buckwheat.
Buckwheat satisfies 3 primary dietary functions:
1. Nutrition for growth and energy
2. Enjoyment and culture
3. Body adjustment and co-ordination (functional food)
In comparison with other grains, buckwheat is superior in almost all component
ingredients. Buckwheat deserves to be called “a King of the Grains” because,
together with the structural advantage of its kernel, it fulfills the three
functional requirements described above so well. As you may recall from
school, there are five essential nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids,
vitamins and minerals. The protein of buckwheat is high for outer parts
of the kernel which contains about 15% of protein. The most noteworthy
characteristic of buckwheat protein is its high amount of Lysine (700mg/100g)
compared to other grains beneficial in preventing high blood pressure and
cerebral apoplexy. The Amino Acid Score measures the quality of protein;
eggs are the best protein and are rated 100, buckwheat scores 93 while
wheat flour is 44, brown rice 65, and white bread 44. Gluten free buckwheat
is a good news for sufferers from celiac disease.
These nutrients are only part of the functions of diet. The second to consider is the enjoyment it gives our five senses and its ability to satisfy the natural human appetite. These distinguish diet from drugs, and are a product of our culture.
The last function is the adjustment function of our living body, the organism.
Recently this last function has attracted a great deal of attention as
we are getting an aging society for the first time in the history. To strengthen
our immunity, to defer the symptoms of aging, to prevent cancer and high
blood pressure and to adjust our nerve or digestive systems are examples
of requirements of positive adaptation to health risks.
Buckwheat contains significant quantities of rutin, one of polyphenol families.
Rutin is one of the functional antioxidants known to strengthen capillary
vessels and consequently preventing cerebral apoplexy and disease related
to hemorrhage. Recent studies have revealed further functional ingredients
in addition to Rutin. These newly found substances have a notable antioxidant
effect. Oxygen is necessary for human life, of course; but when breathing,
3% to 10% of the oxygen utilized at respiration will turn to unstable ionized
oxygen which, through free radical production, creates toxins at the cellular
level, causing various degenerative conditions including diabetes, cancers,
heart disease and aging. Buckwheat promotes powerful antioxidation effects
which mitigate damage from free radicals. Polyphenols such as rutin from
buckwheat, catechin from tea and Vitamins E and C are all effective antioxidants.
With the exception of Vitamin C, buckwheat is a valuable source of these
important substances.
So for good health and quality of life, eat buckwheat! Thank you.
And now, it’s show time! Let me show you how to make typical Nihachi Soba
by the traditional Edo method with the commentaries of John Hanna who is
one of my good students of Soba.
San-Tate Policy & Our Business, About Soba (Buckwheat),
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