New Year's annual `` Shamisen mochi with '' Kagawa Sanuki January 2 12:43
Shamisen Mochitsuki, a new year's annual mochi making process based on the sound of the lively shamisen, was held at a temple in Sanuki City, Kagawa Prefecture.
"Shamisen Mochi Tsuki" is a traditional event that is held on January 2 every year at Nagao-ji Temple, one of the 88 sites in Shikoku.
In front of the main hall, two stone mills and about 330 kilograms of sticky rice are prepared, and local people wearing matching navy blue hats make rice cakes in groups of four. In the main hall, five women wearing kimono played "Konpirafunune" on the shamisen, and those who made rice cakes shook down the kine at a good tempo according to the tone.
Approximately 100 people including tourists gathered on the grounds, applauding and photographing while watching the rice cakes rise up one after another along with the light shamisen performance.
The completed mochi is to be used at the temple's “Riki mochi” event, which carries heavy rice cakes and sows rice cakes on the 7th of this month.
Chairman Kazuaki Hishitani, a group that performs shamisen mochi, said, "I would like you to work hard for a year by having a traditional mochi at the beginning of the year."