# Seigaku Mochi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Seigaku Mochi

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Katori and Kaizo regions

## Main Ingredients Used
Rice flour

## History, Origin, and Related Events
Invented by "Ohara Yugaku", a farmer leader active in the late Edo period. The name 'Seigaku mochi' is a reference to the study of 'seigaku' taught by Ohara Yugaku. "Seigaku" is based on the concept of harmony between morality and economy, and the idea that people should live in accordance with their natural conscience and help each other.The "seigaku mochi" was invented after trials by Yugaku, who wanted to make a kind of rice cake available to farmers who were unable to eat glutinous rice, which was expensive at the time."Rice flour" is used without being ground into powder, steamed twice and prepared using a mortar and pestle, similar to the process of pounding mochi (a mochi pounding machine can also be used). This technique spread primarily among rice farmers in the Katori and Kaiso regions, which were once famous for their rice production. Unlike mochi made from glutinous rice, this method boasts excellent preservability due to its non-hardening quality. It has been widely transmitted and passed down. It is also known by the alternate name "Tsukinuki Mochi."

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
Seigaku Mochi can be eaten all year round. It is eaten on a daily basis in a wide variety of dishes, including soups, hot pots, side dishes and as a sweet. The rice cake has a smooth texture with little stickiness, so it does not get stuck in the throat like rice cakes, making it a safe choice for the elderly.

## How to Eat
"Seigaku Mochi "has the following characteristics: it does not dissolve easily in soups, is less sticky, has a softer texture and is easier to process and does not dissolve easily when stir-fried. It can be enjoyed in different textures and cooking methods from rice cakes. It can be used in soups, stir-fried dishes and in the style of white balls to make desserts.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)The Ohara Yuigaku Shihou Denshoukai, dedicated to preserving the great achievements of Ohara Yuigaku's esoteric studies, produces and trademarked the 'Ohara Yuigaku Seigaku Mochi' through the efforts of its Women's Division. They pass down the authentic production methods under the name 'Ohara Yuigaku Seigaku Mochi,' and offer tasting sessions to visitors of the Ohara Yuigaku Memorial Hall. Additionally, at the 'Ikiiki Asahi Industry Festival & Furusato Festival Hikata' on November 8, 2015, they conducted sales which were well received. Chiba Prefecture's character, Chiba-kun, challenges the use of 'Seigaku Mochi' in cooking on the Chiba-kun Plaza website. The Chiba Traditional Local Cuisine Research Society carries out the tradition preservation activities.In the regions of Kashima and Umisatou, local farmers produce a small quantity of the dish which is sold at local farmers' markets. It has also been commercialized and is sold at places like 'Michi no Eki Kisaragi no Sato Asahi' and JA direct sales outlets under 'Midori no Daichi.' While it remains relatively unknown and purchasing opportunities are limited in other areas, within Chiba Prefecture and the Tokyo metropolitan area efforts are being made to promote and spread awareness of it. Special training seminars are organized and leaflets are distributed to promote its recognition, as it is a traditional local dish unique to the 'Rice Granary Chiba' region

## Ingredients
- Rice flour: 1.4 kg
- water: A dash

## Recipe
1. 1. Wash Rice flour and soak in water. (3-4 hours in summer, 1 night in winter)
2. 2. Drain the rice well, wrap the rice in a steaming cloth and steam it in a steamer with steam rising for about 20 minutes.
3. 3. Take steamed rice in a colander, soak in water and wash quickly, breaking each grain into pieces.
4. 4. Drain well and steam again until cored. (about 10 mins)
5. 5. After steaming well, in the case of a three-phase mochi pounding machine (the type where the mochi comes out in a stick shape), pound the rice once for Zoni and twice for Kinako (soybean flour) and Kuzu-an (bean paste). For home-use mochi pounding machines, the process is the same as for regular glutinous rice, but once the rice has become mochi-like, it must be pressed down from time to time with a rice scoop or similar.

## Provider Information
provider : Recipes provided by : 'Boso no Furusato Ryori' (Agriculture Chiba Publishing Department), 'Seigaku Mochi' (Chiba Prefecture Rice Demand Expansion Promotion Council).

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