When you think of Japanese food, a number of staples spring to mind: fish, seaweed, soy sauce and of course, rice. The ubiquity of rice in Japanese cuisine is familiar even to those with a minimal knowledge of Japan, and according the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education, rice has been referred to as the "essence of the culture." The origins of the Japanese obsession with this grain are rooted in Japanese culture and history.
Origins of Japanese Rice
Japan's love affair with rice began at the end of the Neolithic period, according to "The Cambridge World History of Food." Migrants from China's Yangtze delta brought rice cultivation techniques to Japan about 2,400 years ago; and with these techniques came the metal tools that increased production, providing a consistent supply of rice to the populations that gathered in areas of rice paddy cultivation. The advent of rice cultivation in Japan signaled a shift from a hunter/gatherer societal structure to one more dependent on agriculture.
Influence on Society
The intense labor needed to cultivate rice is thought to have had a profound impact on Japanese culture and social behavior. As the rice cultivation culture was forming, families began living close together to maximize water resources and share irrigation infrastructure. Neighborly spats were avoided and group cooperation was emphasized to maintain a cohesive planting season. This developed into an appreciation for maintaining group harmony that now pervades the Japanese consciousness, even among those not directly connected to rice cultivation, according to Stanford.
Ceremonial Usage
The importance of rice in the Japanese diet and culture is further illustrated by its representation in ceremonial aspects of Japanese life. The priestly functions of the emperor in early Japanese society included Shinto beliefs regarding the cultivation of rice and the use of ceremonial rice products like sake and mochi. Mochi are rice cakes prepared by pounding rice in a mortar and pestle to enhance the sacred purity of the rice. Mochi is thought to contain the "spirit of rice" and is eaten on New Year's Day as a ceremonial dish.
Importance as Sustenance
The Japanese word "gohan" means both "cooked rice" and "meal"; and the integration of the word into the phases "asagohan," meaning breakfast, "hirugohan," meaning lunch, and "bangohan," meaning dinner, ensures that every meal of the day is associated with rice.
Rice is at the center of each meal, and "okazu," or side dishes, are served to complement it. According to Food Network Canada, contemporary Japanese rice dishes include rice bowl; kare raisu, or rice with curry sauce; domburi, or rice bowl with meat seafood or vegetables; and various types of sushi, including nogiri, temaki, and gunkan.
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