Grains Of Timelessness Intricate Labor Of Turning Rice Into Special Harvest-Time Treat Keeps Japanese Heritage Alive

Ted Takeshita, 82, remembers the old days of mochi-making.

“We used to pound the rice until our hands got sore,” Takeshita said, as he sifted flour onto an aluminum pan.

Takeshita and his brother sometimes pounded rice from 4 a.m. to midnight to make 1,300 pounds of mochi.

“Now they use machines to do all the work,” Takeshita said.

Takeshita was one of about 50 members of the Highland Park United Methodist Church who yanked themselves out of bed early Saturday morning to carry on the Japanese tradition of mochi-making at the church’s cafeteria.

Mochi, which means “to have,” is a special rice cake made during the holiday season. It is eaten on New Year’s Day, often in soups, and is said to bring good luck, explained Aiko Minata, 70.

Minata, who helped coordinate the event, said it’s a labor-intensive job that requires much preparation.

Everyone has a duty, including steaming the rice, pressing it into a grinding machine, rolling the doughy mixture into balls, and packaging.

Making mochi is one of the church’s annual fund-raisers. Each year, the volunteers make about 1,000 pounds, which they sell for $2.50 per pound to other church members and friends. Some wake up as early as 5 a.m. to start steaming the rice.

But for those who come each year, the event is more than just a way of making money.

Dick Yamamoto, 73, who monitored one of the rice-grinding machines, said this was one of few traditions he has been able to keep alive.

“We lost our ability to speak Japanese because our folks told us, ‘You are American now, you should speak English,”’ Yamamoto said, reaching for a tray to catch swirls of rice coming out of the machine. “Now we don’t know the language. I regret that.”

Eileen Garcia, 44, said she likes the tradition because it brings the Japanese American community together.

“It’s a way for the different generations to interact,” Garcia said, talking over the giggling of nearby women who shared jokes and old Japanese wives’ tales.

From the iseis to the yonseis - the first to the fourth generations - church members of all ages pooled their efforts to fill the 1,000-pound order.

Masako Suzuki was one of the oldest who showed up to help. At age 87, the short, smiling woman, who doesn’t speak any English, has mastered mochi-making.

A thick glob of doughy rice is plopped on the powdered table in front of her. With a quick slice down the middle with a finger, Suzuki lifts one half and starts rolling until she has a perfectly round clump of rice paste with no wrinkles.

As she does this, she remembers how the tradition got started.

“When the rice crop is good, the Japanese people make mochi and present it to the gods as a ‘thank you,”’ Suzuki said in Japanese, translated by Minata.

“We all gathered together. We looked forward to it.”

The tradition was mostly practiced in the rural parts of Japan where villagers convened for the day to make the holiday food, Suzuki explained.

Wiping flour from her cheeks, Suzuki paused to watch a group of second-generation Japanese American men demonstrate the oldfashioned way of making mochi.

The men used a mallet-type tool as a pestle to pound steamed sticky rice in a stone mortar. One man stood ready to flip the rice over and add more water to keep it moist. Traditionally, the men would do a dance around the mortar and chant to keep the rhythm moving, workers explained.

“I think it’s really fun,” said Matt Kodama, 14, who was the youngest helper. “It’s just hard to keep up the rhythm with the guys who are pounding with you.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: WHAT IS MOCHI? Mochi is a special Japanese rice cake made during the holiday season. The tradition was mostly practiced in the rural parts of Japan where villagers convened to make the holiday food.