Price range: NT$20 through NT$475
亥の子餅 いのこもち Inokomochi
"亥 Hai" means wild boar, one of the twelve earthly branches of the chinese zodiac. Wild boars have many fetuses in one litter, recognised since ancient times as a symbol of fertiliy, prayer for many children and grandchildren, a celebration for the prosperity and auspiciousness of the population. They are regarded as gods in farmland. In ancient times, Japan presented wild boars as tribute to the imperial palace. Later, due to the introduction of Buddhism, Japanese people did not eat animal meat. Instead, they mixed beans, flax and other grains into mochi skin, stuffed with red bean filling and sprinkled with soybean powder to create a gray-brown appearance "Inokomochi", which resembles a small wild boar, as a substitution for the tribute.
The tenth month of the lunar calendar is also called the "month of the wild boar". Because Japan switched to the Western calendar, it falls in the eleventh month of the solar calendar. According to legend, eating Inokomochi in the month of the wild boar carries positive meanings of eliminating all diseases and disasters, a blessing for prosperity. The month of the wild boar is also the New Year in Japanese tea ceremony. During the changing of the seasons, the wind furnace is replaced by the earth furnace to heat water. The Japanese tea ceremony holds a "furnace opening" ceremony, recognising the symbolic fact that the wild boar represents "water" in the five elements and can suppress fire accidents. The primary wagashi "Inokomochi" plays an important role in the ceremony , a prayer for safe tea practices, a mark of respect and inheritance of traditional culture.
