triangles of sweet rice jelly topped with adzuki beans (eaten in the sixth month)(Minazuki)
warding off evilsummerEdo-period herbal medicine (used as an antitussive and a breath freshener)adzuki beans
A Japanese confectionery made of white dough (uiro), sprinkled with azuki beans, and cut into triangles. It is named after “mizunatsuki,” which means June in the lunar calendar, and is eaten mainly in Kyoto on June 30, the day of “Natsukoshi-no-harae” (purification ceremony to purify the body over the summer). Natsukoshi-no-harae” is an event held at shrines to purge the impurities of the first half of the year, and this sweet is eaten to pray for good health for the remaining six months of the year. Some people believe that the triangular shape of the sweets is made to resemble ice, while others believe that the triangular shape is made by cutting a square in half to represent half of the year. The red color of the azuki beans is also believed to ward off bad luck.
