Mochitsuki (Rice Cake Pounding) Coloring Pages

Working Together in a Traditional Event! Mochitsuki (Rice Cake Pounding)

Mochitsuki (Rice Cake Pounding) is an important Japanese tradition to celebrate the new year. People use a mortar and wooden mallet to pound hot, freshly steamed rice into soft, sticky, tasty rice cakes. Everyone cheers "Yoisho!" as they work together, which helps bring people in the family and neighborhood closer. Freshly made rice cakes are super soft, delicious, and make everyone smile!

Tools and Roles for Mochitsuki (Rice Cake Pounding)

Mochitsuki (Rice Cake Pounding) uses special tools, and everyone has a job. Learning about them makes Mochitsuki (Rice Cake Pounding) even more fun!

• Mortar: A big bowl made of wood or stone. You put hot rice inside to pound it. It is very heavy so it stays still when hit hard.
• Mallet: A big wooden tool that looks like a hammer. It is heavy, but swinging it down lets you pound the rice with lots of power.
• Pounder: The person holding the mallet to pound the rice. The secret is to pound with power and a good rhythm.
• Helper: The person sitting by the mortar to flip the rice and add water. Working well together with the pounder is super important.

Why Do We Eat Rice Cakes at New Year's?

People long ago believed rice cakes were a special food for the gods. A god named Toshigami comes to your house for the New Year. People offer rice cakes (Kagami Mochi) to Toshigami, and believe the god gives them special power. Eating these rice cakes gives you the energy to stay healthy all through the new year!

How to Choose Colors to Make the Rice Cakes Look Real

When you do your Mochitsuki (Rice Cake Pounding) coloring page, try using colors to show how soft the rice cakes are and how heavy the tools feel!

• Rice Cakes: Rice cakes are white, but if you leave them plain white, they look just like the paper. To show their soft, round shape, use light blue or light gray to add some soft shadows. This makes them look nice and fluffy!
• Mortar (Usu): If it is made of wood, color it brown or dark brown. Adding wood grain lines makes it look real! If it is made of stone, use gray to make it look hard and bumpy.
• Pestle (Kine): The handle is often smooth from lots of use. Color it with light brown or yellowish brown!
• Steam: Hot sticky rice gives off lots of steam! Use white or very light blue to draw soft, puffy lines. It will make the rice look super hot!

Make It a Lively Scene

Mochitsuki (Rice Cake Pounding) is a fun event that everyone enjoys together. Try adding fun colors to the background too!

• Clothes: The people pounding the rice often wear special coats called "Happi". Color them with bright, lively colors like blue or red! It is also fun to color kids in bright New Year clothes.
• Background: To make it feel like a happy celebration, draw and color New Year decorations like Kadomatsu (bamboo decorations), plum blossoms, or red-and-white curtains in the background. It will make your page look even more like a fun New Year celebration!

Is it bad luck to "cut" them? The secret of Kagami Mochi

Did you know there is a rule that you shouldn't cut Kagami Mochi with a knife when you eat it after New Year's? This comes from an old Japanese way of thinking.

• It makes people think of Seppuku: For samurai in the past, cutting things with a knife reminded them of cutting their bellies open, which was called "Seppuku." So, people thought it was very unlucky.
• It cuts your connection with the gods: People believed that a god lived inside the rice cake. So, using a knife on it meant cutting your connection with the god.
• Kagami-biraki: That is why when people eat Kagami Mochi, they don't use a knife. Instead, they hit it with a wooden mallet to break it into small pieces. Instead of saying "break," people call this "Kagami-biraki" to bring good luck.
• Hagatame: Eating hard rice cakes also comes with a wish to make your teeth strong so you can live a long life.

Otoshidama used to be Kagami Mochi?

Long ago, the head of the house broke up the round rice cake (Kagami Mochi), which held the spirit of the New Year God. Then, they shared it with the family as "the spirit (= ball) of the New Year God." It is said that calling this "Onitama" was how Otoshidama first started!