Photo/Illutration Seven herb rice porridge called “Nanakusa gayu” distributed at a market in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 7, 2016 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

“Nanakusa gayu,” which translates literally as seven-herb rice porridge, is a traditional Japanese dish that is eaten on Jan. 7.

One of the herbs is “nazuna” (shepherd’s purse), and here’s a haiku about it by Kanajo Hasegawa (1887-1969): “Rhythmically pounding ‘nazuna’/ Until its juice stains the cutting board.”

I always wondered why this herb had to be pounded and minced so thoroughly before it could be added to the porridge. But my question was answered after I learned of an Edo Period (1603-1867) ritual called “nazuna-uchi” (nazuna pounding), during which seven cooking tools were used to provide musical accompaniment (hayashi) to a ditty.

According to “Kinsei Fuzokushi,” a reference book on Edo Period customs and practices, the wording of the ditty varied from region to region. But the basic message was apparently the same: Chase away “evil birds” from China and pray for a good harvest at the start of the year.

The book also introduced me to “nanakusa zume” (literally, seven-herb fingernails), an expression I hadn’t heard before.

It is explained as “soaking nazuna in water on Jan. 7, and men and women dipping their fingers in the water before clipping their nails.” In short, it was a ritual in which people clipped their nails for the first time in any given year, and was believed to ward off evil.

Poet Hasegawa, who lived through the Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras (1868 to 1989), also penned this haiku: “Nanakusa zume/ I still feel the warmth of my mother’s knees.”

The ingredients of nanakusa gayu have changed over time. The so-called modern nanakusa, proposed about half a century ago, called for “mitsuba” (Japanese parsley), “shungiku” (garland chrysanthemum), lettuce, cabbage, celery, spinach and “negi” (green onion).

That combination sounded appetizing. But it never took off, and the original nanakusa gayu recipe stubbornly survived.

I picked up a “nanakusa set” at a local supermarket yesterday. But it shared the shelf with freeze-dried nanakusa as well as prepackaged “heat and eat” nanakusa gayu with “genmai” brown rice.

And there even was a product called “nanakusa chazuke,” which was a “furikake” condiment to be sprinkled over rice steeped in tea or broth--a concoction that doesn’t even qualify as proper rice porridge.

So far, the Japanese custom of overindulging in food and drink during the New Year’s holidays and ending up with an upset stomach has survived the passage of turbulent times.

Fifty or 100 years from now, I wonder what kind of nanakusa gayu there will be.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 7

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.