By TAKASHI NARAZAKI/ Staff Writer
March 24, 2023 at 16:55 JST
Fumio Kishida and a "hissho shamoji" victory rice scoop on Nov. 4, 2020 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gifted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a wooden “hissho shamoji” rice scoop believed to bring victory and an origami-crane-shaped lamp representing peace during his visit to Kyiv on March 21.
The presents showed Kishida’s “support for Mr. Zelenskyy and his desire for peace,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on March 23.
Shamoji are used to serve cooked rice, but sports fans often bring them to baseball and soccer stadiums to encourage victory for their teams. They are quite common in Hiroshima Prefecture, where Kishida represents a constituency.
Shamoji were also displayed to praise brave warriors who captured enemies like scooping up rice.
The word “hissho” (victory) and Kishida’s signature appeared on the one given to Zelenskyy.
The lamp represented the colorful paper cranes offered at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park to pray for victims of the 1945 atomic bombing of the city and to express wishes for world peace.
The lampshade given to Zelenskyy was hand-made by Hiroshima potters in the traditional Miyajima osuna-yaki style.
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