[Free Pattern] Kodomo no Hi: Crochet Kashiwa Mochi Amigurumi・[無料編み図] こどもの日の和菓子: かぎ針編み柏餅

Earlier this month was May 5th, Kodomo no Hiこどもの日 or Children's Day in Japan. It is a day to celebrate children, and to wish for their health and happiness. A traditional food on Children's Day is a wagashi called kashiwa mochi柏/かしわ 餅, literally oak leaf mochi in English. And so, the wagashi amigurumi for this May is my crochet version of the kashiwa mochi.

Kashiwa mochi is a mochi typically filled with anko or miso-an and wrapped with a leaf of the Japanese daimyo oak, the kashiwa in Japanese. Hence the name of this mochi. As the old leaves of the kashiwa don't fall until the new leaves appear, the kashiwa symbolised the prosperity of the family's descendants, i.e. the children. Thus, the kashiwa mochi signifies the wish for the child's good health, well-being, growth and prosperity. Read on for more about this festival, or skip to the pattern.

Crochet kashiwa mochi with real kashiwa mochi and chimaki, Yamashiro Onsen (also on IG).

Kodomo no Hi has an interesting and rather unexpected history. Until 1948, this day was known as Tango no Sekku端午の節句 since ancient times, when it was also known as Shoubu no Sekku菖蒲の節句 or Ayame no Hiあやめの日. It was one of the Gosekku五節句 observed by the Japanese imperial court since the Nara era. Tango no Sekku derived from the Chinese Double Fifth, also known as Duan Wu Jie端午节 or Dragon Boat Festival, which is celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month.

Prior to Japan's adoption of the Gregorian calendar, Tango no Sekku had also been observed on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. The day is also often referred to as Boy's Day, the counterpart to Hinamatsuri雛祭り on March 3rd, as it was celebrated in honour of boys since the Kamakura period, when the samurai class dominated Japanese government and society. In 1948, it became Children's Day and was observed as a official public holiday, in honour of all children.

Tango no Sekku decorations at Ryumeikan Tokyo: a samurai doll (musha ningyo) with koinobori, bow and arrows (arrow fletchings are considered auspicious items), deerskin rug, iris, kashiwa mochi and chimaki.

Hubs and I were in Japan at the time. During this time, the onsen hotels we stayed at incorporated various traditional elements of this festival. The grounds were decorated with traditional Tango no Sekku decorations: iris leaves, koinobori鯉のぼり carp streamers, kabuto兜/冑 samurai helmets, samurai armour, and samurai dolls called musha ningyo武者人形 in Japanese. The koinobori references the Chinese dragon gate myth which tells of carp that swim upstream against strong currents and successfully make the last leap through the waterfall at the dragon gate will transform into dragons. Thus the koinobori represents courage and determination, and the wish for the child to be strong and to grow up healthily.

Koinobori carp streamers at Kai Kaga, Yamashiro Onsen.

The iris is a significant plant for this day. Historically, iris leaves were believed to purify and ward off evil and misfortune, thus the leaves were used in baths and to thatch roofs of homes. This referenced the day's Chinese origins, when the fifth lunar month was believed to be a month of misfortune. Calamus leaves and wormwood/mugwort were hung up or used as herbs as it was believed to repel misfortune and evil. I don't know when, why or how the iris became the plant used in Japan.

Like the festival's meaning, the iris' significance also changed during the Kamakura period, when the samurai class ruled, and Tango no Sekku became a day in honour of boys. The iris was an auspicious plant for samurai for 2 reasons: (1) the iris leaf resembled the sword; (2) the Japanese words for iris, 菖蒲 shoubu, and for valour or military spirit, 尚武 shoubu, are homophones. It thus signified the qualities they wished for boys: valour and excellence in the martial arts.

During this time, all the onsen hotels we stayed at had iris leaves hung around the grounds and featured in floral arrangements. On May 5th itself, all the onsen baths at our ryokan hotel also had iris leaves in them, as it is also a traditional custom to have a bath with iris leaves. The leaves imparted a faint but pleasant fragrance in the bath.

Dessert at the end of our ryokan dinner on May 5th was kashiwa mochi and chimaki, Yamashiro Onsen.

At dinner, we were also served some dishes traditionally eaten on this day. In particular, we were served kashiwa mochi and chimakiちまき for dessert. Apparently, they both represent the regional differences in Japanese cuisine, kashiwa mochi is more commonly eaten in Kanto and chimaki in Kansai. There are also regional variations to chimaki. It is generally accepted that chimaki derived from the Chinese zongzi粽子, the traditional food eaten on the Double Fifth. But the chimaki is quite different from its Chinese ancestor. This was my first time eating chimaki and I found it an interesting experience. Quite unexpected. The chimaki we ate had a soft, sticky texture and velvety mouthfeel, quite unlike the chewy stickiness of mochi and zongzi. The flavour was very mild, but oh! the aroma. It's all about the aroma of the sasa bamboo - the pleasant aroma filled the entire mouth, lingering long after the last bite. I found the aroma quite enjoyable, especially with a cup of houjicha.

While writing this and remembering the chimaki I ate, I'm reminded of the crochet zongzi I made for Duan Wu Jie last year. The festival will fall on June 22nd this year, and I'm looking forward to eating zongzi again.

But I digress! Now to the crochet kashiwa mochi amigurumi proper!

KASHIWA MOCHI CROCHET PATTERN

Materials & Tools:
• Yarn - white and green
• 2mm or 2.5mm crochet hook
• Stuffing
• Stitch markers
• Scissors
• Yarn needle
• Safety eyes (optional)
• Embroidery thread (optional)

For this amigurumi, I used Scheepjes Catona No.105 Bridal White and No.412 Forest Green.

Abbreviations (US terms):
R : round / row (as the case may be)
MR : magic ring
ch : chain
st(s) : stitch(es)
sl st : slip stitch
sc : single crochet

hdc : half double crochet

dc : double crochet

htr : half treble crochet

tr : treble crochet
inc : increase (2 sc in same st)

dec : decrease / invisible decrease
(...) : a set of pattern instructions

*...* : a set of pattern instructions
[...] : total number of sts in the round/row

Finished Size:

Kashiwa mochi: approx. 6.5cm at the longest point × 4.5cm at the widest point × 3.2cm at the highest point

Mochi: approx. 4.3cm long × 4cm wide × 2.5cm high

Oak leaf (unfolded): approx. 9.5cm at the longest point × 6.5cm at the widest point.

(Note: finished sizes will vary depending on yarn weight, hook size and tension.)

Pattern Notes & Preparation:

• US half treble crochet (htr): see this tutorial by Treasurie.

• US treble crochet (tr): see this tutorial by Crochet 365 Knit Too.

• The oak leaf pattern was based on the free pattern by The Yarn Garden, with modifications. The original Yarn Garden pattern also works for this amigurumi.

• To embroider an amigurumi face, see these tutorials by Little World of Whimsy, Tiny Curl, Critter Crochet and The Woobles, for example.

Let's enjoy some kashiwa mochi this month of May... (also on IG)

MOCHI

Make 1.
Using white yarn, work in continuous rounds,
R1. 6 sc in MR. [6]
R2. 6 inc. [12]
R3. 2 sc, 3 inc, 2 sc, 3 inc, 2 sc. [18]
R4. (sc, inc) 2 times, inc, sc, inc, 3 sc, inc, sc, 2 inc, sc, inc, 2 sc. [26]
R5. 4 sc, inc, 2 sc, inc, 9 sc, inc, 2 sc, inc, 5 sc. [30]
R6-13 (8 rounds). 30 sc. [30]

R14. 6 sc, dec, 2 sc, dec, 9 sc, dec, 2 sc, dec, 3 sc. [26]

R15. 3 sc, dec, sc, 2 dec, sc, dec, 3 sc, dec, sc, 2 dec, sc, dec. [18]

If using safety eyes, insert at the desired position before continuing.

Start stuffing.

R16. (sc, dec) 6 times. [12]

R9 R17. 6 dec. [6]

Finish stuffing.
Fasten off. Weave the end through the front loops of the last 6 sts and pull to close the work. Re-insert the end through the centre and pull through to hide the end inside the work.

OAK LEAF

Make 1.
Using green yarn, work in rows,
R1. R1. Ch 20, starting in the 2nd ch from hook, 4 sc, 3 hdc, 3 dc, 3 htr, 5 tr, 8 tr in last ch, rotate and work along the other side of the chain: 5 tr, 3 htr, 3 dc, 3 hdc, 4 sc, sc in turning ch.

R2. 4 sc, 3 hdc, 3 dc, 3 htr, 5 tr, 12 inc, 5 tr, 3 htr, 3 dc, 3 hdc, 3 sc, inc.

The next step is to make the lobes of the leaf:

R3. (sl st, sc, hdc, *3 dc, ch 2, sl st in same st*) 2 times, (1 slst, 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, *3 tr, 4 ch, sl st in same st*) 2 times, (sl st, sc, hdc, *3 dc, ch 3, sl st in same st*) 2 times, sc, *hdc, dc, tr in the same st*. Now working along the other side: *tr, dc, hdc in the same st*, sc, *sl st, ch 3, 3 dc in same st*, hdc, sc, sl st, (*sl st, ch 4, 3 tr in the same st*, dc, hdc, sc, sl st) 2 times, (*sl st, ch 3, 3 dc in the same st*, hdc, sc, sl st) 2 times, sl st.

Fasten off, and leave a long tail for sewing.

TO COMPLETE

1. Position the mochi on the oak leaf. If the mochi has safety eyes or an amigurumi face, position the amigurumi face at the desired spot.
2. Using the yarn tail and a yarn needle, attach the mochi and oak leaf together. First stitch the base of the oak leaf to the mochi. Then make small, hidden stitches at various points along the edge of the oak leaf to attach the leaf to the mochi. If desired, you can leave the upper half unattached, so that you can flip the leaf open to reveal the mochi.
3. Secure the yarn tail and hide it inside the work.

Now, sit back and enjoy your kashiwa mochi with a cup of tea!

Let's celebrate Japan's Children's Day with some crochet kashiwa mochi!

* * *

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you have fun making this crochet wagashi. As with all my other patterns, I would love to see how your finished items turned out, so please tag me with my Instagram handle @yotsuba_blythes.

While I'm happy to share my pattern without charge and would be delighted to see it being used, please note that my pattern is for personal use only. Please respect my legal and moral rights as the author with respect to this pattern and all the images therein. This pattern and images are not for commercial use, sale or distribution. The sale of this pattern or any of the images is not permitted without my prior written consent. If you wish to share this pattern, please link to this post and my Instagram profile @yotsuba_blythes. You are welcome to sell limited quantities of the finished items you have made from this pattern. Thank you.