Nanakusa no Hi (Seven Herbs Day)

What Is Nanakusa no Hi (Jinjitsu no Sekku)?

January 7th is "Nanakusa no Hi" (Seven Herbs Day), which coincides with "Jinjitsu no Sekku," one of Japan's five seasonal festivals. In ancient China, the days from New Year's Day through the 6th were assigned to the chicken, dog, boar, sheep, ox and horse, and the 7th was "the day of people," when fortunes for the year were told. There was also a custom of eating a soup made with seven kinds of young greens on this day, which is said to have come to Japan and become nanakusa-gayu (seven-herb rice porridge). The custom was practiced by the Heian period and became widespread in the Edo period. Eating nanakusa-gayu on the morning of January 7th is a way to wish for good health throughout the year, and it is also said to give the stomach a rest after the rich New Year's food.

The Seven Spring Herbs and Their Names

The seven spring herbs used in the porridge are listed below. Their names have long been linked to lucky wordplay.

• Seri (water dropwort): said to evoke "seri-katsu," to win a competition
• Nazuna (shepherd's purse): also called penpen-gusa; said to evoke "stroking away impurities"
• Gogyo (cudweed): said to represent the body of the Buddha
• Hakobera (chickweed): said to evoke "prosperity spreading widely"
• Hotokenoza: today identified as koonitabirako (nipplewort), a different plant from the henbit that shares the name
• Suzuna (turnip): likened to a bell that calls the gods
• Suzushiro (daikon radish): said to represent pure, spotless white

"Nanakusa Tataki" and Driving Away Birds

In the past, on the night before, people would chop the herbs on a cutting board with a knife while singing a chant such as "Nanakusa nazuna, before the birds of China cross over to the land of Japan..." The birds in the lyrics are said to come from the link with "tori-oi," a custom of driving away birds that damage crops, and the chant is said to have doubled as a charm for a good harvest.

Fun Facts About Nanakusa no Hi

• Originally "seven grains": In the Heian period there was also a custom of eating porridge with seven grains such as rice, foxtail millet and barnyard millet on Little New Year (January 15th), which is said to have later merged with the seven-herb porridge.
• Picking young greens: Going out to the fields in early spring to pick young greens ("wakana-tsumi") is an old custom, sung about in the Hyakunin Isshu poem by Emperor Koko, "For your sake I went out to the spring fields to pick young greens..."
• Nanakusa-zume: On the same day there is also a custom of softening the nails in water steeped with the seven herbs before cutting them, which is why January 7th is also called "Nail-Clipping Day."
• Regional variations: In areas where all seven herbs are hard to find, people substitute local greens or daikon leaves, so each region has its own version of the porridge.
• End of Matsu no Uchi: In the Kanto region and elsewhere, "matsu no uchi" (the New Year decoration period) often ends on January 7th, making it a common day to take down New Year decorations.

Ways to Spend Nanakusa no Hi

• Make nanakusa-gayu with a seven-herb set from the supermarket and compare the shapes and scents of the seven kinds of leaves
• If porridge isn't your thing, chop the herbs into zosui rice soup, miso soup or a simple blanched side dish
• Memorize the seven herbs with the traditional rhythmic chant: "seri, nazuna, gogyo, hakobera, hotokenoza, suzuna, suzushiro -- these are the seven herbs"
• Put away the New Year decorations and use the day to settle back into your usual work and daily rhythm

January 7th marks the return from the New Year festivities to everyday life. Why not enjoy a warm bowl of nanakusa-gayu and wish for a healthy year ahead?