2007 10 177-196 Symbolic Meanings of the Food in the First Lunar Month between China and 177
Japan He Bin Professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences Tokyo Metropolitan University Abstract In daily life, the food on the table in the families varies in different regions, nationalities and countries. For one thing, the system of food raw materials produced in different geographical and natural environments differs, and for another, the belief, the habits and customs and the cultural cognition of the people in different regions vary, which has formed the symbolic characteristics of the food that is featured by rich country s traits, regionality or national and religious characters. The articles that enumerate the similar cultural representation mutually between China and Japan are more than it can be listed; the articles on the research and account of dietary culture by so many former scholars have been presented to the public. Since a great number of descriptions based on historiography have come out, this thesis, through the research on the symbolization of the food in the first lunar month both in China and Japan, mainly applies the methods of ethnography and anthropology. Based on the cases in 1990 s and in the early period of 21st century gained by field work, the author analyses what it means that the Han nationality (mainly in the northern areas) eat some special food in the special time and environment of the first lunar month, then analyses comparatively the food in the first lunar month in Japan. Ultimately, the author probes into how the natural environment and national culture endue festival food with various cultural characteristics and the deep psychology of national culture that forms this kind of characteristic. Keywords: the first lunar month, food, Han Nationality, China and Japan, folk custom research 178
1 1 179
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ka-mi-da-na bu-tu-dan zou-ni 182
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mo-qi mo-qi mo-qi ka-ga-mi-mo-qi 29 9 12 25 28 185
mo-qi mo-qi mo-qi mo-qi mo-qi ka-ga-mi-mo-ti 2 o-si-ru-ko o-si-ru-ko 2 186
dai-dai o-se-qi ka-ma-bo-ko kin-don 187
3 4 5 6 7 3 4 5 6 7 188
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ka-ma-bo-ko 191
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ka-ma-bo-ko ka-ma-bo-ko 194
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