photos taken by Dawn Nakashima

Mochi are sweet rice cakes. Mochi Tsuki is the making of mochi. For the past 30 years or so we have held a Mochi Tsuki in Livingston between Christmas and New Years. Also see www.NakFineArts.com

The special sweet rice is soaked three days prior to the Mochi Tsuki day. The rice is steamed in these custom made boxes over a tub of water over a fire. The "rice cooker/fire" guys. The length of time the rice is steamed over the fire is a complicated business. From the steamers the rice is put through the grinder before being pounded. Grinding the rice. The rice that has gone thru the grinder is placed in a granite bowl and pounded. The "outside" crew. Break for lunch. More pounding. The "turner" flips or turns the rice between stikes from the mallets. The "turner" must trust his "pounders" and have quick hands. The mochi is pounded to a smooth, molten blob then brought inside. Smaller pieces of mochi are pulled from the big blob. Many hands are needed to shpae the pulled of pieces to form uniform rice cakes. Many generations come together to make mochi. Mochi Tsuki is also time to socialize and catch up with old friends. Many people are needed for the "inside" crew. Some of the mochi is filled with ahn - sweet red beans. After the mochi is formed it is spread out on tables to cool. The tables are covered with corn startch to keep the mochi from sticking. The mochi must be turned for uniform cooling and uniform shape. Mochi spread out to cool. Mochi spread out to cool. These will need to be turned. When the mochi are cool the corn starch is dusted off. Dusting the mochi. Cooling and turning in foreground. Weighing and packaging. After the mochi is packaged the orders are filled Filling orders