By ROBERT M. HORSTING

OCO, the Orange County-based group of civic-minded volunteers and philanthropists who provide activities and services in the region, hosted the annual Mochitsuki Pound-Off Challenge event Dec. 29 in partnership with Tanaka Farms.

For those like myself who are unfamiliar with the word, mochitsuki is the traditional method of making mochi, a confection created by pounding mochigome, a short-grain, sticky or glutinous rice formed into a small round single bite-size serving, like komochi.

Though mochi is eaten year-round, for those of Japanese heritage, this tradition is one that brings families and communities together in preparing for the New Year’s celebration. A favored version made for this time of year is anmochi, a mochi filled with a sweet azuki bean paste.

Thinking about all of the community events held at the farm throughout the year, Glenn Tanaka said, “I can remember doing as a kid, you know, being on a farm. It was my favorite event.”

This was the first year that the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) fielded a team to take part in the competition. Our team was led by Ford Fujii, joined by Mari Fujii, Lee Kurisu, Fran Ito, Yoko Iwaki-Horsting, Yas Osako, Teri Lim, Joe Akira, Julie Hasuike, Anna White, Vicky Murakami-Tsuda (team photographer) and myself. I was invited (well, I was volunteered) by my wife.

Given a 15-minute pounding time limit, a batch of steamed rice was poured into the usu (a large, raised bowl shaped from a tree truck, chiseled stone, or other material), as 35 team pounders gathered around. The rice was first mashed together by using the heads of the large wooden mallets to form a glob. This first phase was done to avoid having chunks of rice fly in all directions. The team members took turns striking the mallets into the sticky glob in the attempt turn this into a cohesive and smooth mound. This required timing and rhythm to avoid both the clash of mallets, and for the safety of the person with the task of reaching in to periodically turn the glob, ensuring they still have the same

Pounders occasionally dipped the mallets into water to prevent the wood from sticking to the rice, and the “turner” added water into the mix to prevent it from sticking to the usu and their hand. With the spirit, if not the energy, of a Little League team, everyone willing got a turn at swinging a mallet.

Once the smooth texture was achieved (or you ran out of time), the mound was placed on a board and transferred to a work station where the team members formed two mochi cakes (in our case three), approximately 6”-8” for the base and 3”-5” for the top piece of the kagami. This is finished off with tangerine or bitter orange called daidai.

Per one source I read (arigatojapan. co.jp), this decorative offering is said to “represent the past and coming new year. The overlapping of the two mochi also represents the moon (yin) and the sun (yang). It signifies that happiness and fortune overlap and therefore brings good luck.”

The final decoration of the kagami presentation varied from simple to very elaborate. This also included a food offering with a written statement of why that food was meaningful to the person who prepared it. The JANM display included a bowl of Japanese potato salad, provided by Mari and Ford Fujii.

The entry from the Hollywood Buddhist Church broke from traditional elements with a sense of humor. Inspired by the recent MLB Championship success of the Los Angeles Dodgers and their new star, Shohei Ohtani, the kagami was topped with a baseball, and included a bleacher cheering section.

Yoko said, “I really enjoyed the camaraderie of friends and the community working together.”

About 50 invited organization teams participated in the challenge. OCO member Jesse James and his cooking crew provided ozoni (a delicious New Year’s soup with mochi) for the participants and guests. Glenn estimated 2,300-2,400 people attended the festivities.

First thinking this to be a one-and-done event, I now have to agree with our friend Julie Hasuike. who said, “Seeing what others did, I want to do better next year.”

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