Turning the Mass

In a method recorded in Nayoro City, the steamed glutinous rice falls into the mortar, and the boundaries between individual grains are still visible. The wooden mallet first presses forward against the rice. Grains scatter from both sides of the mallet head, hit the mortar wall, and are squeezed back into the part that is gathering together; the direction is changed, and the pressing is repeated. The loose grains gradually connect into a single mass. When the mallet head is lifted away again, it already pulls up adhering rice, and parts are left on the mortar wall that have not returned to the place where the mallet will fall. From then on, each strike must land in a new position, and the rice mass must also be turned so another side receives the force.

The rice left at the edge needs to be turned back under the mallet. One guide to operating a wooden mortar allows two rhythms: the mass can be turned after every strike, or the wooden mallet can fall several times in succession and then come to a complete stop; only then does the other pair of hands enter the mortar, fold the parts stuck to the edge back into the center, and turn the rice mass over. The next round of pounding begins from this newly turned side. If the two people’s movements fall out of sync, the person turning the mass should withdraw their hands, call out, and start again, entering only after the wooden mallet has come fully to rest once more. If the hand misses that beat, the rice remains where it was; only when the wooden mallet stops can it be placed again where the next strike will fall.

Rice at the edge can also be sent back by another kind of apparatus. A device once used by a wagashi shop rotates the bottom of the mortar, and as it turns, a ridged structure carries the rice under the mallet, so the operator does not have to touch the hot rice between strikes. Regathering happens continuously at the bottom of the container, while the mallet still falls from above.

The rice turned back can receive force again, and the gathering will continue. But after the pounding exceeds its limit, the resilience of the rice mass declines.