Have you ever heard of a ceremony called Kagami Biraki (鏡開き) ?
Kagami literally means ‘mirror’ and Biraki, which refers to Hiraku, means to open.
What? To open a mirror??
Japanese people don’t open a mirror, but instead, they open a cask of sake (Japanese alcohol).
This ceremony is usually done at a party (wedding, sport events, opening of a new company, etc.).
It’s said that the fourth Tokugawa Shogun was the first to do this ceremony to celebrate a successful battle.
Here’s a photo of a friend of mine doing the Kagami Biraki ceremony with 3 other lucky guests.
It was last year’s New Year celebration at a Japanese dining place (an izakaya).
They were chosen among us because they won the Rock-Paper-Scissor competition!
Have you ever wondered, how many people I can serve with one cask?
Navio’s here with the answer!
□ ４斗樽 (4 to taru) / 72 L (1 cask) =
□ 2斗樽 (2 to taru) / 36 L (2 small cask) = 1斗瓶 (1 to bin) / 18 L (4 bottles) =
□ 1升瓶 (1 shou bin) / 1.8 L (40 bottles) = ４合瓶 (4 gou bin) / 720 ML (100 bottles) =
□ 2合徳利 (2 gou tokkuri) / 360 ML (200 sake bottles) *Nowadays sake bottles are even smaller, app. 250 ML per bottle* = 1合桝 (1 gou masu) / 180 ML (400 boxes)
Sake is filled into the traditional wooden cups called masu. Here’s a photo of the masu I got last year. Pretty cool, isn’t it?
□ 2勺5分おちょこ (2 seki 5 bu ochoko) / 45 ML (1600 sake cups)
1600 people it is.
Hope you’ve learned something new!
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