Chuo-ku Tourism Association Official Blog

Chuo-ku Tourism Association correspondent blog

Introducing Chuo-ku's seasonal information by sightseeing volunteer members who passed the Chuo-ku Tourism Association's Chuo-ku Tourism Certification and registered as correspondents.

List of Authors

>>About this blog

Recent blog post

The Chinese zodiac toothpick of "Saruya"

1. December 21, 2011 08:30

The New Year's season has been stagnant. Christmas, general cleaning and some busy days continue. How about preparing a "New Year's card" at this time when there is still a little room? Today, I would like to introduce Saruya's zodiac toothpick that is perfect for "New Year's Day".


Saruya is a member of the Toto Goodwill Association and is a long-established toothpick specialty store that was founded for more than 300 years in the first year of Hoei (1704), so I think it is necessary to introduce it, but I am familiar at the department store department store department store This is the first time I visit the store. Nihonbashikoamicho, where the shop is located, goes a little toward Ningyocho from the Edobashi intersection. A toothpick in various packages is spread day at the entrance show window in the bright store. In the back, the clerk is wrapping a lot of ordered products.


100_0329.JPG

According to a guide to the shop, "Nara period and Buddhism were introduced to Japan." In the era when there was no toothbrush, he used a "total toothpick" that crushed the edges and made it look like a block. Speaking of which, one of the "Meiwa's Three Beautys" is "Yogeya Oto" behind Asakusa Kannon. A toothpick craftsman is also active as an assistant in Hatsuko Wada's popular novel series "Kuchichu Medical Keisuke Incident Book". Since the middle of the Edo period, tooth brushing with toothpicks may have spread to the common people.


The toothpick was originally applied to this character because "Yangyanagi" was mainly used as a material. It seems that the word "black letter" refers to a toothpick made of black letter trees, but it was suddenly used as toothpick = black letter. By the way, the origin of the name of the tree "black character" was "The bark of the black character tree is green black and has black spots, and it is regarded as a character and is called black characters."


Saruya's toothpick is rich in variety and gets lost. In addition to the paulownia box "Senryo Box", "Oiri", "Kumatori", and "Zodiac", there are also Tsuji occupation and familiar "black letters" and toothpicks. What I asked was the Chinese zodiac sign next year, the dragon's picture. It seems that those with zodiac signs will be lined up in stores from the beginning of November of the previous year. If you collect 12 pieces, you will have all kinds. It's a good luck and it's a little fashionable "New Year's card".



100_0330.JPG950 yen in Chinese zodiac paulownia box For details, please visit http://www.saruya.co.jp/.


Saruya: Nihonbashikoamicho, Chuo-ku 18-10 TEL3666-3906 

     Business hours 09:00 ~ 18:00 (Sunday holiday)

     Nearest station Ningyocho A5 Exit 5 minutes, Mitsukoshi-mae B6 Exit 5 minutes