[December 8] Koto-osame & Hari-kuyo & Outbreak of the Pacific War & Organic Agriculture Day & First Daily Newspaper in Japan Published

[Koto-osame (End of Things)]

While February 8 is traditionally the day for 'Koto-hajime' (Beginning of Things), when farm work for the year begins, December 8 is considered 'Koto-osame' (End of Things), the day when farm work for the year concludes.

The 'Koto-hajime' on February 8 and the 'Koto-osame' on December 8 are collectively referred to as 'Koto-yoka' (The Eight Days of Things).

In some regions, Koto-osame is also called 'Okoto-jimai,' and there is a custom of eating 'Okoto-jiru,' a soup containing ingredients such as taro, konjac, carrots, adzuki beans, and flour dumplings.

[Hari-kuyo (Memorial Service for Needles)]

The custom of sticking needles used throughout the year, or needles that have become bent and unusable, into soft items like tofu or konjac and dedicating them to a shrine is held annually on December 8.

In some regions, this is held on February 8.

Since Japan has had a sewing culture since ancient times and high-level sewing techniques, 'Hari-kuyo' is considered an important folk event.

Although the date is not limited to December 8, at Awashimado in the precincts of Senso-ji Temple (Koto Ward, Tokyo) and Awashima Shrine (Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture), a memorial service is held as a 'Needle Festival,' which also includes prayers for improvement in needlework.

[Outbreak of the Pacific War]

On December 8, 1941 (Showa 16), the Japanese military carried out a surprise attack on the U.S. military base at Pearl Harbor, located on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

Through this surprise attack, they succeeded in sinking 11 battleships, including the USS Arizona, and destroying nearly 400 aircraft.

However, on the American side, this led to a fight to the finish under the slogan 'Remember Pearl Harbor,' and subsequently, the Pacific War, which lasted for about 3 years and 6 months, broke out.

Regarding the Pearl Harbor attack carried out by the Japanese military, various information has circulated later, such as that all Japanese codes at the time had been deciphered by the U.S. side, that it was a mistaken action due to a delay in the document notifying the start of the war, and that there were many suspicious actions by diplomats on both the Japanese and American sides. The view that the U.S. military, knowing they would be attacked, allowed the Japanese military to attack in order to establish an international justification before launching a total counterattack against the Japanese military, bears a strange resemblance to the progression of events following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States and the subsequent U.S. attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq, drawing renewed attention to the circumstances.

And this day is recorded under various names, including 'Anniversary of the Start of the War against the U.S. and Britain' and 'Anniversary of the Start of the Pacific War.'

[Organic Agriculture Day]

Named after the enactment of the Act on the Promotion of Organic Agriculture on December 8, 2006 (Heisei 18), this day was established as a memorial day by the 'I Want to Change Agriculture! National Movement Kansai Regional Network,' and has been succeeded by the 'Association for Creating the Next Generation of Agriculture and Food.'

Organic agriculture refers to farming that does not use chemically synthesized fertilizers or pesticides and does not utilize genetic modification technology. In conjunction with the December 8 memorial day, the association advocates for the importance of promoting safe and secure organic agriculture that is in harmony with nature throughout the community.

[First Daily Newspaper in Japan Published]

On December 8, 1870 (Meiji 3), the Yokohama Mainichi Shimbun, Japan's first daily newspaper, was founded by the Yokohama Kappansha.

The Yokohama Mainichi Shimbun was a tabloid-sized newspaper using movable type, consisting of two pages that mainly featured information on ships entering and leaving the port and exchange rates.

《Tabloid size》
A newspaper printed at about half the size of a standard newspaper.

Due to its content, in recent years, the term has also come to imply a "popular press newspaper."

The Yokohama Mainichi Shimbun and Yokohama Kappansha went through repeated name changes and mergers before disappearing before the war.

However, it is considered the ancestor of modern newspapers and played a pioneering role in Japan's movable-type printed newspapers.

《Aside》
The oldest existing daily newspaper is the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun, which was founded on February 21, 1872 (Meiji 5), and is still being published today under the name Mainichi Shimbun.

(The above is from an internet search)