Kyoto Cafe Hopping #2 | Shimogamo Shrine | Shaved Ice, Past and Present
Shimogamo Shrine is one of the oldest shrines in Kyoto. The Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival) held in May appears in the court literature of the Heian period, and it is said that the Tadasu no Mori forest within the shrine grounds still retains the atmosphere of the primeval forest that has existed since the Jomon period.
Shimogamo Shrine allows you to experience culture and nature passed down from ancient times. On the way to the Romon Gate while walking along the main approach, there is a teahouse called "Saruya" where visitors can take a break. Many of the items on the Saruya menu are related to the rituals of Shimogamo Shrine, and I have been curious about their shaved ice for a long time.
In fact, the ancestor of shaved ice even appears in The Pillow Book. In the Heian period, people (though only those of noble status) would eat ice to ward off the summer heat.
In an age without electricity, how did they obtain ice during the hot season? And what were they feeling when they ate it? Today, while introducing delicious shaved ice, I would like to touch a little bit on its history.
◆ First, a shaved ice review
I visited in mid-June. The maximum temperature exceeded 30°C, and it was a day with strong sunlight, but the approach to Shimogamo Shrine, surrounded by trees, felt a little cool, and the occasional breeze felt pleasant.
What I had on this day was the Kamo no Himuro no Kori (Ice from the Kamo Ice House) with matcha and red beans.
Above all, I like that it is served in a pure white state without syrup at first, as it makes me realize that it is ice. It looks like a slightly short "kamakura" (igloo), and it is very beautiful.
After taking a quick photo, I pour the separately served matcha syrup over it and enjoy it.
Come to think of it, when I was a child and made shaved ice at home, I would pour whatever syrup I liked on it myself. (I liked eating it with Calpis poured over it ^^) Shaved ice at shops often comes with various ingredients, sauces, and syrups already poured on, but as I poured it myself for the first time in a while, I felt a sense of nostalgia.
The ice is fluffy like snow and melts lightly in the mouth, and the matcha syrup is light and very elegant. The red beans also have a gentle sweetness. I eat it crunchily while adding the syrup little by little and changing the flavor with the red beans.
Saruya is half-outdoors, so I am happy that I can enjoy it while feeling the outside air. It was a hot day with strong sunlight, but since it was in the shade of the trees, it was not too hot, and my body did not get too cold even after eating the shaved ice, so the temperature was just right.
I didn't ask the staff, but when I wondered "Why is it unglazed?" and looked it up, I found that unglazed pottery has a cooling effect. I wonder if it was designed so that the ice would not melt easily.
So, I enjoyed it to the end. It is a very simple composition of ice, matcha syrup, and red bean topping, but it was a shaved ice that felt very comfortable to eat.
This comfort is quite difficult to achieve; if you get a headache halfway through, get too full, or get cold because the air conditioning is too strong, you drift further and further away from "comfortable." I imagine that it was completed through trial and error, down to the temperature and shaving of the ice, the thickness and amount of the syrup, and even the bowls and spoons.
Shaved ice that looks like a parfait with various ingredients is exciting and fun, but Saruya's shaved ice is a simple and comfortable "shaved ice that you want to eat regularly." I think I will stop by again when I visit the shrine.
◆ Shimogamo Shrine's Ice House
And this shaved ice is named "Kamo no Himuro no Kori." A "himuro" (ice house) is a natural refrigerator that has existed since ancient times. At Shimogamo Shrine, you can see a reconstructed ice house. (*Paid admission, exterior only; you cannot see the inside.)
It is said that ice houses themselves have existed since ancient times, with records appearing as far back as the Nihon Shoki. They were built in cool places, and as shown in the schematic diagram in the second photo, ice and snow collected during the winter were stored in the underground space and used for preserving food and the like.
The following is the origin of Saruya's shaved ice, quoted from the Shimogamo Shrine website.
The Himuro Shinji (Ice Room Ritual) at Shimogamo Shrine, a traditional midsummer event in Kyoto, is also known as the 'First Day of Ice' (*). It was a time when ice was presented to the Imperial Court, and people would pray for good health and ward off evil by consuming ice. Following this ancient tradition, Saruya named their shaved ice 'Kamo no Himuro no Kori' (Ice from the Kamo Ice Room), hoping that visitors might spend the hot summer in peace and safety, with ice as pure as the first snow.
* The first day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, the day of the ritual to open the ice room.
Living in Kyoto, I feel that these traditional customs and food cultures are still cherished today. At Saruya, shaved ice appears on the menu after the Himuro-biraki (Ice Room Opening) ritual is held on June 1st.
Even though there are days in April and May that are as hot as summer, I feel that many shops in Kyoto only start serving shaved ice from June. Perhaps these traditional events are what support the seasonal sense of the ancient capital that 'shaved ice begins in June.'
◆ Shaved ice in The Pillow Book
Ice is something we can easily obtain now, but before scientific technology developed, it was extremely precious. In 'The Pillow Book' (Makura no Soshi), the ancestor (?) of shaved ice appears in the section on 'Elegant Things.' 'Elegant things' refers to things that are noble and refined.
Elegant things: A thin-colored robe over a white silk garment. The egg of a wild goose.Shaved ice with sweet syrup added, served in a new metal bowl. A crystal rosary. Wisteria flowers. Plum blossoms with snow falling on them. A very cute child eating a strawberry.
⚫︎ Kezuri-hi ni = On shaved ice
⚫︎ Amazura irete = Adding sweet syrup
⚫︎ Atarashiki kanamari ni itaru = Put into a new metal bowl
It really is shaved ice! Both the ice and the sweetener must have been precious at the time. The transparent, sparkling ice must have appeared noble and refined to Sei Shonagon, partly because of its beauty.
◆ Shaved ice, past and present
As you may have gathered by now, I love shaved ice (laughs). When I look at ice that sparkles like jewels or shaved ice that looks like piled-up snow, my heart just flutters.
Perhaps people a thousand years ago felt the same sense of coolness and beauty when looking at ice. Imagining that makes the distant past feel a little closer.
Of course, the weight of a single bowl is completely different now compared to a thousand years ago. In those days, when concepts of hygiene were different, the wish to spend the summer safely must have been much more urgent for people.
Even so, I think it is a very happy thing that such history and customs are passed down to the present, and that we can enjoy shaved ice so casually.
The bowl I had in the quiet shade of the trees at Shimogamo Shrine was not only a way to feel the comfort of early summer, but also a slightly special treat that allowed me to think back to summers a thousand years ago.