I have my own chopsticks for private use. In Japan having your own chopsticks and your bowl for rice and sometimes your bowl for soup and your cup for Japanese tea is very common.
My wan(a bowl for soup), chawan(a bowl for rice), and yunomi(cup). Today’s main dish is potato croquette!
People often give Meoto-bashi, Meoto-jawan or Meoto-yunomi (meoto means a couple, Mr. and Mrs.), two pair of chopsticks, a pair of rice bowls or cups for Japanese tea, to a couple as a wedding gift. Chopsticks for husband are often longer and a bowl for rice or a cup for husband are often larger than those for wife.
Meoto-jawan(a pair of rice bowls)
We think things for private use like chopsticks or a bowl as a part of us or things to which we are connected in some way. So if my bowl broke, I would be worried about something bad happening.
Chopsticks are made of wood and lacquered by urushi gradually get damaged every day. When I get new chopsticks, I hesitate to throw away old ones. (I think many Japanese don’t want to throw their own chopsticks in a trash box even after they get new ones.)
I carried some old pairs of chopsticks to Hashikura temple on a day in last summer.
Hashi means chopstick, the temple was founded by Kobo-daishi who received a divine message “Help people who use chopsticks(＝hashi)” in 828. People thank old hashi and leave them in the temple hold hashi-kuyo burn them with pieces of wood to invoke divine help on 4th August.
Hashikura temple is in Tokushima prefecture and an inner shrine of Kotohira shrine in Kagawa prefecture enshrining guardian god of sea traffic.
The temple is also known as reizyo means a place related to Kobo-daishi(kukai).
You can see 6 beautiful architectures designated as important cultural properties of Japan in the mystic woods worshipped for over a thousand years.
Thank you for reading!
