Eggplant (nasu)

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Eggplant, aubergine (nasu)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: see below
***** Category: Plant

tomato, see below

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Explanation

The Japanese name, nasu or nasubi probably derived from the word NATSU MI, meaning “summer flavor” 夏味

or “summer seed/fruit” 夏実 .

The eggplant thrives in the hot sun, maturing at the end of summer and through the fall.
©　www.tasteofculture.com

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kigo for early summer

eggplant seedlings, nashi nae 茄子苗 (なすなえ)


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kigo for all summer

blossoms of the eggplant, nasu no hana 茄子の花 (なすのはな)
... hana nasu 花茄子（はななす）


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kigo for late summer

eggplant, nasu 茄子 (なす), nasubi なすび
first eggplant, hatsu nasu 初茄子（はつなす）



pickled eggplants, nasuzuke 茄子漬（なすづけ）

soup with eggplants (usually miso soup), nasujiru 茄子汁（なすじる）
grilled eggplants, shigiyaki 鴫焼（しぎやき）
..... shigi tsuboyaki 鴫壺焼
grilled eggplants filled with snipe meat
(a dish loved by the samurai of the Edo period)
fried or grilled eggplants, yakinasu 焼茄子（やきなす）
... especially for barbeques


egg-shaped or long eggplants, tsuruboso sennari 蔓細千成（つるぼそせんなり）
... orido nasu 折戸茄子（おりどなす）
"really black", shinkuro 真黒（しんくろ）

mountain eggplants, yamanasu 山茄子（やまなす）
"violet stem", heta murasaki 蔕紫（へたむらさき）

long eggplant, naga nasu 長茄子（ながなす)
round eggplant, maru nasu 丸茄子（まるなす）



pouch-shaped eggplant, kinchaku nasu 巾着茄子（きんちゃくなす）


white eggplant, shiro nasu 白茄子（しろなす）


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kigo for early autumn

horse made of eggplant, nasu no uma 茄子の馬 (なすのうま)
This is a special decoration for the ancestor's celebrations during the Bon festival. Children prepare little toy animals from vegetables to welcome the souls and see them off later.





pumpkin horse, uri no uma 瓜の馬（うりのうま）
pumpkin cow, uri no ushi 瓜の牛（うりのうし）
eggplant cow, nasu no ushi 茄子の牛（なすのうし）

"welcoming horse", mukae uma 迎馬（むかえうま）
"good bye-horse", okuri uma 送馬（おくりうま）

Decoration for the Bon Festival (o-bon) Japan.




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observance kigo for late autumn

mikunichi nasu みくにち茄子（みくにちなす）
"eggplants eaten on the three days"
the 9th, 19th and 29th of the ninth lunar month
see Chrysathemum Festival

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"Never feed a bride autumnal eggplants..."
AKI NASU WA YOME NI KUWASU NA


"Parental advice is like eggplant... every flower yields fruit."
OYA NO IKEN TO NASUBI NO HANA WA SEN NI HITOTSU MO MUDA MO NAI.

Read some more eggplant recipies here:
©　www.tasteofculture.com

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Nasu, eggplant and augerbine dishes

WASHOKU ... Japanese Food SAIJIKI


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Tokugawa Ieyasu was very fond of eggplants, went hawking and liked mount Fuji (see first dream, below).

The eggplant farmers of the town of Utsunomiya were allowed to bring an offering of eggplants from each farm, collected by their representatives and delivered to the Toshogu shrine in Nikko as an offering to the deified Ieyasu once a year.

nasumori　茄子守り preserving the eggplants

Orido nasu 折戸ナス are offered at the Toshogu Shrine in Kuno-San, Shizuoka.

. Nikko Toshogu Shrine 東照宮　徳川家康 .


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わっぱ入だるま茄子辛子漬 Daruma Nasu
Eggplant pickles in a barrel

from small eggplants, with lots of red pepper

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HAIKU

春雨や 二葉に萌ゆる 茄子種
harusame ya futaba ni moyuru nasubidane

spring rain -
two leaves sprout
from the eggplant seedling

Matsuo Basho

. Spring rain and rain in spring.


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二三本茄子植ても小てふ哉
ni sambon nasubi uete mo ko chô kana

even when planting
two or three eggplants...
little butterflies



七夕に一本茄子立りけり
tanabata ni hito moto nasubi tateri keri

Tanabata Night--
a single eggplant
standing up

Perhaps Issa is suggesting that the eggplant, like humans on this night, is standing up, star-gazing.



あちこちに茄子も下る枯の哉
achi kochi ni nasubi mo sagaru kareno kana

here and there
eggplants dangle too...
withered fields

Issa
Tr. David Lanoue

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守り札かけて育つやはつ茄子
mamori fuda kakete sodatsu ya hatsu nasubi

growing strong
protected by a talisman -
first eggplants

Kobayashi Issa




This eggplant talisman from the temple Zoojooji 増上寺 Zojo-Ji in Edo grants three wishes
a grain of rice for plenty of food all year
a knotted hair pin for finding a good partner
a gold coin for good luck with money

I am not sure this was already sold at the time of Issa.
Here is another nasubi strap talisman, sold at the shrine
Hibita Jinja 比々多神社 in Kanagawa, Isehara town.

This is a pun with nasu ... may it become as you wish

願をなす　



And a mamori bag with your own name imprinted for extra good
Don't give up, NASU luck.　あきらめない




. Shrine Hibita Jinja 比々多神社 .


. Amulets and Talismans from Japan .　


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めずらしや山を出羽の初なすび
mezurashi ya yama o Dewa no hatsu nasubi

how wonderful and extraordinary !
coming out of the sacred Dewa mountains
to these first eggplants

Matuo Basho at Sakata
Minden Nasu Eggplants
Tr. Gabi Greve


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茄子の花　今日の飯に　マヨネーズ
nasu no hana kyoo no meshi ni mayoneezu

eggplant flowers -
he heaps mayonaise
on his bowl of rice

Gabi Greve, 2004

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Related words

***** Datura, "crazy eggplant, kichigai nasu"
気違茄子（きちがいなす）, ダチュラ
Trumpet flower


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***** aka nasu 赤茄子（あかなす）tomato
lit. "red eggplant"
TOMATO トマト (とまと） !

kigo for late summer


Momotaro Tomatoes from Okayama 桃太郎トマト



sharing tomatoes
the resident woodchuck
is no hog

George Hawkins
Happy Haiku Forum, August 2010


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September downpour--
bad tomatoes float down
Soweto road

Caleb Mutua, Kenya

Kenya Saijiki Forum


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***** . First Dream (hatsuyume 初夢) .
It is considered to be particularly good luck to dream of
Mount Fuji, a hawk, and an eggplant.



WASHOKU :
YASAI . Vegetable SAIJIKI




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