Kagami biraki in Japan

Kagami biraki are celebrations that mark significant events occurring during the year or in someone’s life. Kagami biraki are ceremonies that mark significant changes in life. Originating in an act performed by a shogun 300 years ago, the act of breaking open a sake barrel marks the start of something new.

The most common kagami biraki celebration is held right after the beginning of the New Year and consists in breaking the kagami mochi, the rice cakes made as an offering to the deity of the New Year, and cooking them in a special soup (zoni) in order to eat them.

On the other hand, the ceremony where a sake barrel is broken and opened has become widely performed at sports events, parties, and weddings. Let’s see where the traditions of kagami biraki come from and how they are celebrated today.