Hashi Chopsticks

“Hashi” is the word for chopsticks in Japanese. It is said 30% of the population of the world are chopsticks users. Chopsticks are the primary utensil in Japan like that of other Asian countries.

The relationship between chopsticks and our life continue from birth to death.

We have a ceremony once a new born baby passes 100 days old called “Okuizome”. Friends and family celebrate the baby’s healthy growth and hope he or she will be never worried about food.

Of course after 100 days a baby can’t have a normal meal yet, so we make him or her pretend to eat with chopsticks. At this point chopsticks enter our life.

Then throughout our life we continue to use chopsticks.

When the time comes to say good-bye to this world, it means the last moment for chopsticks.

Today in Japan cremation is the final farewell. The ashes and bones are then placed into a pot by the family. At that time, the tool with which we pick up bones is chopsticks.

A partner, who is helpful and reliable and cares for us from birth till death, is “Hashi”.

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