Introduction of Major Osechi-Ryouri Dishes (Traditional Japanese New Year's Dishes)

As a continuation of my previous post, I'd like to introduce some of major Osechi-Ryouri (Traditional Japanese New Year's dishes) today, though there are many more kinds since depending on the area the dishes and combination of them are different. All of them have some good meaning or good luck shape, so when people cook them most people follow the recipes and would use exact same ingredients in recipes. During the first 3 days of New Year people eat Osechi-Ryouri and wish a good luck and a better year. Let's see each dish in the photo above!

No.① and ② are black and white beans. They are boiled with sugar. The Japanese the word for beans, "Mame", is a homonym for diligence.
No.③ is  called "Tataki-Gobou", which is a vinegared dish. Gobou is a kind of root vegetable that grows deep underground, and people wish for a secure life for their family with this food.
No.④ is called "Tatsukuri" which is made of small sardines. The meaning of the name is "Making Rice Paddy". Since people used dry sardines as a fertilizer in old time, sardines have a relationship with good harvests.
No.⑤ is called "Namasu" which is vinegared julienne Daikon radish and carrot. In Japanese culture the color combination of red and white is for celebrations. Even though the one in the photo is orange and white combination, there is a kind of carrot which has almost red color, and some people prefer to use the red type.
No.⑥ is called "Kinton" which is sweetened mushed sweet potatoes with boiled chestnuts. The color of both ingredients is considered as "gold color" and people wish an affluent life with it.
No.⑦ is called "Kobu-Maki"which is seaweed boiled with soy sauce and sugar. The shape of this dish is like scrolls (ancient style books) thus it is a wish for advance of culture.
No.⑧ is called "Date-Maki" which is made of fish meat and eggs. It has the same meaning as No.⑦ since this one is also has a rolled shape. In Japanese "Maki" means "roll".
No.⑨ is called "Tori-Tessen". Tori means chicken in Japanese, so it is a baked ground chicken meat made into the shape of a folding fan which is carried when wearing formal Kimonos.
No.⑩ is called "Kazunoko" made of herring and people eat it with a wish for the prosperity of their posterity. 
No.⑪ is called "Nishiki-Tamago" which means "eggs in two colors". The lower part is made from egg white and the upper part is made from york. The word Nishiki means two colors, and also it is a homonym for one kind of silk fabric which is used for formal Kimonos.
No.⑫ is called "Kikuka-Kabu" which means "turnips into chrysanthemum flowers". Chrysanthemum is the national flower of Japan, and also it is a symbol of longevity.
No.⑬ is called "Onishime". Onishime means a boiled dish, and it is a dish with many different kinds of ingredients cut into some shapes with good luck as in flowers, turtle shells, bamboos, and arrows. 
No.⑭ is a New Year's soup called "Ozouni" containing rice cakes(Mochi).  This one has varied styles depending on each area. This photo is showing a typical Tokyo style "Ozouni" and the ingredients are chicken, a special fish cake having a design of a swirl and a type of leaf vegetable. The soup is clear and seasoned with a little soy sauce and bonito broth.

In addition, from No.① to No.⑫, these dishes are like appetizers. They go very well with Japanese Sake.
The cooking way of No.⑬ is same as a typical Japanese dish called "Nimono" but ingredients are cut into special shapes for New Year. No.⑭ can be considered as a main dish since it is containing plain rice cakes (Mochi). For Tokyo style "Ozouni", the rice cakes are square shapes and people grill them before putting them into the soup. However in west side of Japan, the rice cakes are usually round shapes.