Chigaya, チガヤ (Cotton Grass) – Along the Road, in Classical Poetry and Myth, an Herbal Medicine – and a rustic snack!

Chigaya (茅) can be seen growing along roads, railways, riverbanks, and open, wild fields, swaying in the breeze and glistening in the sunshine (when it isn’t raining!) from late April thru June. In 2022, it seems to be growing in special abundance. And though it might look like a useless weed to many, it has, in fact, played an important role in traditional Japanese culture as a “repeller of evil” in CHINOWA RINGS, as an herbal medicine – and as a rustic snack (as a relative of the sugar-cane it is slightly sweet when its young “beard” is chewed on). And I almost forgot to mention – it is referred to in the 8th century Manyoshu Anthology of Japanese Poetry, not once, but 18 times!*

By Avi Landau

Don’t confuse CHIGAYA with SUSUKI, which is not only much taller, but also “blooms” in a completely different season – autumn (of which it is an important symbol in Japan!) It has been said in recent years that CHIGAYA has been losing out to competition to both invasive and native species. This year though, it seems to have come back with a vengeance, its silvery white “beards” sparkling in long patches along roads and highways. (Tsukuba in June)

Chigaya in May – note how when it is younger, it is browner and more slender. It is in this state that they are “edible”. Children of past generations used to suck and chew on the beards of these plants for their delicate sweetness. Asking around I have found several people (of a certain age) who remember having done so as children. Kids today, though, accustomed to very sweet things, would not appreciate these rustic snacks – and would probably not find them sweet at all! In ancient times, the young, edible (brown), CHIGAYA were called TSUBANA (or CHIBANA)
Here is one of the 18 Manyoshu poems that mention cotton grass, This one was written by the much older Ki no Iratsume to the youthful Otomo no Yakamochi. WAKEH GA TAMEH, WAGA TE MO SUMA NI, HARU NO NO NI, NUKERU TSUBANA ZO, MESHITE KOEMASE! Which I translate as: “My dear young man, eat this cotton grass that I’ve gathered for you so tirelessly in the spring fields – go on… and put some meat on your bones!” Manyoshu Book 8 Poem 1460 (translation by Avi Landau)

As an herbal medicine the rootstalks of chigaya have been used to reduce inflammation, to stimulate urination, and to stop bleeding, they are used to treat cystitis, nephritis, bloatedness, edema, beriberi and vomiting blood. The young “beards” have been used to stop nose-bleeds and blood in the urine, and spitting up blood. It has also be traditionally used to stop coughs in children (though I wouldn’t recommend using CHIGAYA for treating any of these ailment on your own!)

Taken from a moving car driving along Higashi O-Dori avenue in Tsukuba CHIGAYA and azalea

In English, Chigaya is known as either cogongrass or cotton grass – with the scientific name: imperata cylindirca. It grows extensively around the world and has many different uses, depending on the country in which it grows.

Relatives of the sumo ring and Grand Champions belt , Chinowa Rings (made of CHIGAYA) have long been believed to keep “bad energies” away. The origin of this belief can be found in the ancient Chronicles of Bingo Province (now Okayama Prefecture) – Bingo no Kuni Fudoki – in which the simple and impovershed hero, a man named Somin Sho-rai, is kind and generous to a certain deity, who in return, advices Somin to protect himself from a soon to rampage epidemic by fashioning a hoop out of cotton grass and wearing it around his waist. Since this recommendation (in the story) comes from the mouth of a deity, it was taken for granted (by people of yore) that such straw rings had some protective and purifying powers. As I’ve said above, you can also see such rings around the waists of sumo Grand Champions or the sumo ring itself. These CHINOWA RINGS can be seen at certain shrines in late June where it is customary for worshippers to pass through (in a certain pattern, depending on the shrine) to help steel oneself for the health-hazards of the Japanese summer.

*Besides CHIGAYA (茅萱), in the Manyoshu, cotton grass can also referred to as ASAJI (浅茅) or 浅茅原 (ASAJIHARA/ASATSUBARA).