okowa; glutinous rice steamed with red beans or other ingredients
A traditional Japanese dish of glutinous rice steamed with adzuki beans or other ingredients; often served on celebratory occasions. Similar to 赤飯 (sekihan), but おこわ may use different toppings or be less strictly associated with festivities.
Archaic meaning; not used in modern Japanese. The word おこわ in this sense is obsolete.
The okowa my grandmother made for me had chestnuts in it and was really delicious.
At the celebration, both okowa and sekihan were served.
In old documents, there are examples where 'okowa' is used to mean 'trickery'.
Kanji form; rarely used in modern writing.
The word おこわ comes from the honorific prefix お (o) + 強 (kowa), an old word for 'hard' or 'stiff', referring to the firm texture of steamed glutinous rice. The archaic sense of 'trickery' is unrelated and its origin is uncertain.