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屠蘇散 (とそさん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

屠と蘇そ散さん

と

そ

さ

ん

Meanings

1

noun

toso spice blend; spices for spiced sake

A traditional blend of medicinal spices steeped in sake for New Year's toso. The term is culturally specific and typically encountered in historical or seasonal contexts.

See also: 屠蘇

正しょう月がつに飲のむ屠と蘇そには屠と蘇そ散さんが使つかわれる。
Toso drunk at New Year's uses a spice blend called tososan.

Kanji

屠slaughter, butcher, slay
蘇be resuscitated, revived, perilla
散scatter, disperse, spend

Similar words

屠と蘇そ
屠蘇 refers to the spiced sake itself, while 屠蘇散 is specifically the dry spice mixture used to make it.

Etymology

The name derives from the tradition of drinking spiced sake (屠蘇) at New Year's to ward off evil spirits and promote health. 散 indicates a powdered or granular medicine. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but the practice is of Chinese origin and was adopted in Japan during the Heian period.