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
Toso drunk at New Year's uses a spice blend called tososan.
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.