Renkon, resilience, and renewal: Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto’s new year traditions

As the year draws to a close, Taproot Fellow and Japanese koto musician Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto reflects on the cultural richness of her Japanese American upbringing and how it shapes her family’s holiday celebrations today. Shirley shared with ACTA her unique blend of traditions, highlighting the deep significance of food, family, and festivity.

Growing up in a Japanese American Buddhist household, Shirley celebrated Christmas and Easter without initially understanding their religious roots. “For a long time, I never knew these holidays were based in Christian religion,” she explains.

“After studying Japanese American history, I realized that, because most of the people in my community’s parents and grandparents were put in prison during World War II, they came out with this feeling of having to prove that they were loyal Americans. It didn’t matter what American tradition it was—they would follow it. So we did Christmas, we did Easter, and also went to Buddhist church.”

While Christmas was embraced in Shirley’s family, she notes that New Year’s is the most significant event at the end of the year in Japanese tradition. Shirley recounts the flurry of activity in her family’s kitchen: “After Christmas, we would hustle to get all the ingredients for the New Year’s foods and make sure we had everything we wanted. Cooking was a big thing for us just before January 1.”

“New Year’s is the big time—cleaning the house, paying all your bills, cooking all these foods, getting ready for New Year’s Day. All these New Year’s foods have various nuances, like good luck or seeing into the future. The food was—of course—delicious and beautiful, but it all had meaning to it too.”

One dish that holds special meaning for Shirley is renkon sunomono, a salad made with lotus root marinated in rice vinegar, sugar, and ginger. “It’s iconic to the village my dad’s family came from, Iwakuni. There’s a family history about a farmer who developed a special way of cultivating food there, including the renkon (lotus root). That’s very special to my dad’s family, so I try to make it every year.”

She also prepares nishime, a hearty winter stew, and kuromame, black beans often associated with good luck.

“Once, I was talking to my sister-in-law from Georgia, and she said they eat black-eyed peas for New Year’s. I thought, ‘Oh, that’s kind of the same!’ There’s something about black beans that seems to be some kind of good luck dish for New Year’s,” she reflects.In addition to food, Shirley incorporates symbolic decorations for the New Year. “Next year is the year of the snake, so I’ll put up a small display of that animal, along with shōchikubai—bamboo, pine, and plum, which are supposed to bring good luck. Some people also put up a broom to sweep away evil spirits. There’s a lot associated with New Year’s for good luck or seeing into the future.”

With Shirley’s Japanese roots, her husband’s Chinese heritage, and their shared Christian influences, the season is a rich tapestry of cultural customs. “We celebrate New Year’s twice—January 1 for Japanese New Year, and then Chinese New Year, which is on a different day each year. My husband is Christian, so we also celebrate Christmas with his family.”

While Shirley has adapted some traditions to suit her children’s tastes, she remains committed to keeping these customs alive. “New Year’s is mostly my responsibility to keep up the tradition,” she says.

In addition to being one of ACTA’s inaugural Taproot Fellows, Shirley received the Living Cultures Grant in 2023 and has participated in our Apprenticeship Program as a mentor artist four times. Happy holidays from all of us at ACTA!