栃

Japanese horse chestnut

Kanji 2080

Find out about the Japanese horse chestnut tree, and see how it has contributed to cuisine in Japan. Learn why 栃 figures into the name of a medicinal plant that has nothing to do with the Japanese horse chestnut tree. Discover the highlights of Tochigi Prefecture, and see how its flag features 栃 in a creative way. Also learn figurative terms  involving a rolling pin! 

Revision History:

May 9, 2024: p. 6: Added information about 栓 and about the shop to the photo caption.

Nov. 17, 2023: p. 7: Deleted a stray comma.

June 12, 2021: p. 6: Redefined 栓 as "cork" and 梅 as “Japanese apricot.”

Dec. 14, 2019:

• p. 5: Slightly revised the discussion of tochi noodles.
• p. 5: Deleted a broken link.
• pp. 11-12: Deleted the mention of 栃麺棒を振る and any discussion of it (because it's not in my proofreader's sources). Then reorganized and condensed the discussion, deleting the last page! 
• p. 11: Added a link to the Kanshudo games. 

July 31, 2019: 

• p. 1: Changed the definition of the singleton 栃 to "Japanese horse chestnut," deleting the "tree" at the end. Adjusted several breakdowns accordingly.
• p. 2: Added to the Etymology Box, saying that the newer edition of Henshall is useless when it comes to explaining the origins of 栃.
• pp. 5 and 7: Removed broken links and rewrote the surrounding text as needed.

March 6, 2015: Originally published.