It's getting chillier where I live, and a couple of days ago, I made zenzai for my husband and me. Zenzai is a Japanese traditional sweet which made from red beans, sugar, and mochi (rice cakes). We sometimes eat it in winter to warm ourselves up.

The word zenzai is said to have come from a high-ranking monk, Ikkyū(1394 to 1481). When he tasted it for the first time, it was so delicious that he screamed "Oh, sadhu!" in Sanskrit, which was translated into kanji 善哉 (zenzai). Since then, people have called it zenzai.

Ikkyū was a very unique monk, also known from the anime Ikkyū-san. He didn't follow traditional rules and simplified Buddhism so that everybody could understand it. It's amazing to think that zenzai already existed back when Ikkyu was alive.

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