*In Japan, it is customary for a woman to give a gift of chocolate to a man on Valentine’s Day. On March 14, designated as “White Day,” the man reciprocates the gesture by giving a gift to the woman, often in the form of white-themed treats. Masaaki-sama’s Sacred Word Shichirin (a traditional Japanese charcoal grill—literally “seven rings”).If you’re a man, no need for words—just a shichirin.What is it about the sound of the word “shichirin” that carries such raw power and strength? Any silly question like, “Wait…seven rings?” is instantly blown away. Cook over charcoal on a shichirin, and everything comes alive with vitality. If a husband wishes to show his appreciation to his wife on White Day, there could be no better tool than this. Last year, I made sun-dried, hand-grilled rice crackers, and this year I found myself wondering what to do. What could possibly rival the powerful phrase “sun-dried”? That’s when the shichirin came into the picture. What do I make? How about some celebratory gohei mochi? Deep in the mountains, woodcutters mash their rice, grill it, slather it with miso, and devour it piping hot. This is it. Gohei mochi grilled on a shichirin. Nothing else will do. Can anything surpass the wild, untamed character brought out by charcoal, a shichirin, char, and miso? Wildness beyond the K-point—ah, there it is again. Allow me to call this the pinnacle of manly cooking (as of March 2026). Naturally, no sugar. For the Japanese palate, sweetness means mirin—and mirin alone. Mirin with the alcohol boiled off. Just a small amount, enough to round out the edges of the char and the miso. The texture is crisp and fragrant on the outside. Inside, the rice, mashed with a pestle, is soft, chewy, and fluffy. Freshly toasted and freshly ground black sesame is mixed in with bold abandon, and with even more black sesame in the sauce, there’s a satisfying crunch throughout. Crispy, chewy, fluffy, crunchy. A whole lot of textures going on here. I’ve been tossing around phrases like “if you’re a man, no need for words,” “wild and untamed,” and “bold abandon,” and yet I couldn’t help but shape one of them into a heart ♥. My heart skipped a beat. The flavor—the natural sweetness of the rice, the fragrant depth of charcoal grilling, and the unrelenting saltiness of the miso—comes together as one with the sevenfold textures, and what more needs to be said? I made the gohei mochi for my wife and the children as well, and they vanished in an instant. I had a couple of bites myself, and I could feel energy welling up from within. The greatness of gohei mochi goes beyond its taste and texture. It lies in the fact that rice and miso—the Lord’s Supper for the Japanese people—already exist as one. In a single skewer, the glorious body of Jesus and his pure blood of atonement are brought together in perfect unity. Who could have imagined that gohei mochi, born deep in the mountains of Japan, would be linked to Jesus? I must say, even I’m impressed. What else could this be called but a revolution? Here I am, my hands blackened with charcoal, miso still around my mouth. And just like this, I want to be known as the Gohei-san of the Reiwa era (Note: Reiwa is Japan’s current imperial era, which began in 2019). Mami, thank you, always. Recipe (makes 3–4 skewers)1. Mash approximately 400 grams of cooked rice until it becomes sticky. Don’t worry about what tool to use. Just mash. Keep mashing. Mash while thinking of the one you love.2. Toast and grind black sesame seeds to make 3 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons to the rice from Step 1, along with a pinch of salt, and mix well.3. Anything that can work as a skewer will do. I used some disposable wooden chopsticks. Since you’ll be grilling over a shichirin, choose something you don’t mind getting a scorched. Shape the rice mixture from Step 2 onto the skewers in whatever shape you like, but keep it somewhat flat. It will stick to your hands, so you can use plastic wrap or parchment paper if needed. Make 3 to 4 skewers.4. Prepare the mirin by simmering about 2 tablespoons until the alcohol smell has cooked off, then remove from the heat.5. Make the sauce. In a small saucepan, combine 30 grams of miso (any variety works, though using a blend of two is recommended) with about 1 teaspoon of water. Stir over low heat until smooth. Once combined, add 1 teaspoon of the simmered mirin, mix well, and remove from the heat (use any remaining mirin for something else). Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of the black sesame. The sauce is now ready. Adjust the consistency with water as needed.6. Light the charcoal and grill over a shichirin. Preheat the grate thoroughly before placing the skewers from Step 3 on it. Don’t move them too soon or the rice will stick—be patient and allow them to cook undisturbed. Depending on the heat, about 4 minutes should do. Once a nice char forms, flip them over.7. Once the underside has taken on a nicely toasted color, brush the top with the sauce. Flip and brush the other side. Flip again and cook a little longer. Be careful not to overcook it as it will start to smell burnt. And that’s it.ーーーーーーーーーー This time, Masaaki-sama shared with us the details of the gohei mochi he made for White Day. With Masaaki-sama in full-on manly mode, absolutely dashing, I’m sure all you ladies have hearts in your eyes ❤ I found myself completely absorbed in Masaaki-sama’s Sacred Word—laced with humor and impossible to look away from—leaving me with a deeply satisfying, almost indescribable sense of fullness at the end. Who but Masaaki-sama could have conceived of gohei mochi as the unification of rice and miso—the Lord’s Supper for the Japanese people—or its connection to Jesus, despite its origins deep in the mountains of Japan? There is no one in this world but Masaaki-sama. Truly a great revolutionary—Masaaki-sama!! We are so moved that we find ourselves beyond words. Following Masaaki-sama’s example, let us men use his recipe and a shichirin to make for our beloved partners gohei mochi, where the glorious body and blood of atonement of Jesus are united as one!