It is argued that the reasons why zoni containing mochi became more common than zoni without mochi throughout the country include, not only the development of traffic and communication means, but also the transformation of these non-rice regions to rice-producing areas through the development of irrigation facilities and new rice paddies; and this was promoted through political and economic pressure on those farming regions to produce rice during the period of the Shogunate system based on the kokudaka system (tax system based on rice, measured by reference to the rated annual yield of the domain).
こうした風習に代わって餅を主体とする雑煮が全国的に広がっていく背景には、交通や情報伝達の発達もさることながら、石高制に基づく幕藩制による米の生産への政治的・経済的な圧力が畑作地帯を含めて加えられ、実際に灌漑設備の整備や新田開発によって、こうした地域も米作地帯に転換していった影響が大きいとされている。