Azuki bean
beans.  This was called sekihan and many people gave sekihan at ceremonies. Azuki beans were used as medicine, because Azuki beans are nutritious.  Now many people eat sekihan when there are ceremonies in Japan. In addition Azuki beans are used in many Japanese cakes, Many sweets use Azuki raw materials for the taste and colour.  So Azuki beans are closely related to Japanese life from ancient times.