2/27/2008

WAGASHI SWEETS Saijiki

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WAGASHI SAIJIKI -

Sweets from Japan



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Have a cup of green tea while
you explore the many LINKs of this saijiki.
Take your time !

CLICK for more photos !CLICK for more ENGLISH informatin


Please use your own browser to find a word !

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The love of the Japanese for sweets goes way back to the Heian period, where they were mostly made of fruits and bean paste and called fruit (kudamono くだもの). Their origin was mainland China, so they were also called "Chinese cakes" 唐菓子.
Manju 饅頭, buns with a sweet inside, were also introduced from China.

With the appearance of white sugar during the Meiji period, sweet making became easier, with colored sugar pastes to form the most delicate little cakes.
Contrary to Western sweets, milk, butter and cream are not used for wagashi.

Many Japanese sweets are prepared for each season, to be served at the tea ceremony or other ocasions by the learned people of Japan. Most names of these cakes allude to poetry、famous people or historic events.

Some cakes look simple on the outside but when you cut them, there is a colorful work or art made of various colored sugar pastes.
Hoorai 蓬莱 with a colorful inside , named after a place in China where the immortals and sges lived. The green symbolizes long life of a pine, the white and red stands for the auspicious plums.



"Bun with Children inside" komochi manju 子持ち饅頭 was served for weddings, wishing for many children. It was plain outside but then, as you see, all the children are inside!
Komochi manju, more photos




source : facebook

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This external LINK will make your mouth water.

CLICK for more delicasies from Tsubakiya !

Seasonal Sweets from Japan
季節の和菓子


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For the tea ceremony, these sweets are essential. They are then called
tea cakes, chagashi 茶菓子

Quote

Wagashi (Japanese sweets) are usually served before drinking matcha (powdered green tea) during a traditional Chanoyu gathering. Wagashi can also be enjoyed with good quality Japanese steeped green tea (sencha).



Some of the first dry sweets made with sugar came to Japan with the first Portuguese who arrived in the 16th century. During this time tea masters like Sen Rikyu used dried fruits, such as persimmons, and various nuts as an accompaniment to tea. Sugar was very scarce during this period so its use was limited to the upper class and a select group of Kyoto sweet makers. Seasonal sweets began to be made and used by tea masters in Kyoto during this time.

Today in Chanoyu, sweets made from beans and sugar, as well as various rice flours and other starches, are the basic ingredients for traditional wagashi. As the season changes so does the look and taste of the various sweets. During the winter, steamed cakes similar to the Chinese bun, are served. The outside is made from either wheat or rice flour and sugar and the inside from sweet bean paste called an. Zenzai, a sweet bean soup made from adzuki beans, is sometimes served during the colder winter months.

There is a variety of sweets called kinton that are made from filaments of bean paste layered around a ball of bean paste usually made from a different variety of bean. Color is added to the outer bean paste to reflect the feeling of the season. During the spring the colors range from pink, calling attention to the opening blossoms, to green which can show the transition from spring to early summer. Various autumnal colors are used during the fall season. White is a favorite color during the winter to reflect the beauty of snow.

Summer sweets use starches such as kuzu (kudzu), sugar and bean paste and are often served chilled or wrapped in bamboo leaves. Kanten (agar agar) is another popular ingredient for summer sweets that can be chilled.

The host in a Chanoyu gathering usually makes the sweets that will be served. Careful consideration is given to the theme of the gathering and what the guests will enjoy. Eating seasonal wagashi, accompanied by Japanese green tea, is a truly wonderful experience.
© Chanoyu.com

Click HERE to see some more !

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source : facebook

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In Kyoto, there is one shrine dedicated to the
"Deity of Sweets", deity of candy 菓子の神

. Kaso Jinja 菓祖神社 .
Kasojin 菓祖神 (かそじん) Deity of Sweets

in the compound of Yoshida Jinja 吉田神社内

- - - - - Deities in residence
Tajimamori no Mikoto 田道間守命
Hayashijooin no Mikoto 林浄因命 Hayashijoin



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Wagashi no Hi  和菓子の日 Wagashi Day
June 16



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Wagashi are sometimes divided into several types as namagashi (“moist” i.e. raw and uncooked confections), higashi (dry confections) and yakigashi (grilled confections), but as most types belong to the category of namagashi, this division is not very useful. And there are also new types as “chilled wagashi!”

- Reference Chagashi -



source : facebook

Hana-omote (花面) Higashi
Traditional Kyoto wagashi in the shape of Noh masks, Chokyu-do (長久堂) store in Kyoto. Higashi (干菓子 or 乾菓子, dry confectionery).

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an あん 餡 red bean paste
das An; süßes Bohnenmus
. . . koshi-an, こしあん (漉し餡) a smooth puree.
püriertes An; püriertes süßes Bohnenmus
. . . tsubushi-an, つぶしあん (潰し餡 )chunky.
grob püriertes An
. . . sarashi-an, 晒あん powdered
getrocknetes, pulverisiertes Koshian

kanten かんてん (寒天)agar-agar
Agar-Agar; Gelatine aus Rotalgen.

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. haribukku, haribuku, haributsuku 貼仏供(はりぶっく))
sweet Buddhist offerings pasted on a frame .


From temple Ishiyamadera 石山寺, Shiga

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. manjuu 饅頭と伝説 Legends about Manju steamed buns .

manjuu まんじゅう (饅頭) steamed buns
manju buns filled with bean jam

imomanjuu, imo manjuu いもまんじゅう / 芋まんじゅう manju from sweet potatoes
kusaki manjuu 草木まんじゅう Kusaki Manju
WASHOKU : The Origin of Manju ... Hakata, Fukuoka
Chikuho manju 筑豊饅頭

Manju with the faces of Japanese politicians
Aso manjuu with chocolate 麻生まんじゅう
Koizumi manjuu 小泉まんじゅう
Ozawa manjuu おざわまんじゅう, 小沢饅頭
Shinchan manjuu 晋ちゃんまんじゅう

. . . CLICK here for more MANJUU Photos !


kiteki manjuu 汽笛饅頭(きてきまんじゅう) Manju like a ships whistle
From Kagoshima, 姶良郡湧水町. They are made with milk. From the store Kichimatsu 吉松, who also makes ekiben lunchboxes.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


kurumi manjuu くるみ饅頭 manju with walnuts
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Daruma Manju だるま饅頭

Manju from the KANTO region

meoto manjuu 夫婦饅頭 manju for a good couple

Ooishi manjuu 大石饅頭 Oishi manju rice cakes
In Memory of Oishi Kuranosuke and the 47 ronin at temple Sengaku-Ji

Traditional Folk Toys : manjuu kui ningyo 饅頭食い人形 Boy eating Manju


der Manjuu
mit süßem Bohnenmus gefüllter gedämpfter Hefekloß
mit Walnuss gefüllt

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. Mochi もち (餅) ricecakes, rice cake of all kinds  



Dazaifu Umegaemochi 梅がえ餅 / 梅ヶ枝餅 "Plum Branches Mochi"
plum-flavored sweet bean-filled rice cakes
In Memory of Sugawara no Michizane, who loved plum blossoms, and lived in Dazaifu in exile. The shrine Dazaifu Tenmangu 大宰府天満宮 is in his honour and the mochi are sold there.
From Kasanoya かさの家.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

das Mochi, Reiskuchen


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nanban gashi なんばんがし 南蛮菓子 "sweets from Southern Barbarians"
Kuchen aus westlichen Ländern.



. senbei せんべい (煎餅) rice cracker

Nenga Senbei ... for the New Year 2009, with DARUMA

der Senbei, Reiskräcker, Kräcker aus Reismehl


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External LINKs

Basho Haiku and Japanese Sweets
Nakamura Yoshihide 18th generation of Kikyoya / 桔梗屋伊左衛門


Sweets through the Year
Shogetsudo (shoogetsudoo 松月堂


NHK Bi no Tsubo, Beautiful Things About Sweets, With many photos !


Wagashi - Japanese Traditional Sweets
With a lot of further LINKs.



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Spring


Peony Cakes, Botamochi ぼた餅 牡丹餅,
round rice cakes with sweet beans paste

Read more here:
Botamochi Ceremony, botamochi eshiki
牡丹餅会式(ぼたもちえしき)
Botamochi Cakes and Saint Nichiren and
Botamochi Jizo Bostatu ぼた餅地蔵


Botamochi haiku by Issa


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. camellia rice cakes 椿餅 tsubaki mochi  
with the green shining leaf of a camellia on top of it


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cherry blossom cookies, cherry blossom rice cakes
Hanakae Matsuri 花換祭 / 花換祭り Flower-exchanging festival at shrine Kanesaki-gu, Fukui prefecture, and the sakura cherry blossom cookies 桜クッキー


Cherry Blossom Rice Cakes, sakuramochi 桜餅
They are also eaten at the Doll's festival.



Haiku and the Doll Festival (hina matsuri, Japan)

senshitsu ni hina no hi tote sakuramochi
船室に雛の日とて桜餅

in the ship's cabin
we eat sakuramochi -
it's Doll's Festival


Kyoshi 高浜虚子 (Tr. Gabi Greve)
On his trip to France


MORE
Sweets and Haiku for the Doll Festival



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. Dandelion つづみぐさ sweet tsuzumigusa  


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Korin Plums (koorin no ume 光琳の梅),
named after the painter Ogata Korin, who painted a most famous screen with red and white plum blossoms.

Sweets For Spring and the New Year
Many examples on this external LINK.

Click HERE to see the famous folding screen !

The Plum and Haiku

Lucky Plum Sweets (fukubai 福梅) More Photos



. Saho-hime 佐保姫  
Princess of the Spring Wind



Taorizakura (teorizakura) たおりざくら(手折桜)
cherry blossoms broken by hand

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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norikoboshi

norikoboshi こぼし Norikoboshi
This is the name of a camellia tree in the compounds of the temple Todai-Ji in Nara. Its blossoms are red and white mixed 糊こぼし椿.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
A nearby sweets shop has made some colorful little sweets of this name, sold especially during the spring ceremonies at the hall Nigatsu-Do in the temple compounds.
Lit. "left-overs of glue", which is used to make paper camellia blossoms for the temple festiva.



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Summer

Aozashi 青挿 (あおざし, 青ざし)
"fresh wheat sweets"

A sweet made of parched green wheat flour and twisted like a thread.


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Awayukikan 淡雪羹 あわゆきかん
soft snow white jelly
..... 沫雪羹(あわゆきかん),泡雪羹(あわゆきかん)
"Lockerer-Schnee-Gelee"
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Chimaki, Rice cakes for the Boy's festival, 粽 May 5
chimaki 茅巻(ちまき)rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves
chimaki yuu, binding a chimaki 粽結う(ちまきゆう)
chimaki toku, opening a chimaki 粽解く(ちまきとく)
sasa chimaki 笹粽(ささちまき)Chimaki wrapped in Sasa grass
..... sasa maki 笹巻(ささまき)
komo chimaki, from wild rice 菰粽(こもちまき)
suge chimaki 菅粽(すげちまき)wrapped in Suge grass、



kashiwamochi, kashiwa mochi 柏餅 (かしわもち)
Sweet rice cakes for Japanese boy's festival, wrapped in an oak leaf.
The oak leaves become dry in autumn, but stick to the tree until the new buds are coming out in the next spring. Therefore these leaves are a symbol for the continuation of a family, carried on by the first-born oldest son.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

. Somin Shoorai Fu 蘇民将来符 Somin Shorai amulet .
and Somin Chimaki


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Doyoo mochi 土用餅 (どようもち)
mochi rice cakes for the dog days

. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Dog Days (doyoo, Japan) Hundstage


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Hattai 麨 (はったい) Roasted and ground barley flower
mugi kogashi 麦こがし(むぎこがし)
mugi iriko 麦炒粉(むぎいりこ)
muki koosen 麦香煎(むぎこうせん)
kogashi こがし, neri kogashi
練りこがし(ねりこがし)、
mizu no ko 水の粉(みずのこ)

tea from roasted barley flower, hattai cha
はったい茶(はったいちゃ)



Hotaru 蛍 Firefly, fireflies as sweets
Kyoto


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kajoogashi 嘉定菓子(かじょうがし)Kajo-cakes




Kingyokutoo 金玉糖 (きんぎょくとう)
"Gold sugar ball"
Sweet made by boiling sugar and agaragar together. It hardens when cooling.
gingyokutoo 銀玉糖(ぎんぎょくとう)"silver sugar ball"
kingyoku kan 金玉羹(きんぎょくかん)
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




Kokeshimizu 苔清水 "moss in clear water"
made with a transparent jelly
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Mitarashi Dango .. Dumplings on skewers
kigo for late summer



Mitsumame 蜜豆 (みつまめ) "sweet beans"
bean jam, agar, and pieces of fruit served in syrup
anmitsu 餡蜜(あんみつ)
with fruit, furuutsu mitsumame フルーツ密豆(ふるーつみつまめ)
..... furuutsu anmitsu
フルーツ餡蜜(ふるーつあんみつ)
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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minazuki 水無月 (みなずき) sweets for June, the 6th month  
Kyoto

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Mizu yookan, Jelly Bean Cake and haiku 水羊羹 (みずようかん)

Yokan (yookan) from the Sugar Road of Nagasaki  
Ogi yokan 小城羊羹(おぎようかん) and more


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Mugi rakugan 麦落雁 (むぎらくがん)
Dried sugared cakes with barley

rakugan are hard, dainty sweets made of soybean and rice flour mixed with sugar. They can be pressed in beautiful small molds to get seasonal patterns.
They are often used for the tea ceremony.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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"Peony in water", mizubotan 水牡丹
Details, includidng recipe

CLICK for more photos

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. Shiratama 白玉 (しらたま) white rice-flower dumplings  


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Spikemoss (iwahiba, iwamatsu)
Sellaginella tamariscina and Matsuo Basho


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Ubatama 鳥羽玉 /老玉 "Black Lily Seed"



Wakabakage 若葉陰 "the shade of young leaves"
with a little goldfish swimming in agar-agar
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Yatsuhashi, Iris Bridge Cake, やつはし 八橋
The name is a reference to the famous Tales of Genji.

Look at more photos HERE !


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Zeri ゼリー jelly
comes in many flavors and preparations.


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Autumn

Wrapped Rice Cakes, ohagi おはぎ、 お萩
Offerings for the ancestors graves.
Eaten at the spring equinox, these sweets are called "Botamochi", see above.

WKD . Autumn Equinox and Haiku


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Korin Chrysanthemums, Kooringiku 光琳菊

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Chrysanthemum and Haiku with more photos of the sweets.

CLICK for more photos
This cake is called "Under the cotton blanket", kisewata 着せ綿.
. kiku no kisewata 菊の着綿 as KIGO


山寺や茶の子のあんも菊の花
yamadera ya cha no ko no an mo kiku no hana

mountain temple -
even the sweets served for tea
in the form of chrysanthemum


Kobayashi Issa
Tr. Gabi Greve


MORE PHOTOS
Japanese sweets in the form of Chrysanthemum !


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Kozue no aki 梢の秋 "autumn in the treetops"
Enjoy a maple leaf as it turns colors.





Morning Glory
with a famous haiku by Chiyo-Ni.


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kuri kanoko 栗鹿の子(くりかのこ)
Kanoko sweet with chestnuts




kanoko, lit. bambi
The sweet looks like a bambi pattern with light spots.
A speciality from the Tamba region.

kuri kinton 栗きんとん chestnut paste
kuri yookan 栗羊羹 chestnut jelly cake
..... kurimushi yookan 栗蒸し羊羹
kuri manjuu 栗饅頭 chestnut paste buns

maron gurasse マロン=グラッセ marrons glaces sweet

. Chestnut, sweet chestnut (kuri 栗) .



Kanoko sweets 鹿の子(かのこ)は、和菓子の一種

They are made with 3 or 4 layers of different colors and pastes.
The outside is then covered with a paste called
kanoko mame 鹿の子豆 "bambi beans" in honey.
Finally they can be wrapped in kanten gelatine to make them look translucent.

kanoko mame are adzuki beans 小豆, kintoki mame 金時豆, uzura mame うずら豆 and uguisu mame ぐいす豆 etc.

Sometimes small pieces of chestnut are used, as in the sweet above.

Sweets made with white bean paste are called
Kyoo kanoko 京鹿の子 Kanaoko bambi sweets from Kyoto.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


These sweets have first been made in Ningyocho, a part of Edo, in the year Hooreki , about 1751.




kanoko mochi 鹿の子餅 made with rough adzuki beans paste.


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like a persimmon, hatsuchigiri 初ちぎりnamed after a famous poem by Chiyo-Ni:

shibukaro ka shiranedo kaki no hatsu chigiri
渋かろか 知らねど柿の 初ちぎり

are they bitter?
I do not know, but - well,
the first take of a persimmon

. Kaga no Chiyo-Ni 加賀千代(尼) .


Wenn people get married, they do not know the outcome of the endeavor until they have had the first try. With the varieties of sweet and bitter persimmons, you do not know the taste until you have tried!

. discussing chigiri ぎり .


- WKD - Persimmon, kaki 柿 and Haiku


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Ricecakes like little wild boars, inoko mochi 猪子餅, 亥の子餅
They were eaten on the 10th day of the 10th month 亥月亥日 of the wild boar, according to the old lunar calendar, now October. They are made from seven types of flower and adzuki beans. The custom started at the Imperial palace in Kyoto (亥子餅の儀式). They are said to bring good health to the ones who eat them.
Made for the autumn festival of Wild Boars (inoko matsuri いのこ祭り for the deity of Wild Boars 亥の神様, to see him off to the mountains for his winter rest.
The mochi war white and red anko is pasted around them. There are 12 in a common year and 13 in a leap year (uruudoshi 閏年), placed in a wooden masu as offering to the deity.
Wild Boar and Haiku
The deity on a wild boar
Marishiten 摩利支天 Marishi-Ten


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Tsukimidango, tsukimi dango 月見団子 dumplings for moon viewing
tsukimizake, 月見酒(つきみざけ)rice wine for moon viewing


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. fukuremanjuu no iwaibi ふくれ饅頭の祝日
day for celebrating whith puffed manju ricecakes

During the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, August 15.
Mariä Himmelfahrt

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Winter



source : boredpanda.com/cat-candy-sweets
candy cats sleeping in the warm kotatsu!

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WKD : Pounding Rice for Rice Cakes

草の庵年取餅を買にけり
kusa no io toshitori mochi o kai ni keri

thatched hut--
the year's last rice cakes
are bought


Issa
Tr. by David Lanoue


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Gionboo 祇園坊(ぎおんぼう)"priest in the Gion quarters"
This sweet resembles a dried persimmon, but is only made of an paste and sugar powder.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !




Kogarashi kinton. First Sleet Drizzel Sweets 木枯らし金団
This sweet is eaten in November, when the first new tea is tasted during the tea ceremony.

Withering Wind, kogarashi and Haiku


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Shigure no Matsu 時雨の松 Pine in icy rain, a Haiku Sweet
Matsuo Basho at Temple Jojakkoji, Ogura, Kyoto



taiyaki 鯛焼き sea bream waffles


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New Year


Sweets from Kanazawa

Lucky Waffles with Toys inside, fukutoku senbei 福徳せんべい
One of the toys is a little Princess Daruma, so make sure to click on the above link to look at my article !
The following two sweets from Kanazawa are also explained in detail in this article.


lucky waffles -
I hope for Daruma
to bring me luck !


Gabi Greve, January 2000


Fortune Cookies "like the Pheasant's eye", tsuji uranai fukujisoo 辻占福寿草

Read about Pheasant's eye (fukujusoo) and Haiku


"Wishing for a long life at the New Year", 「kusudama 久寿玉」.

. WKD : kusudama 薬玉 (くすだま) "medicine ball" .


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. Sweets Market at Matsumoto
(ame ichi) 飴市(あめいち)
 
A festival in memory of the armies of warlords Takeda Shingen and Uesuki Kenshin.
They sell
fukuame, fuku ame 福飴(ふくあめ) "sweets for good luck" for the God of Good Luck, Ebisu.


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There are eight famous snack from China (hasshuu no karagashi 八種の唐菓子, 八種唐菓子). This custom of serving them even now shows the strong influence of the Chinese culture on the aristocracy during the Heian period.

Details are here
Fruit (kudamono) snacks from ancient China


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TOPICS for Haiku

. Dragon sweets for 2012 干支の菓子 : 辰 .


Shooyu purin 小豆島醤油プリン Soy Sauce Pudding from Shodoshima


Sweets from Tohoku 東北の甘いもの


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way




source :  heniadir

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Daruma and Sweets



Click on the photo to see more Japanese sweets and folk dolls arranged for the pleasure of your eye and mouth!

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. . . . . MORE

Hokkaido Sweets 北海道スィーツ Sweets from Hokkaido

Shikoku Sweets 四国スイーツ Sweets from Shikoku


Senbei, sembei 煎餅 (せんべい) rice crackers, sweet and salty


Oiri, yomeiri おいり 嫁入り sweets for the bride from Marugame, Sanuki, Shikoku



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HAIKU


Japaneses Sweets !
what a cultural treat
for the innocent soul !


Gabi Greve, whilst writing this article in December 2006

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Related words

Sweets and snacks named after a HAIKU
***** Haiku Sweets (haika 俳菓) Japan


. Food named after Waka poetry 和歌 .


***** Chagashi ... LIST of recipes

***** Snack served with tea (cha no ko, o-cha no ko) Japan


***** Cheap sweets (dagashi) and Daruma だるま飴,駄菓子


******** Washoku, Japanese Food and Haiku


BIG ICECREAM / photo from Kume


. Sweets which are not KIGO


. WASHOKU SAIJIKI .  

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[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #wagashisweets -
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2/26/2008

Spring rice cakes MOCHI

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
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Ricecakes for SPRING

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Spring
***** Category: Humanity


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Explanation

Mochi rice cakes 餠 are eaten in all seasons.
Here are some samples for SPRING.

Reiskuchen

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Early Spring


Godairiki Mochi ... 五大力餅
Rice cakes for the ceremony of the "five great strong Bodhisattvas" at temple Daigoji in Kyoto.





Uguisu mochi 鶯餅 (うぐいすもち)
"nightingale" rice cakes, bush warbler cakes
They are eaten in anticipation and expectation of hearing the first bush warbler (nightingale) soon.
The oval cakes are filled with red bean paste and covered with green soy bean powder, sometimes green tea powder.
They are sold in mid-march.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Mid-Spring

The Doll Festival (hina matsuri) more kigo
March 3

Here are some sweets for this festival:

Hishi mochi, hishimochi 菱餅 (ひしもち)
red, white, and green lozenge-shaped rice cakes

CLICK for more photos


我宿の餅さへ青き夜也けり
waga yado no mochi sae aoki yo narikeri

even in my house
the rice cakes are green
in the evening . . .


Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶

. . . . .


Hina arare 雛あられ (ひなあられ)
mame iri 豆炒(まめいり)
hinagashi 雛菓子(ひながし)


Shirazake 白酒 (しろざけ) sweet white rice wine
vendor of white rice wine, shirazake uri 白酒売(しろざけうり)
flask for white rice wine, shirazake tokkuri 白酒徳利(しろざけとくり)
..... shirazake bin 白酒瓶(しろざけびん)

CLICK for more photos

The preparation is very similar to that of sweet rice wine, amazake.
A sip of this drink is said to ward off disease for the rest of the year. During the Edo period, vendors used to walk the streets as early as February 20. The appearance of a vendor in the famous Kabuki play "Sukeroku" is especially famous.

CLICK for original LINK ... pub.ne.jp
Woodblock Print by Kunisada

. Sukeroku 助六 - Hero of Edo .


白酒の今宵は女天下なり  
shirazake no koyoi wa onna tenka nari

tonight
with the white rice wine ...
the ladies are in power


Hayashi Ichiroku 林一六
Tr. Gabi Greve

............................................


白酒に酔えば昔はよき時代   
shirazake ni yoeba mukashi wa yoki jidai

getting drunk
with white rice wine -
the past was a good time 
         

Yamazaki Kumiko 山崎久美子
Tr. Gabi Greve


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source : www.turuya.co.jp
Sweets and Haiku


Kusamochi 草餅 (くさもち) mugwort rice cakes
kusa no mochi 草の餅(くさのもち)
yomogi mochi 蓬餅(よもぎもち)mugwort rice cakes
hooko mochi 母子餅(ほうこもち) "mother and child"
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 wrote

両の手に桃と桜や草の餅
ryoo no te ni momo to sakura ya kusa no mochi

in both hands
peach and cherry blossoms
veggie crackers

Tr. Reichhold

[headnote]
"Rich in moon and blossoms":
at my hut there are a peach and cherry tree; for my disciples there are Kikaku and Ransetsu.

in my two hands
peach and cherry blossoms--
and mugwort rice-cake

Tr. Barnhill


Reichhold comments:
"On this occasion Basho was visited by his longtime disciples Kikaku and Ransetsu. The wordplay is built on the proverb 'ryoo no te ni hana', which literally means 'to have flowers in both hands' or a 'double advantage'.
It is often used to describe a man who sits between two pretty women.
The word 'hana' ('flower') is dropped but implied."



source : ayasuzuri

This is a haiku with three kigo, showing the joy of spring.


. Haiku Sweets (haika 俳菓) .


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Warabi mochi, warabimochi 蕨餅 (わらびもち) bracken starch rice cakes
speciality in the Kansai area. bracken-starch dumplings
covered with kinako soy bean flower
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Late Spring


Sakura mochi, sakuramochi ... 桜餅
Cherry Blossom Rice Cakes


This is a variety of wagashi, or Japanese confectionery consisting of a sweet pink mochi (rice cake) and red bean paste, covered with a leaf of sakura (cherry).

CLICK for more photos The style of sakuramochi differs from the regions in Japan. Basically, the east of Japan such as Tokyo uses shiratama-ko (白玉粉, shiratama-ko rice flour) and the west side such as Kansai uses dōmyōji-ko (道明寺粉, dōmyōji-ko glutinous rice flour) for batter.

More in the WIKIPEDIA !

In some areas they are also eaten for
the Doll Festival (Hina Matsuri).


三つ食えば葉三片や桜餅 
mitsu kueba yoo sanpen ya sakuramochi 

if you eat three
you have three leaves -
sakuramochi


Takahama Kyoshi 高浜虚子

At the temple Choomeiji 長命寺 Chomei-Ji they are wrapped in three leaves, so if you eat three cakes you have nine leaves.


Utagawa Toyokuni 歌豊国 (国貞) - 向島堤の花並びに桜餅

Two ladies carry Sakuramochi from the temple, maybe as a souvenir to the people back home. They have a pole in their hands and two bamboo baskets full of the sweets!



一英斎芳艶 - 歌川芳艶 Utagawa Yoshitsuya (1822 - 1866)

. Choomeiji 長命寺 Chomei-Ji, Sumida ward, Tokyo .   

In Osaka and the Kansai region they use dōmyōji-ko 道明寺粉, glutinous rice flour.

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All Spring




Tsubaki mochi, tsubakimochi 椿餅 (つばきもち) camellia rice cakes
..... tsubaimochi, tsubai mochi つばいもち【椿餅】
..... tsubai mochii つばいもちい
This sweet has been introduced from China. Made from hoshii rice of the temple Domyoji 道明寺糒(ほしいい).
The white or pink mochi is sprinkeld with amazura 甘葛 and then placed between two shining green leaves of camellia, which is a very special Japanese touch to the sweet.
This sweet is already mentioned in the Genji Monogatari.


妻在らず盗むに似たる椿餅
tsuma arazu nusumi ni nitaru tsubakimochi

my wife is not home -
like a thief I eat this
camellia sweet

. Ishida Hakyo 石田波郷(   



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



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HAIKU



Haiku and the Doll Festival (hina matsuri, Japan)


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船室に雛の日とて桜餅
senshitsu ni hina no hi tote sakuramochi

in the ship's cabin
we eat sakuramochi -
it's Doll's Festival


Takahama Kyoshi 高浜虚子
On his trip to France
Tr. Gabi Greve


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CLICK for more photos

街の雨鶯餅がもう出たか
michi no ame uguisu mochi ga moo deta ka

rain on the road -
are the uguisu mochi
already on sale?


. Tomiyasu Fusei (Fuusei) 富安風生


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Related words

More about
***** WASHOKU : Mochi Rice cakes  


***** Wagashi ... Sweets

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SWEETS list

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
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Sweets which are not KIGO

or not typical wagashi

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Three most famous sweets of Japan
日本三名菓


大和屋「越乃雪」 
CLICK here for PHOTOS !

森八「長生殿」 
CLICK here for PHOTOS !


風流堂「山川」 
CLICK here for PHOTOS !


松屋菓子舗「鶏卵素麺」
CLICK here for PHOTOS !


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The 100 most special sweets in Japan
wagashi momoshiro hyakuchin
和菓子おもしろ百珍


wagashi hyakuchin book


and an annual exhibition on the subject


wagashi hyakuchin 和菓子百珍
Exhibition about the 100 most special sweets in Japan

wagasshihyakuchin

. . . CLICK here for many Photos !


CLICK For more info CLICK for more information

図説和菓子の今昔
和菓子風土記
and many more books are available.


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Amanatto (amanattoo) 甘納豆 sugar-glazed beans and Hamanattoo 浜納豆


anpan あんパン bread with an (sweet bean paste)
anpanman アンパンマン Mister Anpan  
komepanman コメパンマン with rice flour


ayukashi 鮎菓子 "sweetfish cakes" from Gifu


bakudan kyandii バクダンキャンディー "bakudan candy"
frozen sherbet in a plastic tubes "like bombs": "bomb candy"
It comes in eight flavors: soda, grapes, lemon, strawberries, milk, coffee and melon.
CLICK here for PHOTOS !



bisuketto ビスケット bisquit


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Christmas cake クリスマス ケーキーkurisumasu keeki and Christmas in general
Weihnachtskuchen, Kuchen und Gebäck für Weihnachten
. . . CLICK here for Photos of the japaneses version with strawberries !
Weihnachtsstollen, Stollen
Weihnachtsplätzchen



Chokoreeto チョコレート chocolate with many tasts




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Dorayaki (どら焼き, どらやき, 銅鑼焼き, ドラ焼き) bean-jam pancake



hachimitsu はちみつ 蜂蜜 Honey  
Honig, Bienenhonig



hakkoo suiitsu 発酵スイーツ ”fermented sweets"
sakekasu suiitsu 酒粕スイーツ
from sakekasu, like pudding, cake or crackers
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
..... kooji jamu 麹ジャム jam with Koji malted rice


Himiko manjuu 卑弥呼まんじゅう
Himiko senbei 卑弥呼せんべい
Yagura manjuu やぐらまんじゅう
Yamataikoku manjuu 邪馬台国饅頭
Saga, Kyushu. Yoshinogari 吉野ヶ里



Hirome seaweed (hirome (ひろめ) 広布 / ヒロメ) Oita prefecture
Ura sweets 浦スイーツ, hirome dougnuts, hirome daifuku




. Ishida Mitsunari Ame 石田三成飴  
candy in memory of Ishida Mitsunari, a famous samurai



. jamu ジャム jam
maamareedo マーマレード marmalade, Marmelade
 



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Kameyama sweets
Kameyama is the station Nr.47 at the Tokaido, where the road to Ise starts down south. It is the only station which has gained status as cultural property, because they keep the old look of the town with about 1.5 km of old houses.
The sweet store has been providing his sweet for the Shogun in Kyoto, and has used a special box to put them in, whith many layers and slits for ventilation at the sides. The box is black laquer with golden decoration and the crest of the Tokugawa family.
The sweet is round and simple and made with wasanbon on the outside. It has a history of more than 350 years, it is named
関の戸, 餅菓子. This is the only sweet the store makes and takes pride in keeping the taste. Now there is the 14th generation of owners.

ninaibako 荷担箱 box to carry sweets to the Shogun
CLICK For original LINK
服部吉右衛門泰彦
三重県亀山市関町中町387



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kanji bisuketto 漢字ビスケット Kanji cookies, Kanji bisquits
You can use them to learn the Japanese language !
With a taste of sesame and salt.
From Burbon ブルボン
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
. Kanji looking like Daruma .



KANTO : Sweets from the KANTO region
LIST



Kintaroo ame 金太郎飴 candy named Kintaro


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koinobori choofu 鯉のぼり調布
CLIC for more photos in the form of a carp streamer, filled with orange marmelade or anko paste.
Eaten on May 5 for the Boy's festival.
There are also other kinds of KOI sweets available.
. . . CLICK here for Photos of all kinds of KOI sweets !



koohii serii 珈琲セリー / コーヒーゼリー coffee Jelly
coffee jello
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Götterspeise mit Kafeegeschmack



kuchitori 口取り お菓子 sweets in the form of fish and prawns
CLICK here for PHOTOS !


kukkii クッキー cookie, cookies


KYOTO SWEETS  



mashumaro マシュマロ marshmallow
Sweet from the marshmallow plant (Althaea officinalis), originally a medicine for sore throats.
Stems of marsh mallow were peeled to reveal the soft and spongy pith with a texture similar to manufactured marshmallow. This pith was then boiled in sugar syrup and dried to produced a soft, chewy confection.
In Shikoku flavored with local yuzu citron juice or strawberry flavor.
In Japan, it was introduced via France and the French name Guimauve is used, gimoobu ギモーブ (gimobu).
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
weiche Süßigkeit aus Zucker, Eiweiß, Gelatine.
Mashmallow



midorimushi kukkii みどりむしクッキ cookies from Euglena
Midorimushi みどりむし Euglena and food preparations
yuugurena ユーグレナ Euglena


Minamoto Kitchoan 源 吉兆庵 Seasonal Sweets and Daruma sweets, Kamakura


. Mochi 餅 ricecakes of all kinds  


momiji tenpura もみじ天ぷら/ 紅葉の天ぷら) Maple leaves sweet tempura
from the town of Mino 箕面 near Osaka.


monshushu モンシュシュ Mon ChouChou
a kind of roll cake with various fillings
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Monaka 最中 waffles, wafers
だるまもなか Waffles with Daruma

Monaka
lit. it means
"the shape of the moon floating on a pond on the harvest festival"
a sweet wafer made of anko azuki bean filling sandwiched between two thin crisp wafers made from mochi. The wafers may be shaped like cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums and many other shapes.

Monaka can also be filled with various flavors of ice cream.
aisu monaka アイス最中(あいすもなか) wafer with ice
kigo for all summer

"Shushiki monaka 秋色もなか"
for haiku poet Shushiki (1668-1725).

Kurofune monaka 黒船最中 Black Ship wafers

. Kibuna, ki-buna 黄鮒 / 黄ぶな yellow carp wafers .


Photos:
Monaka for a couple picking tea leaves
茶呑み夫婦最中

Kame no Monaka 亀の最中 Like a turtle/tortoise

Ogina Monaka 翁最中 Noh-Mask of Ogina (Old Man) as wafer

Zenigata Heiji Monaka 銭形平次最中 In Memory of the Detective of the Edo period.


! MORE monaka photos !


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Ningyooyaki, ningyoyaki 人形焼 figure waffles


onimanjuu, oni manjuu 鬼饅頭 おにまんじゅう
"devil's cakes



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pontaname, pontan ame ボンタンアメ Pectin Soft Candy
with citrus fruit juice
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


purin dora ぷりんどら dorayaki waffle with pudding
Yufuin, Oita, Kyushu



Seta shijimi 瀬田蜆 Wafer like a shijimi shell filled with sweet bean paste



Shagiri manjuu しゃぎり 饅頭 Murakami village, Niigata


shashin keeki 写真ケーキ edible photo cake  


Salty sweets 塩味スイーツ shioaji suiitsu
sweets with a flavor of salt, salty sweets
shioaji suiitsu, shio-aji suiitsu 塩味スイーツ
„Süßigkeiten mit Salz“ , salzige Süßigkeiten



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Siefert, Bernd Siefert ベアンド ・ ジーフェルトPatisserie, Von Michelstadt nach Japan



http://wkdhaikutopics.blogspot.com/2009/04/tosa-nikki.html
WASHOKU
Tosa Nikki 土佐日記 Tosa Diary by Kin no Tsurayuki

... and some manju sweets


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Uiroo 外郎 ( ういろう) jelly sweet Aichi and Odawara


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uguisu booru  鶯ボール
"nightingale balls"
since Meiji 40 prepared by Uegaki Sweets Company
uegaki beika 植垣米菓
They are popular in Kansai since 1930.
a bit like arare, a bit like karintoo.

Little mochigome rice balls with brown sides, they are looking like plum blossom buds and remind us of the time of nightingales songs (hoohokekyoo ホーホケキョ) , hence the name.
They are fried in oil to get the brown sides.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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warabimochi 笑来美餅 with bracken powder
Mochi vom Adlerfarn



wasanbon 和三盆 wasambon sugar sweets from Shikoku
Zucker aus Shikoku




Yoshinogari saburee 吉野ヶ里 サブレー Sablee from Yoshinogari
Saga, Kyushu


zerii biinzu ゼリービーンズ jelly beans
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Geleebonbon


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



External LINK

Kyoto Foodie: Where and what to eat in Kyoto
Autumn Leaves and Ginkgo Leaf Shaped Namagashi いちょう 生菓子
Dorayaki: Gion Shimogawara Azuki Mikasa 祇園 下河原 阿月 三笠
Gion Chigo Mochi 祇園ちご餅
Daimonji Okuribi Senbei and Kompeito 大文字 送り火 せんべい こんぺいとう
Kuromame Daifuku Mochi 京都ふたば 丹波黒豆大福
Kurikinton Autumn Chestnut Confection 栗きんとん
Kyoto Daimonji Namagashi 大文字 生菓子
Mochibana Japanese New Year Decoration


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Reference

Japanese Snack Reviews
Telling you more than you need to know about Japanese junk food
BLOG


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HAIKU




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Related words

***** WAGASHI ... Sweets SAIJIKI

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2/24/2008

Oiri Sweets

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
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Sweets for the Bride (oiri おいり, o-iri お入り)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity


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Explanation

CLICK for more photos


They are made from small round mochi pieces fluffed round in a heater and then colored.
They are given to a bride of the area, so that the newly wedded life will be round and round all over (maruku naru yoo ni).
yomeiri

Speciality of West-Sanuki area, Shikoku.

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The balls made from mochigome rice have a diameter of only one centimeter and the inside is air. When you blow on them slightly, they roll around. They have a light sweet taste.

This custom started in the Edo period around 1587 when the first lord of Sanuki, Ikoma Chikamasa 生駒親正公, had them made for the bride, using five colors, pink, yellow, orange, white and light blue. Since then they became a special in Marugame. The name comes from "yomeiri" to get married. O-iri can also mean : to need or to roast slightly.

They also say:
If the Oiri balls are nice and round, the bride will be nice and round.



© PHOTO : tadanocafe
Mister Yamashita makes "Oiri" balls.



. Ikoma Chikamasa 生駒 親正 .
(1526 – March 25, 1603)


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



. yome-iri, yomeiri  嫁入り人形  bridal dolls, wedding dolls .

人形の肌の縮緬さくら冷え
ningyoo no hada no chirimen sakurabie

Yasome Aiko 八染藍子


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HAIKU




*****************************
Related words

***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes


***** WAGASHI ... Sweets SAIJIKI


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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
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2/21/2008

Ubatama sweet

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]

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"Lily seed" Ubatama

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: All Summer
***** Category: Humanity


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Explanation


Before appreciating the sweet, we must study the plant in its honor.

CLICK for more photos

hioogi 射干 (ひおうぎ) leopard flower
hioogi 檜扇(ひおうぎ)ヒオウギ
karasu oogi 烏扇(からすおうぎ) "fan for the crows"
Belamcanda chinensis , Leopardenblume

kigo for late summer


Blackberry lily, Leopard flower, Leopard lily
The leopard lily is a flowering perennial of Chinese origin and is locally used in Chinese villages for its medicinal values.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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quote
Do you know the leopard flower?
It is also called black spotted iris, and it is called “Hioughi” in Japanese. In late summer this plant bears orange flowers, 4 to 5 cm across, whose eye-catching spots explain its English name.

CLICK for more fan photos The shape of its leaves looks like that of “Hioughi,” hand-held fan of Heian period. These were folding wooden fans held by court ladies or aristocrats of the Heian period when formally dressed.
That is the reason why they have their Japanese name.

Actually, leopard flower and its leaves are not so famous even for Japanese people.
But its seeds are a bit more famous as a pronoun of real black color in ancient Japanese, called as “Nubatama ぬばたま【射干玉】” color. (ubatama, mubatama 鳥羽玉 うばたま, 老玉。むばたま)

In ancient Japanese language, “Nuba” means black, and in fact this is the oldest expression of black color in recorded Japanese language. A ball is called “Tama,” so Nubatama means a black ball in ancient Japanese.

After flowering of leopard flower, a pale-green pod grows up keeping the young berries inside, and as they mature it peels back to reveal a cluster of ripe real black fruits Nubatama.

When ancient Japanese Waka poets described the blackness of a night, or a woman's voluptuous hair, they used this black berries as a beautiful image and put “Nubatama” as a introduction of those night blackness or hair blackness.
This is an example of Waka poem translated :

Black berry like black nights
will absorb my black hairs
into their black world,
and my heart will fly through it
to my lover’s bed.



CLICK for more photos
Black sugar flavored red bean paste is wrapped by thin agar-jelly.
Red bean paste is sometimes too sweet for Western people to eat through. Since you have to do a lot of effort to remove the bitterness of red bean, some bad sweet makers try to put a lot of sugar into the red bean paste in order to mask the bitterness by strong sweetness.
source : kyotosweetgourmet.blogspot.com

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Since Showa 17 this is a famous sweet of Kyoto. Four balls make one serving.
It is made by Kameya Yoshinaga Confectionery 亀屋良則.


There are other ubatama sweet ball producers in Kyoto
仙太郎の老玉 from Sentaro
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


仙若堂のうば玉 from Senjakudo


三河屋のうば玉 from Mikawaya

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



居明かして君をば待たむぬばたまの 
我が黒髪に霜は降るとも
ii-akashite kimi oba matamu nubatama no
waga kurokami ni shimo wa furedomo

until dawn
I will wait for you
and not sleep
even if the frost
covers my pitch-black hair


Iwano Hime no Ookisaki 磐姫皇后
5. Century Emperess, wife of Jintoku Tenno 仁徳天皇


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HAIKU and SENRYU


実檜扇 待たせつれない人もいた  
mi hioogi matasetsurenai hito mo ita

leopard lily seeds -
and there are also people
who are not kept waiting

Hidamari ひだまり
http://shashin-haiku.jp/node/40789

With respect to the waka quoted above.


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Related words

***** WAGASHI ... Sweets SAIJIKI

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