The World of Wagashi, Japanese Sweets That Reflect the Seasons: A Complete Guide

It is no exaggeration to say that the flavor of the an, or sweet bean paste, determines how good a wagashi is. An is the foundation and lifeblood of wagashi. The ingredient used to make it is azuki beans, which have been cultivated in Japan since ancient times. Azuki is a legume harvested from September to October. In addition to being used for an such as smooth koshian, coarse tsubushian, and azuki yokan, azuki beans are also used in dishes such as sekihan, red rice. Their versatility is one of their defining features.

Soybeans are believed to have been introduced to Japan in the early Yayoi period. At the time, they seem to have been eaten boiled or roasted. By the Nara period, they began to be used as ingredients for what are now miso and soy sauce. In sweets, soybeans are used in kinako, a roasted soybean flour, and suhamako, made by roasting soybeans, removing the outer skins, crushing them, and grinding them into powder.

Many different flours are used in wagashi.
If the dough becomes too sticky and elastic, it can cook unevenly or have an unpleasant texture, so cake flour is often used among wheat flours for wagashi.
Katakuriko originally referred to starch made from the roots of the katakuri plant, a member of the lily family, but today it is rarely harvested that way and usually refers to potato starch.
Flours made from non-glutinous rice include joshinko, joyoko, shinbikiko, shinko, and karukan flour, while flours made from glutinous rice include domyojiko, mochiko, and kanbaiko.
There are also flours made from barley, brown rice, bracken, kudzu, soybeans, and other ingredients, all of which are essential to wagashi making.

The types of sugar used in Western-style sweets and wagashi differ. Wagashi uses sugars such as johakuto, a soft white sugar used for everything from dough to baked sweets and pressed sweets; chuhakuto, which is slightly less refined than johakuto; sanonto, known for its distinctive flavor and aroma; kurozato, brown sugar made by boiling down sugarcane juice; and wasanbon, a high-grade white sugar produced only in very limited areas of Kagawa and Tokushima.

These are elegant fresh sweets mainly used in formal settings such as tea gatherings. Among fresh sweets, they refer to high-grade sweets known as jonama, such as kinton and nerikiri.

Kinton is made by forming an or gyuhi into a small round core, then coating it with soboro-like sweet bean paste that has been kneaded and strained.

There are two types of nerikiri. One is nerikiri made by adding gyuhi as a binder to white bean paste and kneading it. The other is joyo nerikiri, made by steaming yam, straining it, adding sugar, and kneading it.

Higashi are dry sweets, including wasanbon sugar sweets made primarily with wasanbon sugar traditionally produced in Tokushima and Kagawa; rakugan, made by adding sugar to rice flour, kanbaiko, hattaiko, and other flours, shaping the mixture in wooden molds, and drying it; kizato, made by hardening less refined sugar; aruheito, made by boiling sugar and starch syrup; oshimono, made by packing flour and sugar into molds and pressing them; and tamamono, made by shaping sugar or beans into round forms. Because they contain little moisture, they keep well. They are used as accompaniments to omogashi.

Yokan was originally one type of offering to the gods and Buddha, made by mixing mutton with brown sugar. In the Kamakura period, azuki beans and kudzu starch came to be used in place of mutton. By the Muromachi period, it had become mushi yokan, made by kneading azuki bean paste with wheat flour and steaming it. In the Edo period, it is said to have become neri yokan, made by boiling down bean paste, sugar, and agar and letting it set.

Manju are generally steamed and shaped into round forms. In particular, red and white kohaku manju are used as celebratory gifts for events such as entrance ceremonies, graduation ceremonies, local celebrations, and weddings. Red and white have long been considered auspicious colors in Japan: red represents protection from evil and vitality, while white represents purity and sacredness.

Kohakuto is a sweet made by boiling down agar and sugar, then cooling and setting it. It is known for its crunchy texture. Its name comes from amber, the gemstone.

The wafers are made by kneading glutinous rice flour, steaming it, rolling it thin, placing it in molds, and baking it. They are eaten with an sandwiched between the wafers. This sweet was created in the mid-Edo period.

There are several theories about the origin of the name dorayaki, including that its shape resembles a ship’s gong, or dora, and that the batter was once cooked on a dora instead of an iron griddle. Because of its shape, it is also called mikasa. Dorayaki is thought to have taken its early form in the early Edo period, but it is said to have become the dorayaki we know today in the Taisho period.

Minazuki is the traditional Japanese name for June in the old lunar calendar. In Kyoto, on June 30, exactly halfway through the year, a Shinto ritual called Nagoshi no Harae is held at shrines. This ritual is performed to purify the sins and impurities of the past six months and pray for good health for the remaining half of the year.
The wagashi eaten during Nagoshi no Harae is also called Minazuki. It is a triangular sweet made with white uiro dough topped with azuki beans. The azuki beans are said to ward off evil, while the triangle is said to represent ice that dispels the summer heat.

The main store is a 3-minute walk north along Kawabata-dori Street from Exits 5 and 6 of Keihan Shichijo Station.
Located along Kawabata-dori Street, it is very easy to find.

The Higashi Store is about a 4-minute walk from the main store along Shomen-dori Street. It is located in front of Toyokuni Shrine.

The Sagano Store is within a 10-minute walk of Daikakuji Temple and Arashiyama. It is easy to visit while exploring the Arashiyama and Sagano areas.

The Higashi Store and Sagano Store have tearooms where you can enjoy matcha sets and seasonal sweets, as well as hands-on classes. In the classes, you can learn wagashi making directly from a craftsperson.

When you arrive at the shop, first speak to a staff member and complete the reception process. Then wait until the other participants gather.

Depending on the time of day, you may also be able to watch confectioners making wagashi inside the shop.

Various wooden molds used for higashi are also on display.

There are plants such as flowers, butterflies, and more. The Higashi Store alone is said to have about 60 types.

Be sure to take a look at the decorative confectionery as well. It is made from sweets, and apparently it can actually be eaten!

The hands-on class takes place on the 2nd floor. Once you arrive on the 2nd floor, keep your valuables with you and place your other belongings on the shelves. Then wash your hands thoroughly with soap.

First, you make ayu, or sweetfish, out of the higashi called kizato. Kizato originated in the Genroku and Kyoho eras, was born from sweets presented as offerings, and developed in Kyoto. As the characters for “raw sugar” suggest, the dough is mostly sugar, mixed with glutinous rice flour and a small amount of water, then kneaded and colored. The dough is already prepared, so participants roll it out with a rolling pin, keeping the thickness even on the left and right, until it becomes a square.

Next, use an ayu-shaped cutter to cut out the shape. Make it so the light blue part becomes the back and the white part becomes the belly.

The shape came out nicely. After taking it home, let it dry for about 3 days to evaporate the moisture, and it will be finished.

You can eat the leftover dough from the piece where the ayu shape was cut out on the spot. Take note of the dough’s soft texture. The ayu-shaped piece becomes very hard after drying for 3 days as the moisture leaves it. When you get home, enjoy the difference in texture.
In other seasons, you can make irises, ivy, bellflowers, daffodils, ginkgo leaves, autumn leaves, and other shapes when making kizato.

Next is making uiro. This time, you make a loquat fruit. Uiro is the same as uiro (uiro). Uiro dough is made by kneading sugar, glutinous rice flour, rice flour, and other ingredients with water, adding color, and steaming it in a steamer for about 50 minutes. Since the dough is already prepared, you start by spreading out the uiro. In this uiro-making process, you try a technique called nakabokashi.

Because uiro sticks to your hands very easily, put just a little soybean oil on your fingertips and spread it over your palms. Then stretch the orange uiro slightly. After stretching it, use your fingers to make an indentation slightly outside the center. Place green uiro in the indentation and blend it in, then use the base of your palm to spread it out until it is about the size of your palm.

Place white bean paste in the center, then wrap it into an egg shape.

When you turn it over, the green uiro looks as if it is faintly showing through.

This is the wagashi-making technique called nakabokashi. It looks just like a real loquat. Roll it around in your palm to adjust the shape, then make an indentation with your finger in the nakabokashi part to finish.

In other seasons, you can make designs such as kimamori, adonis flowers, plum blossoms, and Chinese lantern plants when making uiro.

Next is making nerikiri. This piece represents a dianthus flower. Nerikiri is known for its sticky bean paste, which is cooked with glutinous rice flour added as a binder. It is said to be the most commonly used dough for jonamagashi. Nerikiri may sometimes be shaped in wooden molds, but at Kanshundo, they use traditional methods such as squeezing it with a cloth or shaping it with a spatula. This nerikiri also uses the nakabokashi technique.

First, knead the pink bean paste with your fingertips to soften it.

Then divide it into a large piece and a small piece. A rough division is fine. Knead the red bean paste with your fingertips as well to soften it.
Next, spread the larger piece of pink bean paste to about the size of your palm.

Use the pad of your finger to make an indentation in the center, then place the red bean paste inside.

Then cover it with the smaller piece of pink bean paste.

After that, turn it over and gently dig into the area around the center where the red bean paste was placed. The red bean paste inside will begin to show. This is nakabokashi in nerikiri.

From there, spread it to palm size again and wrap it around smooth red bean paste. This wrapping step is said to be the first thing confectioners practice.

Once it is wrapped, roll it in your palm to form a round shape.
Now it’s time to shape it. First, press your fingers against the sides to make indentations, creating the base that will resemble petals. The key is to place your fingers perpendicular to the bean paste.

Nakabokashi was harder than expected, and making the petal base evenly did not go quite as planned, so it looked different from what I had imagined. Still, it did take on a petal-like shape.

Then use a bamboo skewer to mark the center.

Place a wagashi-making tool called a triangular spatula on the indented areas and make grooves toward the mark.

The key is to use the triangular spatula as if pressing it down. The craftsperson also taught us how to hold the triangular spatula.
Next, use the triangular spatula to add the jagged edges characteristic of dianthus petals to each petal.

Finally, make the pistil. To make it, use a straining tool made with horsehair. Place yellow bean paste on it and press firmly with your fingertip, and the bean paste comes out looking just like a real pistil.

Gently place the pistil on top of the flower with chopsticks, and it is complete.

In other seasons, you can make peonies, bellflowers, plum blossoms, sasanqua, wild chrysanthemums, autumn leaves, and other designs when making nerikiri.

Finally, you make kinton. Kinton can also be written with characters meaning “golden dumpling,” and it is one of the essential sweets among jonamagashi. This time, you make a hydrangea using green and purple yokan.

This yokan is made by cooking bean paste and agar together. It is pressed through a kinton strainer made of rattan, a climbing plant.
Place the green and purple yokan on the kinton strainer and press down from above with the base of your palm.

It is difficult unless you press firmly with the base of your palm, and the yokan can slip into the hollow of your hand. When pressed through the kinton strainer, the bean paste comes out in soboro-like pieces.

Attach this to a ball of coarse bean paste. Be careful not to crush the soboro, and attach it lightly and gently. The key is to cover not only the top but also the sides so the coarse bean paste is fully covered.

Finally, add about 4 pieces of agar to represent raindrops on the hydrangea, and it is finished.

In other seasons, you can make designs such as azaleas and yabukoji when making kinton.

With this, all the wagashi making is complete.

We were able to make various types of sweets, from higashi to jonamagashi. Making wagashi that are not only delicious to eat but also colorful and beautiful in appearance is difficult, and this experience made me realize again how much skill it requires.

You can enjoy matcha and the kinton you made last on the spot.

Use a kuromoji, a small pick used when eating wagashi. This kuromoji is made by shaving wood from the kuromoji tree, and when you rub it with your hand, it gives off a pleasant citrus-like aroma. You use it to cut or pick up wagashi. It can be washed and used several times. After you finish eating, take it home and try using it when you eat the remaining wagashi.

The freshly made kinton was very delicious. The refined sweetness of the bean paste, not too sweet, spread through my mouth. However, because I had attached the soboro too gently, it crumbled and fell off. The kinton I usually buy and eat never does that. The soboro needs to be attached gently, but it still has to be firmly connected to the bean paste ball inside. This made me sense the skill of the craftsperson. It is a technique unique to wagashi, which values both flavors and colorful designs reflecting the four seasons.