{"id":471,"date":"2025-11-25T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?p=471"},"modified":"2025-11-25T10:49:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T01:49:52","slug":"the-universe-of-sensibility-and-color-found-in-wagashi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?p=471","title":{"rendered":"The Universe of Sensibility and Color Found in Wagashi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Traditional Japanese sweets, known as wagashi, are experiencing a notable boom right now. When you hear \u201cwagashi,\u201d you may evoke images of classical confections that carry Japan\u2019s centuries-old traditions. From nerikiri (refined bean paste confections) to delicate sugar crafts, wagashi has long embodied a sculptural quality. Today, audiences worldwide are drawn to wagashi\u2019s unique quality: the capture of a fleeting, ephemeral moment before consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spotlighting a new generation of creators revitalizing the craft, establishment of shops that balances tradition with artistic innovation, and artists who employ wagashi as their primary creative medium, this feature explores the intersection of wagashi and contemporary art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A New Form of Wagashi Emerging from Its Place of Origin<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The origins of wagashi enjoyed today can be traced back to Nagasaki Prefecture, where active foreign trade during the Edo period made sugar relatively accessible. This fostered a thriving confectionery culture in the region. \u201cSweet Hirado,\u201d held regularly in Hirado, Nagasaki Prefecture, reimagines wagashi through tea ceremony events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Launched in 2016, the project has invited Dutch artists INA-MATT and Roosmarjin Pallandt with long-established local confectioners of Hirado to create innovative wagashi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A moment captured from \u201csweet hirado\u201d<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mikawachi-yaki pottery, Dutch glassware, and silverware, offering audiences a multisensory experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The artists draw inspiration from \u201cHyakka no Zu,\u201d a catalogue of sweets created about 200 years ago by Lord Matsuura Kiyo of the Hirado Domain for his townspeople. Building on this legacy, they have developed \u201cHirado Kashi\u201d that blends tradition and innovation in a new way.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cWATER PILLOW \/ Chinsui\u201d made with agar, plum wine, and wakame seaweed. The confection is inspired by a room at \u201cChinsuisha,\u201d located at the former Egashira Honjin site.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The 24 varieties of wagashi created for this project are documented online, each with its own narrative. Even just viewing these sweets on screen is fascinating. Outside of scheduled events, orders can be placed through the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exploring Wagashi Through \u201cUtsuwa\u201d (Vessels)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cUtsuwa and Wagashi\u201d exhibition marked its 10th anniversary in 2025. This is a special exhibition of curated vessels by 23 students of the Ceramics program in the Department of Craft and Industrial Design at Musashino Art University, featuring sweets of the long-established confectionery shop \u201cToraya.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Image of exhibited works from the official website<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The exhibition explores the experience of enjoying wagashi beyond taste and appearance, examining it within a spatial context. Students created works centered on the vessels that present these sweets, following immersive workshops by Toraya\u2019s craftspeople where they learned the art of wagashi-making. Through this engagement, they learned the seasonal sensibilities and emotions embedded in wagashi design, ultimately reconstructing the relationship between \u201cwagashi\u201d and \u201cutsuwa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition collaborator \u201cToraya\u201d is one of Japan\u2019s top leading wagashi shops that also operates galleries at several flagship locations. In January 2024, they held \u201cWagashi and Manga\u201d at their Tokyo Midtown store.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cChanoyu no Jikan\u201d on display at the exhibition venue (Illustration: HIkaru Hayakawa, Text: pikomaro)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The exhibition featured wagashi scenes excerpted from 10 volumes across 8 manga titles. Curators chose works that naturally drew readers\u2019 curiosity toward wagashi, or scenes that made you think \u201cI want to try those sweets!,\u201d instead of limiting selections to stories set in wagashi stores or narratives where wagashi played a central role. The approach reflects Toraya\u2019s ongoing effort to reframe perceptions of wagashi through an artistic lens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newcomers Updating Wagashi with A Unique Vision<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kashiya Kokonotsu<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n
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From the official website<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Kashiya Kokonotsu reinterprets traditional Japanese sweets and time-honoured production methods through a distinctive aesthetic sensibility. Through their wagashi, they articulate a philosophy of selective preservation – identifying what should remain unchanged and what invites evolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The confections captured on Kokonotsu\u2019s Instagram page<\/mark><\/a> have captivated people with their understated yet breathtaking beauty. \u201cKashiya Kokonotsu Saryo\u201d now operates in Torigoe, Asakusa, where guests can experience a multi-course tasting in a curated setting. Available by reservation only and with photography prohibited, the space encourages a full sensory immersion of Kokonotsu\u2019s sweets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From the official website \u201cMousou Shashinka\u201d<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Founder Miho Mizoguchi studied food and nutrition at junior college and after graduation, trained at wagashi shops in Kyoto and Tokyo. She launched Kashiya Kokonotsu when she was 23, bringing unique perspectives unconstrained by the rules and conventions surrounding wagashi. Her work honors traditional wagashi ingredients while integrating Western techniques, reimagining seasonal fruits and produce through a wagashi perspective that foregrounds Japanese seasonality, ingredients, and color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wagashi as Edible Sculpture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shiho Sakamoto is a food artist who reimagines wagashi through a contemporary lens. Under her brand \u201cShiwon<\/mark><\/a>\u201d, she creates unprecedented works that build upon traditional wagashi techniques, reaching audiences both in Japan and internationally.\u00a0
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201csprout \/ houga\u201d from the official website<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

She characterizes wagashi as edible sculpture. Her creations synthesize enduring Japanese sensibilities – the colors of flowers, the scents of plants, the joy of seasons – with wagashi\u2019s intangible dimensions: light, temperature, humidity, and time. Her carefully composed visuals and expressions have cultivated a substantial following on platforms like Instagram, drawing fans from around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wagashi leverages Japan\u2019s distinctive traditions and production methods while extending their expressive possibilities. While their visual allure is captivating, the confections offer nuanced sweetness and seasonal resonance. What unites these creators is a profound engagement with wagashi\u2019s ephemeral nature. Introducing such \u201cartistic\u201d wagashi to your table, almost too beautiful to eat, offers an invitation to refine one\u2019s aesthetic sensibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Traditional Japanese sweets, known as wagashi, are experiencing a notable boom right now. When you hear \u201cwagas …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_block_theme_hide_title":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[191,187,189,188,186],"editor":[75],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-471","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-culture","8":"tag-utsuwa-and-wagashi","9":"tag-foodart","10":"tag-newwavewagashi","11":"tag-sweets","12":"tag-wagashi","13":"editor-ryo-hamada","15":"with-featured-image"},"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/\u548c\u83d3\u5b50\u3068\u30a2\u30fc\u30c8-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/\u548c\u83d3\u5b50\u3068\u30a2\u30fc\u30c8-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"chihaya.nishio@a1growth.jp","author_link":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?author=4"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=471"},{"taxonomy":"editor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Feditor&post=471"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}