Introduction to the Tea Ceremony and Japanese Confectionery (Wagashi)
- 3 November 2023
- 11:00am – 1:00pm
- Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, 13 / 14 Cornwall Terrace, London NW1 4QP
- https://dajf.org.uk/event/introduction-to-the-tea-celemony-and-japanese-confectionery-wagashi-by-yasuhiro-hikiami
- +44 (0)20 7486 4348
- events@dajf.org.uk
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Japanese confectionery or wagashi, also known as ‘the art you taste with your five senses’, has a long history in Japan and is closely associated with the traditional tea ceremony. Influenced by the Kaga domain, which encouraged the tea ceremony, Toyama Prefecture boasts the second-highest proportion of the tea ceremony practitioners over age 25 in Japan. When a wagashi craftsman is asked by a tea ceremony host to produce sweets for a tea ceremony, usually the host has already decided the fittings and equipment to be used, such as the hanging scroll, the flower arrangement and the bowls. The wagashi craftsman plays the important role of supplying original sweets appropriate for this particular tea ceremony, providing the finishing touch that perfects the host’s offer of hospitality.
Yasuhiro Hikiami, the 4th generation proprietor of Toyama Prefecture’s famous confectionery producer Hikiami Kōgetsudō, with his superb technical ability, and the creativity that enables him to come up with unexpected and beautiful designs, is a wagashi craftsman widely trusted by tea ceremony practitioners across Japan. His talk and demonstration of wagashi-making will shed light on how these sweets are made, and the thinking that lies behind them.
This event is part of ‘Toyama Week in London’. From 31 October – 5 November, Toyama Prefecture offers an introduction to the region’s craft, gastronomy, and tourism at Pantechnicon, Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, Japan House London, and (ki:ts) concept store.
About the contributors
Yasuhiro Hikiami
Yasuhiro Hikiami, the fourth-generation owner of Hikiami Kōgetsudō, one of Toyama’s leading Japanese confectionery producers, is a highly-skilled wagashi craftsman whose motto is ‘to make Japanese sweets more interesting’. He aspires to craft sweets that satisfy not only the stomach but also the heart.
In recent years, he has been promoting the appeal of wagashi through events at department stores in Tokyo, teaching wagashi courses at the University of Toyama, demonstrating traditional Japanese confectionery at the G7 Environment Ministers’ Meeting held in Toyama in 2016, and travelling to Taiwan and Malaysia to promote wagashi culture overseas. His visit to London will be his first time creating wagashi in Europe.
