5

6

7

8

[Brass]

Brass is a material often seen in general merchandise and interior goods. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, and the familiar Japanese 5-yen coin is also made of brass.

Brass is mainly defined as having a zinc content of 20% or more. The balance of the copper/zinc ratio varies from object to object, with a high zinc content resulting in a golden color and hardness, and a low zinc content resulting in a reddish color and softness. Brass has a long history dating back to around 1,000 B.C., and because of its resistance to corrosion and ease of processing, it has been widely used in arts and crafts, architectural hardware, and as a material for Buddhist ritual utensils and musical instruments due to its clear tone. Instruments such as trumpets used in brass bands are also made of brass. Nousaku, which we carry in our store, also has several products made of brass.

Founded in 1916, Nouaku began by manufacturing Buddhist altarware, tea ceremony utensils, and flower vases, and now produces traditional yet innovative metal products, mainly tin, but also copper and brass. It was the "wind bell made of brass" that made Nousaku famous throughout Japan. Its lean and sophisticated form is characterized by the clear and extended tone that only brass can produce. The base is made using casting manufacturing techniques in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture, and craftsmen finish it with a potter's wheel. We recently had a customer from the Netherlands who came to our Sanjo Showroom to see this product (it is not currently on display). There is also a unique product called "Kinton," which allows you to store 5-yen coins in a design sundry in the shape of a pig made of the same brass as the 5-yen coin, which is cute and makes a great gift.

Brass is an unexpectedly familiar material, but I have recently been reminded that the combination of this material, traditional Japanese casting techniques, and beautiful designs born from a uniquely Japanese sensibility may be the reason why so many products attract people not only from Japan but from overseas as well. One of the most attractive features of brass is that the more you use it, the more its surface oxidizes and develops a unique antique-like flavor, allowing you to enjoy its transformation over time. It is wonderful to be able to enjoy and nurture the changes in brass over a long period of time as you change. Please pay attention to the material of brass and enjoy your shopping.

Nousaku's Wind Bell
https://www.shokunin.com/en/nousaku/furin.html
Nousaku's Kinton
https://www.shokunin.com/en/nousaku/zakka.html
Takaoka Copperware
https://en.shokunin.com/archives/50001211.html
Sanjo Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/sanjo.html

References
https://www.nousaku.co.jp/
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%BB%84%E9%8A%85

1

2

3

4

5

6

[Sakura Mochi Leaves]

It is the season of cherry blossoms, and we will be receiving news of their blooming one after another from various places toward the end of March. This is the season when many cherry blossom-flavored sweets and beverages can be found. Among them, the eternal standard of spring sweets in Japan is probably "sakura mochi" (sakura rice cake). In haiku and other forms of poetry, sakura mochi, like sakura, is a seasonal word for spring.

The fragrant component of sakura mochi leaves and salted cherry blossoms is coumarin, an aroma that is classified as a polyphenol/phenolic acid type of antioxidant. Fresh cherry leaves have no aroma, but when the leaves and flowers are pickled in salt, an enzyme produces a component called coumarin, which gives them their distinctive aroma. Coumarin has antibacterial and anti-blood coagulation effects, and is effective in preventing swelling and aging.

Most of the salted cherry leaves used for sakura mochi come from Matsuzaki, Nishi-Izu, and are of the "Oshima cherry" variety. It is a larger leaf and has a very nice aroma. It prevents the rice cake from drying out and prevents the growth of bacteria by wrapping the rice cake in salted leaves.

The most famous sakura mochi in Tokyo is Chomeiji Sakura Mochi, which is mentioned in the rakugo story "Hanami Kozo." It was first sold in 1717, when cherry leaves from Sumida Tsutsumi were pickled in salt and the leaves were used to sandwich rice cakes filled with sweet bean paste. The year 1717 was also the year that Yoshimune Tokugawa, the 8th shogun of the Edo Shogunate, planted 100 cherry trees along the banks of the Sumida River, which, combined with the increase in the number of cherry blossom-viewing visitors, made sakura mochi a specialty of Chomeiji's gate.

This Chomeiji Sakura Mochi is wrapped in three salted leaves. It is recommended to "remove the leaves and enjoy the aroma of the cherry leaves and the flavor of the bean paste in the rice cake," but it is also said that the leaves can be removed, eaten with only one leaf attached, or eaten with all three leaves. The National Wagashi Association also recommends that the leaves be removed, saying, "You can taste the true flavor of cherry blossoms if you remove the leaves." There is a haiku by Kyoshi Takahama, a haiku poet and novelist active in the Showa period (1926-1989), which goes, "If you eat three leaves, you will have three pieces of cherry blossom cake." From this haiku, we can infer that Kyoshi ate sakura mochi with only one leaf, and that he was the type of person who does not eat the leaves of sakura mochi. Which way do you prefer?

There is another type of sakura mochi, Domyoji mochi made with Domyoji flour in Kansai style. It is different in shape and texture from the Kanto style Chomeiji mochi made with wheat flour. Both are made with pink dough, rolled with salted cherry leaves, and have a nice aroma of cherry blossoms.

Please enjoy the current cherry blossom season to the fullest. We would like to introduce some of the cherry blossom tree products we carry at Shokunin.com.

Fujiki Denshiro Shoten's Sokawa Tea Canister
https://www.shokunin.com/en/denshiro/
Sonobe Sangyo’s Meibokuwan Cherry
https://www.shokunin.com/en/sonobe/wan.html
Sonobe Sangyo’s Plate Cherry
https://www.shokunin.com/en/sonobe/plate.html
Okubo House Mokkosha's Wooden Spatula *They will be restocked around April 1st.
https://www.shokunin.com/en/okubo/hera.html

References
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/桜餅
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/クマリン
https://sakura-mochi.com/
https://weathernews.jp/s/topics/202104/050085/
https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/9923991/
https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/1305740/1/1 (江戸自慢三十六興 向嶋堤ノ花并ニさくら餅 - 国立国会図書館)

151118 115

151118 116

151118 126

151118 134

151118 163

[Bread and Japanese White Bread]

White bread is a staple in Japanese breakfast. It was named "staple bread" in Japan because it was the style of bread that was widely used as a staple food overseas when it was first introduced to Japan. It is commonly known as "shokupan" and is still widely loved today.

Bread originated in ancient Mesopotamia around 6000-4000 B.C., when wheat was cultivated and people ate flatbreads, which were simply thin crackers made by kneading flour with water and baking it. On the other hand, Japan's bread-eating culture began when missionaries from Portugal came to Japan during the Warring States period and brought bread as food, along with sponge cakes. The origin of the word "pan" for bread in Japanese is "pão" meaning bread in Portuguese. Later, when Christianity was banned, bread production was also banned, and bread disappeared due to national isolation. However, with the opening of Japan to the outside world, baking was revived, and bread was once again introduced to Japan by foreigners and engineers from foreign settlements. During this period, popular sweet breads such as anpan, cream buns, and jam buns were created and rapidly became popular among the general public. After the war, due to food shortages, flour was delivered from the U.S. as a relief supply, and bread was adopted for school lunches, which led to the spread of bread on Japanese dining tables.

Most Japanese white bread is baked in a large rectangular box-shaped mold with the lid closed, so it is square and is characterized by its moist, soft, and fluffy texture compared to bread from overseas. Since rice was originally a staple food in Japan, bread has been eaten as a kind of pastry or side dish, and it seems to have developed so that it can be eaten on its own and still have taste and flavor.

Now, there is a recommended way to heat up white bread. It is often frozen and can be steamed in a seiro and defrosted before putting it in the toaster, so that it becomes fresh and fluffy, and the baked bread becomes crispy. A slice of 4 slices of bread can be placed in a steaming seiro for 3 minutes. Please give it a try.

Yamaichi's Chinese Seiro
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yamaichi/seiro.html
Kiya's Unbleached Cotton Cloth
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kiya/mizarashi.html
Moyai Kogei's Zelkova Bread Plate
https://www.shokunin.com/en/moyai/
Yoshita Handi-Design Studio's Butter Knife
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yoshita/cutlery.html

References
https://www.panstory.jp/history/history.html
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/食パン
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/パン
https://esse-online.jp/articles/-/11291