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[Sakura Anpan]

In Kyoto, cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Did you know that there is a spring-like bean-jam bun that can be found in Japanese bakeries during this season? It is commonly known as "sakura anpan" with a salted cherry blossom on top of the center of the anpan.

The origin of anpan dates back to April 4, 1875, when Kimuraya's anpan was presented to the Emperor and Empress of Meiji during their cherry blossom viewing party at the Mito domain's Shimoyashiki in Mukojima, Tokyo. Tesshu Yamaoka, who served as a chamberlain to Emperor Meiji at the time and is said to have been fond of anpan, advised Yasubei Kimura, the first head of Kimuraya, to serve anpan made purely in Japan. He advised Kimura Yasubei, the founder of Kimuraya, to serve anpan made in Japan.

Yasubei and his sons and brothers decided to express "Japanese spring" in the anpan they presented to the public, and turned their attention to "cherry blossoms," the national flower that symbolizes Japan and can express a sense of the season. The combination of the sweetness of the sake-type dough and red bean paste with the salted cherry blossoms was so exquisite that Their Majesties were so pleased with the anpan that they requested that Kimuraya's anpan "continue to be supplied" by Their Majesties. Since then, Kimuraya's anpan have been topped with salted cherry blossoms and sold to the general public, becoming very popular.

Today, you can find sakura anpan at many bakeries. There is a wide variety, from the orthodox one with salted pickled cherry blossoms in the center of the bean-pan to the one with "sakura-an," a white bean paste with salted cherry blossom and leaf pickles kneaded into the white bean paste. If you visit Japan during the cherry blossom season, be sure to look for sakura anpan at bakeries. You can enjoy it as it is or warm it up a little.

Incidentally, at Ginza Kimuraya in Ginza 4-chome, you can purchase anpan topped with salted cherry blossoms throughout the year. It is a 10-minute walk from our Ginza Showroom, so it might be a good idea to visit when strolling through Ginza.

How about taking your favorite bread plate that you always use at home outside and enjoying it during the cherry blossom viewing season? Enjoy Japanese spring at its best with cherry blossoms in full bloom and sakura anpan.

Moyai Kogei's Zelkova Bread Plate
https://www.shokunin.com/en/moyai/
Okubo House Mokkosha's Bread Plate
https://www.shokunin.com/en/okubo/pan.html
Tsujiwa Kanaami's Tetsuki Yakiami
https://www.shokunin.com/en/tsujiwa/tetsuki.html
Ginza Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/ginza.html

References
http://www.kimuraya-sohonten.co.jp/ec/2013anpan
https://mi-journey.jp/foodie/62223/
https://otonanswer.jp/post/35849/

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[Sankiro Ryotei]

Sankiro used to be one of Mojiko's most prestigious ryotei restaurants. With a total floor space of over 1,200 square meters, the three-story wooden structure is one of the largest existing ryotei buildings in Kyushu. Located on top of a small hill, it commands a panoramic view of the Kanmon Straits.

In 1889, Moji Port was designated as a special export port by the government, and Moji Station of the Kyushu Railway opened. This led to rapid connections between land and sea transport in northern Kyushu, and financial institutions, local and central capital trading companies, and branches of shipping companies successively established themselves in the Mojiko district, which also became a gathering place for business and cultural figures. Visitors to the Kanmon area may have enjoyed a drink overlooking Mojiko Port and the sea, which led to foreign countries, and may have engaged in discussions about the modernization of Japan.

The Moji Shimpo, one of the three major local newspapers in Fukuoka Prefecture, published in the former Moji City at the time, described the building as "elegant and solid with the best of old and new, with a total of 15 different floor plans of various sizes and a fine view, and as a ryotei, it presents an unparalleled view in Kitakyushu.” The view from the restaurant is magnificent and unparalleled in Kitakyushu as a ryotei.

When you visit Sankiro, you will notice many design features. In particular, each room had its own base windows and transoms, which kept guests entertained and entertained.

A "shimajimado" is a window in which part of the clay wall is not painted, exposing a small base made of bamboo or reed, and is found in Japanese tea ceremony rooms and private houses. They are often used in traditional Japanese architecture and come in a variety of shapes. You may have seen the circle, which is said to represent the spirit of "Zen and Entsu," or the inome, which is derived from the eyes of the wild boar and is meant to ward off evil and bring good luck.

In Sankiro, you can see pine, bamboo, and plum trees, as well as mountains and clouds, all of which can be easily imagined by looking at the shapes of the buildings, and also narrative elements that reflect the local tradition of rice cultivation, such as the saying, "When lightning strikes the rice field, it brings a good harvest.

Visitors are free to tour the museum and enjoy Kanmon fugu (blowfish) cuisine. Nowadays, the view of the Kanmon Straits cannot be seen due to the rows of tall buildings around the building, but there are rooms where you can see the Mojiko area, so you can imagine the time that passed in this place at that time. Why not visit when you are in the neighborhood?

Sankiro
https://goo.gl/maps/YEKoHQH2U1wXQxfe6
Wakamatsu Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/wakamatsu.html

References
https://www.mojiko.info/3kanko/sankiro/
https://www.japanheritage-kannmon.jp/bunkazai/index.cfm?id=9
http://www.kaito.ne.jp/kaito-sankirou.html

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[Sanjo Dori: Then and Now]

Sanjo Dori, where the Sanjo Showroom is located, was built with the construction of the Heian-kyo Capital and used to be called "Sanjo Oji." The residences of aristocrats and lodgings for government officials lined the street, and by the late Heian Period, there was a concentration of commercial and industrial establishments along the street, indicating that people had been coming and going from the area since that time.

In the Kamakura period (1185-1333), it became even more important as a highway connecting Kamakura, the seat of the samurai government, and Kyoto, the seat of the Imperial Court. The bridge across the Kamo River was also simple, but Toyotomi Hideyoshi built the stone-posted Sanjo Bridge. It was also around this time that the name of the street was changed from "Oji" to "Dori." With the construction of the Tokaido Highway by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Sanjo Ohashi Bridge became the terminus of the Tokaido Highway and the main street of Kyoto, crowded with stores and inns.

In the Meiji era (1868-1912), a "road sign" was placed on Sanjo Ohashi to mark the starting point of the road, and as the center of Kyoto's modernization, modern buildings such as banks, newspaper companies, and post offices were built on the bridge. Walking along Sanjo Dori, one can still see many modern buildings such as the Kyoto Culture Museum Annex and the Chukyo Post Office. The Sacra Building, where the Sanjo Showroom is located, is one such building, a brick structure built around 1916 as the Kyoto branch of the former Fudo Savings Bank.

The three major projects of Kyoto City were planned from the end of the Meiji Era to the beginning of the Taisho Era, which included the construction of the second Lake Biwa Sosui Canal and waterworks, as well as the widening of roads and the opening of streetcars. Since it was difficult to construct brick and concrete buildings on Sanjo Dori, the narrow Shijo Dori was widened and streetcars were installed. The main street gradually shifted to Shijo Dori.

Today, Sanjo Dori has become a street with a distinctive landscape, where modern architecture has been reused, retaining the atmosphere of civilization and enlightenment, but also lined with old-fashioned townhouses. We hope you will enjoy walking around the area when you visit us.

Sanjo Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/sanjo.html

References
http://www.sanjyo-kyo.jp/sanjyostr
http://www.mutsunohana.net/miyako/oji-koji/#etc2-19
http://jia-kyoto.org/children/sanjyohistry.html