July 2022

IMG_9333

Previously, when I made yaki-onigiri, I used to cook them on a gas stove fish fryer, but since the Onigiri Iron Plate came, my favorite Benkei-meshi and soy sauce onigiri cook up beautifully and I use it when I have leftover rice!
M.Y. in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan

Rikucho Ogasawara's Onigiri Iron Plate
https://www.shokunin.com/en/rikucho/onigiri.html

1

2

3

[Kyoto's Famous Confectionery, Shitatari]

The deep, clear amber-colored Shitatari, made with simple yet carefully selected ingredients, is very refreshing to the eye in the sweltering summer heat of Kyoto.

This year, for the first time in three years, Kyoto will host the Yamaboko Junko and Mikoshi Togyo of the Gion Festival. The city is in a festive mood, and the Gion music that can be heard in the city center is filled with excitement before the Yamahoko-junko procession of the Mae-matsuri (the first festival) on the 17th.

Kikusui-hoko, located at Shijo-agaru, Muromachi-dori, Nakagyo-ku, is named after Kikusui no Ii, a famous water well that has existed in the town since ancient times. The name "Kikusui" comes from the Noh play "Kikujidou," which tells the story of a man who lived for 700 years by drinking the dew of chrysanthemum leaves on which he had written a strange sentence. The wagashi "Shitatari" is a Japanese confectionery that was invented by Kamehironaga, a Kyoto-based confectionery, as a dedicated confectionery for the Kikusuiboko tea ceremony, inspired by the pure dewdrops from the chrysanthemum leaves.

Made of brown sugar, wasanbon, agar agar, and mizuame, the deep, clear amber-colored Shitatari, made with simple yet carefully selected ingredients, is very refreshing to the eye in the sweltering summer heat of Kyoto. The soft texture and elegant sweetness of the sweets, which melt in your mouth, remind you of a drop of medicinal water for longevity and immortality.

The photo shows "Shitatari" on a Suzugami S size Kazahana. The popular S size is currently out of stock, but we have plenty of stock of the SS size, which is perfect for Japanese sweets and other dishes, the M size, which can be used for salads and main dishes, and the L size, which can be used to serve soba noodles and cold pasta. How about inviting coolness into your eyes and fingertips with these cool tin dishes?

Syouryu's Suzugami
https://www.shokunin.com/en/syouryu/

References
https://www.h-nw.jp/gion_matsuri/kikusui_boko.html
http://www.kyoto-meguri.com/kyounomeisui/kikusui1.html
https://sweetsvillage.com/blog/wagashi/kamehironaga/
https://goo.gl/maps/xgwKB1KWKMB3LNby9 (Kamehironaga)

1

2

3

5

[A teacup, hot inside, cool outside]

While it is a beautiful design, getting rid of any wasteful decorations, teacup's dual structure prevents the outer surface to become hot, no matter how hot the tea inside is.

Mr. Michio Akita, who's a great lover of teas, wanted to round the bottom edge of the teacup as to allow users to easily get rid of any tea incrustations. Although he has consulted with ceramic makers and glassmakers, the teacup that he imagined was not completed, and he eventually arrived at Ceramic Japan.

With Ceramic Japan's high level of technology, which a designer once told on a magazine that "What Ceramic Japan can't make can't be made by others," Mr. Michio Akita was finally able to complete the teacup he wanted.

The teacup that is cherished by Mr. Akita, as well as our staffs, is truly a masterpiece that is completed with a long time. Please enjoy a tasteful tea with 80mm!

80mm Teacup
https://www.shokunin.com/en/80mm/