Oise-san Confectionery Expo “Challenging giant craft confectionery” Interview with Japanese and Western confectionery artisans

Japan's largest sweets festival "Oise-san Confectionery Expo 2017" will be held from April 21st (Friday).
The highlight of the event is a giant craft confectionery depicting the "Ise Sangu Shrine Miyagawa no Watari" based on Utagawa Hiroshige's ukiyo-e motif.
We spoke to five artisans who were involved in this work, which is a collaboration between Japanese and Western confectionery artisans in Mie Prefecture.

(Article cooperation: Chunichi Shimbun)

<Part 1> Mr. Yukihisa Nomura of the Nomura Confectionery Shop, a leader in the Nansei district who is in charge of building the building.

Create precise blueprints that are difficult to make

Yukihisa Nomura is the leader of the Nansei district for this craft confectionery event. The parts I am in charge of are the main hall of IseJingu, UjibashiBridge, torii gate, inn, teahouse, red light district, lantern, and boat. In other words, they are man-made objects, mainly buildings.
Mr. Nomura looks back on when he first started working on craft confectionery.

``I started by trying to make each one the way I wanted, but since I was turning a two-dimensional ukiyo-e into three-dimensional, I had to supplement it with my imagination, which made it difficult.I realized that it would not be complete unless I first prepared the blueprint and made it according to it. Did".

Mr. Nomura enlisted the help of his younger brother, who works in mechanical design, and absorbed the know-how of blueprints. I learned everything about architecture and drew up all the blueprints.

Manufactured using the same process as a carpenter, only the materials and size are different.

``Once we have a blueprint, we create the materials according to it, make adjustments down to the millimeter by cutting, and then assemble it.Even though it's made of confectionery, the work is the same as building a real building. hey".

Mr. Nomura has loved making dioramas since he was a child, so he was perfect for the role of leader this time.
Although we had some trouble rebuilding it due to the humidity, we were able to get to the final stage of completing it.

"We paid special attention to the invisible parts, so please come and see the finished product at the venue."

Sweets Shop Nomura Confectionery

Address: 2-4-12 Fukiage, IseCity Prefecture
Phone: 0596-28-4077
Business hours: 9:00-19:00 (Sundays until 18:00)
Irregular holidays

<2nd session> Yasushi Takakuwa, Western confectionery department leader Western confectionery Takakwa, in charge of doll production

Western confectionery shop run with father holds long-awaited confectionery expo

Yasushi Takakuwa is one of the three leaders of the approximately 50 Western confectionery artisans in Mie Prefecture who are in charge of making the dolls, which are essential to expressing the lively atmosphere of the craft confectionery making at the Confectionery Expo. I am.
Approximately 250 dolls will be made.
Small ones are about 10 cm in total length, while large ones can reach up to 30 cm in total length.

Mr. Takakuwa looks back on the time when he started making craft confectionery.

“Even before my father founded this shop, I knew from a young age that he had won an award for his work at the Shizuoka Prefecture Confectionery Expo 40 years ago.I thought it would be great if I could be involved in some way. "I was there," he said.

Working with seniors is a valuable experience

For Mr. Takakuwa, this was the long-awaited confectionery expo held in his hometown.

"There are many older members of the team. With the help of other leaders and sub-leaders, we have been able to work together as a team and see the result. This time, we hope to be successful in the national contest. It was a valuable experience to be able to work with people who are experts in making Japanese sweets and with people who have Japanese sweets skills."

We also asked them about the highlights of the dolls.

``Among the dolls are Saori Yoshida in a wrestling uniform and Governor Suzuki in a suit.Also, the placement, expressions, and decorations of the dolls have a story to them, and are detailed. We paid particular attention to the details. Please come and see it at the venue."

Western sweets Takakwa

Address: 300-35 Shibumicho, TsuCity
Phone: 059-213-3100
Business hours: 9:00-20:00
Closed: Tuesday

<3rd session> Mr. Shinsuke Kawashima, Nakasei district leader in charge of Matsu production, Famous Confectionery Soan Shingetsu

The battle to make 100,000 handmade pine needles from one pine needle

Shinsuke Kawashima is a Japanese confectionery artisan who works as a part-time instructor at vocational schools in TsuCity and IseCity in addition to his day job.
For this confectionery expo and craft confectionery making, I am in charge of making Matsu as a leader of Japanese confectionery artisans in the Nakasei area, which encompasses TsuCity, SuzukaCity, KameyamaCity, and MatsusakaCity.
One of the characteristics of the pine tree, which is a coniferous tree, is its countless pine needles. It seems that it is very difficult to recreate this in confectionery.

``A total of 100,000 pine needles will be made this time. A material called anpei, which is made by steaming red bean paste and rice flour, is made into a size of about 5 mm and rolled out by hand one by one to resemble a needle. Most of the work was about going to work."

Working as a team with gratitude and learning

Since there are a large number of pine needles, we start making them a year in advance, and the whole team divides up and makes them.

``Everyone has their own work to do, and they all make time to cooperate.I've worked with some of my seniors who are over 60 years old, and they've done more than I asked them to do.'' , I felt it was very reliable.I feel like I learned a lot this time.''

The pine needles that are created and saved are then tied into bunches of 32 each and attached to the trunk. The surface of the trunk also seems to represent the broken state of a pine tree.

“When you look at the entire work from the front, I put a lot of effort into the three large trees on the left.The shape of the pine trees is different on the sea side and on the hill side, and I tried to express them realistically by observing the real thing. I would be happy if you could notice such small differences."

Confectionery Soan Shingetsu

Address: 6-8 Honmachi, TsuCity Prefecture
Phone: 059-227-8846
Business hours: 9:00-18:30
Closed: Tuesday

<4th session> Ken Hayakawa, responsible for the production of nature (mountains, rivers, oceans), general leader of all giant craft confectioneries, unique Japanese and Western confectionery Fujuya

Expressing majesty and delicacy in nature

Ken Hayakawa is the fourth generation of a long-established confectionery store that was founded 120 years ago, and is also the general manager of the giant craft confectionery as the manager of the youth division of the Mie Prefecture Confectionery Industry Association.
During production, only three people were in charge of the mountains, rivers, and ocean parts.

“From the mountains, to the Isuzu River, to the Miyagawa River, Meotoiwa(rocksofthemarriedcouple), to the sea, to the creatures in them, my team is probably the most difficult (lol).For the mountains, we used different shades of color to create a sense of perspective, and for the rivers, we used different shades of color. We used candy instead of sugar to express the freshness."

Also, since the front of the exhibit is a cross section of the ocean,

"You can see sea urchins, spiny lobsters, and shellfish."

said Mr. Hayakawa. You can now see the contents of the ocean.

The joy of creating inspires people

Mr. Hayakawa looks back on the hardships and rewards of being the general leader of a giant craft confectionery company.

"It was a lot of work, giving specific instructions to the leaders of each district and Western confectionery group, and consulting with them. Technically speaking, we invited the principal from Tokyo Confectionery School and everyone started from scratch. I was happy that we were able to eliminate the barriers between Japanese and Western confectionery shops and communicate with each other."

Finally, we asked them about the appeal of craft confectionery.

``There's the joy of creating, but also the joy of showcasing.It's not just the joy of eating it, it's also the joy of seeing it.I want to continue to be a craftsman who can move people.''

Unique Japanese and Western confectionery Fujuya

Address: 2-24-21 Tenkasuka, YokkaichiCity
Phone: 059-365-1277
Business hours: 8:00-19:00
Closed: Mondays (the next day if Monday is a holiday)

<5th> Mr. Nobuharu Okamoto, Kotoyo Yume Confectionery Studio, leader of the Hokusei area in charge of cherry blossom production

Cherry blossoms that fuse ukiyo-e and the present

Shinji Okamoto is the leader of the Hokusei region and also serves as the deputy director of the youth division of the Mie Prefecture Confectionery Industry Association.
In the production of this giant craft confectionery, he was in charge of the 16 cherry blossom trees that bloom along the Miyagawa River.

``I actually went to the Miyagawa River and understood the relative position of the cherry blossoms from the opposite bank, and then incorporated that into my production.There are no cherry blossoms in ukiyo-e, so it was a fusion of what they look like in modern times.''

All 16 flowers are made into different shapes, and 90,000 petals are made to create various arrangements.

"The creative aspect of adding things yourself is important in craft confectionery. I'm always thinking about how I can express the story behind it."

says Okamoto.

The pursuit of authenticity is the essence of craft confectionery

We asked them what they keep in mind when making craft confectionery.

"It's all about how to pursue authenticity. In the case of cherry blossoms, the branches grow downwards because they're on a riverbank, and weeds don't grow under real cherry blossom trees. When you make something, you have to know the things. Yes.”

It seems that he is very particular about the details in his quest for reality.

Mr. Okamoto is also involved in the craft confectionery exhibition by high school students, which is being held for the first time.

"The youth director and I came up with the plan. We wanted young and talented children in the prefecture to show off their skills as well. I think it would be fun to compare them to the craft confectionery made by professionals."

Yume Confectionery Workshop Kotoyo

Address: 4987-1 Nishihinocho, Yokkaichi YokkaichiCity Mie Prefecture
Phone: 059-322-1226
Business hours: 8:00-18:30
Closed: Tuesdays (the next day if Tuesday is a holiday)

*This interview report is a reprint of the article ``Oise-san Confectionery Expo ``Challenging Giant Craft Confectionery'' Interview with Japanese and Western Confectionery Craftsmen'' published in Chunichi Shimbun.

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[Model course of Oise-san Confectionery Expo]

・ A trip to enjoy Ise, Toba, Shima and Ise-san Confectionery Expo 2017

・ Visit IseJingu with Oise-san Confectionery Expo 2017! Courses by train and bus

Please also take a look at the video that introduces the charm of Oise-san Confectionery Expo.

The National Confectionery Exposition has been held approximately once every four years in order to pass on the history and culture of sweets to future generations and promote the confectionery industry.
It began in Tokyo in 1911 as the ``1st Imperial Confectionery Candy Exhibition,'' and this is the first time in 40 years that it has been held in the Tokai area since Shizuoka in 1977, and the first time in Mie.
Please come by all means.
Oise-san Confectionery Expo's character "Ise Wanko" is waiting for you!