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Yasuharu Mizuhara and the Spiritual Tradition of Japanese Wagashi Sweets
The World of Plant-Based, Seasonal Desserts
Recently I had the opportunity to meet Yasuharu Mizuhara, a 4th-generation owner of a well-known wagashi shop called Seigetsudo. First established in 1907, the shop is now over 100 years old.
*Note: Wagashi is a Japanese confectionary. There are many kinds to it, but it tends to be a colorful and small plant-based dessert, often served in traditional tea ceremonies.
Do you feel a lot of pressure as a fourth-generation owner?
When our founder started Seigetsudo, he didn’t want our shop to be continuously making the same confectionaries. There’s a saying within the company, that every owner should be making a confectionary that matches the time of their generation. Right now our shop sells a piece called “otoshibumi” but that is something my father made. We continue to sell it, but I do feel a certain pressure right now to develop my own piece.
What does otoshibumi mean?
The piece my father made, otoshibumi, when carefully explained, illustrates a man who fell in love with a woman, and so he decided to write a love letter to her. But too shy, he was unable to hand her the letter and instead balled it up and left it on the…
