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Edible fireworks? Japanese confectioner creates incredible sweets out of super-soft mochi【Photos】

Casey Baseel Jul 27, 2019
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Signs of the seasons, from rainbows to cherry blossoms, have never looked as good, or tasty, as these breathtaking nerikiri desserts.

Japan has always been of the mind that food should not only be pleasing to the palate, but a feast for the eyes as well. That philosophy is doubly strong when it comes to desserts and confectioneries, since when you’re eating for entirely discretionary reasons, the experience should be enjoyable in as many facets as possible.

But even by those lofty standards, Hiroyuki Sanno (@wagashi_sanchan on Twitter) is operating on a whole other level. A specialist in traditional Japanese sweets, Sanno is especially adept at nerikiri. Nerikiri are made from a mixture of extra-soft mochi, called gyuhi, which is mixed with shiroan white sweet bean paste to form a delicious yet malleable canvas.

Arguably Sanno’s most amazing nerikiri creation is the one you see here, called yohanabi, or “evening fireworks.”

『宵花火』
練り切り製
包みぼかしと和菓子特有の伝統技法を用いてます。少量の白練り切りで包み中の色が透けて見える状態です。ヘラや押し棒で細工するとそこから色が滲み出てきます。
こちらは現在の販売しているデザインです。旧デザインとの違いは微差ですが仕上がりの雰囲気は大きく違います。 pic.twitter.com/3h63gD0lPU

— 和菓子職人三納寛之 (@wagashi_sanchan) July 21, 2019

The almost ethereal color is achieved by using an incredibly thin layer of uncolored nerikiri as a wrapping for the more boldly colored core of the morsel. As the colors pass through the translucent coating, they take on a dreamlike quality, filling you with a sense of summer nostalgia before you take a bite.

7月に入りイベント出店では宵花火を販売し始めました🎆こちらのデザインは旧式のデザイン。また夏の間は頻繁に花火の写真載せていきます。 pic.twitter.com/Pt3UjFc02f

— 和菓子職人三納寛之 (@wagashi_sanchan) July 4, 2019

『宵花火』
練り切り製、小豆漉し餡
4年くらい前の写真です。今はこの宵花火は押し棒の細工のデザインがほんの少し変更になってます。また現在のデザインも投稿しますね☺ pic.twitter.com/QNVikbNWD5

— 和菓子職人三納寛之 (@wagashi_sanchan) July 17, 2019

In making the yohanabi, as well as many other types of nerikiri treats, Sanno uses something called a sankakubera (literally “triangle spatula”), a unique rolling pin-like tool.

Naturally, someone this talented has plenty of other mesmerizing designs as well. Like many gourmet professionals in Japan, Sanno regularly takes inspiration from the seasonal flora and weather, and with early summer being the rainy season in Japan he’s also made edible salutes to rainbows…

最近雨が多いので少しでも気持ちが晴れるお菓子を☀

『雨上がり』

羽二重製です☺ pic.twitter.com/UxnQvikV9n

— 和菓子職人三納寛之 (@wagashi_sanchan) June 29, 2019

…hydrangeas…

紫陽花も、もうすぐ終わり。

練り切りに斜めの線と二粒の錦玉で
雨に濡れる紫陽花表現しました☂ pic.twitter.com/REl5vV2yso

— 和菓子職人三納寛之 (@wagashi_sanchan) June 19, 2019

3年前、Instagramに初めて投稿した紫陽花のお菓子です。

何故かいきなり3800いいねがついて初投稿から急激にフォロワーが増えていきました。

なのでよく人に
『どーしたらあんなにいいねが付いてフォロワー多くなるの？』
と聞かれますが

本人は全くコツなどわかりません
(•́ε•̀٥) pic.twitter.com/F61ZtYnQ4D

— 和菓子職人三納寛之 (@wagashi_sanchan) May 23, 2019

…irises…

練り切り製の『花菖蒲』です

藤の花も咲き始めました

季節は紫の花が映える時期へ
( * ॑꒳ ॑*)💜 pic.twitter.com/NQaJsywHyK

— 和菓子職人三納寛之 (@wagashi_sanchan) April 21, 2019

…and even raindrops themselves.

『梅雨景色』

僕の住む東海地方も梅雨入りしました🌂というわけで梅雨のお菓子☔

錦玉羹につけた線を縦に持ってきて降り続く雨を、その下で咲く紫陽花を抜き型を使って表しました🌈

昨日は京都での和菓子体験教室でした。今日も京都に滞在して和菓子のイベントに顔出して勉強して岐阜に帰ります✩ pic.twitter.com/WbDZvE5xVp

— 和菓子職人三納寛之 (@wagashi_sanchan) June 9, 2019

More abstract, but no less beautiful, is Sanno’s take on the July 7 Tanabata, or “star festival” celebration.

今日は七夕🎋🌌✨
子供の頃は色々行事やイベントを保育園とかでやってたけど大人になると疎遠になっていく、、。
今夜の天気はどうだろう？今日から中国へセミナーやりにいくので今夜は一人中国の夜空を見上げます🐼 pic.twitter.com/0qopKETmfH

— 和菓子職人三納寛之 (@wagashi_sanchan) July 6, 2019

And of course, any roundup of Japanese artistic motifs has to include at least a few cherry blossom entries…

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 和菓子職人三納寛之 (@wagashi_sanchan)

…but once again, Sanno goes above and beyond by capturing the achingly gorgeous moment when a sakura petal falls onto the surface of the water, sending ripples out in all directions.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 和菓子職人三納寛之 (@wagashi_sanchan)

Really, there’s only one thing not to like about Sanno’s sweets, which is that he doesn’t have a standing shop where you can walk in and buy them wherever you like. Instead, he goes from one event or hosting venue to another, making a special batch just for those customers that show up before packing up and moving on to the next. In August, he’ll be at the Atelier Ferris cafe in Gifu (his home prefecture) on August 2, but Sanno also goes abroad to share his creations with the world, so if you’re lucky, perhaps one day soon he’ll be bringing his amazing nerikiri to you.

Related: Atelier Ferris
Source: Twitter/@wagashi_sanchan, IT Media
Images: Twitter/@wagashi_sanchan
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Follow Casey on Twitter, where Japanese desserts and fireworks are two of his favorite things.