Saiun-Do　　～The interview from Mr.Yamaguchi～

We visited Mr. Yamaguchi who works at Saiun-Do to learn more about Japanese sweets, called “Wagashi” as part of our graduation seminar course for our university.

“Sain-Do” is a long-established wagashi shop which was founded in 1874.  It's main shop is in Matsue city, Shimane Prefecture.

We talked with him in a Japanese-style tea room on the second floor of the main shop.

After coming up the stairs, we were captivated by the many big wagashi art objects sculpted in imitation of such things as wild birds, peony, waterwheel scenery of the countryside, and the ancient Izumo Taisha Shrine. The thatched roof and flowing water of the water wheel were crafted finely in detail and it was hard to believe they were all made from sugar.

Students admire the confection sculptures

Lotus Blossoms

Japanese Red Maple

We entered the Japanese-style tea room after we finished looking around.  There we ate wagashi which we selected and matcha or powdered green tea. Mr. Yamaguchi came in after a few minutes and told various things about wagashi.  Below are images of the wagashi we selected.  We came in the summer so these seasonal wagashi were offered on the menu.

According to Mr. Yamaguchi, we can enjoy wagashi with our five senses.

1: Hearing  2:Sight  3:Sense of smell  4:Touch  5:Taste

Hearing is hearing the sound of name of the Wagashi and getting an image of the situation or particular image that the wagashi represents.

Sight is seeing the wagashi from various angles and relating it to the image.  Much care is taken to make wagashi beautiful and unique.

Sense of smell is enjoying the subtle fragrance of the wagashi.  It is subtle so that it won't interfere with the matcha that is drunk with it.

Touch is feeling the wagashi when you pick it up with your fingers or cut it into pieces.  wagashi are usually cut with a “Kuroyozi (a thick and slightly sharpened stick for eating wagashi)”.  Also, the texture or mouth-feel of the wagashi is enjoyable.

Taste is tasting the wagashi deliciously while keeping in mind the seasonal image.  Wagashi are generally not overly sweet.  However, some sweetness is important to balance the bitterness of the matcha. 

Doesn't this sound interesting!

He told us about the order to eat and drink matcha and wagashi. When we drink bitter powdered green tea after eating sweet wagashi, we don’t mind the bitterness of the matcha. It’s such a delicious combination.

Also, we understood that the climate of Japan is related to the background of wagashi. Mr. Yamaguchi told us that moist air and the four seasons which may be unusual in other areas are very important for wagashi.

High humidity is necessary to make delicious wagashi and preserve it. The four seasons are indispensable because wagashi attempt to express the beauty of nature.

In addition, we learned about Saiun-Do's efforts to promote wagashi overseas. They have held events featuring wagashi in the United States and France and they seem to be working hard to share wagashi with many people!

 But it was hard to make and preserve wagashi in those countries because of the dry local climate which didn’t match Japan's.  Also, perhaps it wasn’t easy for people there to understand the Japanese images of birds or scenery used to represent the seasons. So they seemed to have trouble appreciating wagashi. However, there are some people who said, “These are so good” and the activity was featured in the local newspapers. 

Mr. Yamaguchi said “We will continue to do our best and hope others enjoy our wagashi.” We students felt more attracted to wagashi after this visit. We thought that our appreciation  for wagashi should spread to many people (not only Japanese people but also foreign people.)

Thank you Saiun-Do for welcoming us so kindly and teaching us more about the wagashi in Matsue!