Kyoto sweets - Kyogashi

Japanese sweets made in Kyoto. Both fresh and dried sweets are called Kyogashi. The uniqueness of Kyogashi has been cultivated by the region and the environment. Kyoto was the royal capital for over 1000 years, and was home to an aristocratic society, so it was a place that nurtured high-quality sweets. There were also many shrines and temples, and sweets for ceremonies and offerings developed through connections with the aristocracy. In addition, the rise of the tea ceremony fostered sweets that enjoyed the beauty of snow, the moon, and flowers. Blessed with beautiful scenery, and a land where products from all over the country were gathered, the common people of Kyoto also acquired a high level of aesthetic sense, and they created sweets that were within that "beauty". Whether fresh or dried, Kyogashi must be beautiful to look at, full of seasonal feeling, and delicious, but also aware of their role as a supporting role in tea drinking. The careful consideration of the confectioners who make the high-quality sweets has also been concentrated there. The business method of Kawabata Doki, a famous chimaki (rice dumpling) manufacturer, was "honesty," "not mass-produced (handmade)," and "attracting people without making a sound." These are the principles that all Kyoto confectioners follow.

[Fumio Sawa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

京都でつくられる和菓子。生(なま)菓子、干(ひ)菓子とも上菓子をとくに京菓子とよぶ。京菓子の特殊性は地域と環境に培われた。1000年余にわたる王城の地であり、貴族社会が構成された京都には、高級菓子をはぐくむ土壌があった。また神社仏閣も多く、貴族とのつながりから儀式用、供物(くもつ)用の菓子が発達した。加えて茶道の興隆が雪月花の風韻を楽しむ菓子を育成した。風光に恵まれ、諸国物産の集積した土地柄は、京の庶民にも優れた美意識を身につけさせ、その「美」のなかの菓子をつくりだしていったのである。京菓子といえるものは生菓子、干菓子を問わず、見て美しく、季節感あふれ、美味ながら喫茶の脇役(わきやく)である茶の子の分をわきまえていなければならない。上菓子を手がける菓匠の細やかな配慮もそこに集中されてきた。粽(ちまき)の名家川端道喜(どうき)の商法は、「正直」「量産しない（手作り）」「声なくして人を呼ぶ」であった。これは京菓子司すべてに通ずる信条である。

［沢　史生］

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