May 20, 2012

Kikyo Shingen Mochi/桔梗信玄餅


Kikyo Shingen Mochi is a very famous wagashi from Yamanashi prefecture.
Kikyo (kikyou) = Ballon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus)
Shingen < Takeda Shingen
桔梗信玄餅は山梨県のとても有名な和菓子です。

I got one bag from a relative the other day.
先日、親戚から一つもらいました。



This bag contains six individually packaged mochi.
袋には、個包装された餅が6個入っています。



Close-up
クローズアップ



When you open it,
開けると、



you will find kuromitsu (lit. black honey; brown sugar syrup) in a small container.
小さな容器に入った黒蜜があります。



When you remove the kuromitsu and the plastic cover, you will find kinako.
黒蜜とプラスチックのカバーを取ると、きな粉があります。



In the kinako, you will find three pieces of mochi.
きな粉の中に、餅が3つ入ってます。




9 comments:

Ruminating Roy said...

lEven ignoring the fact that Takeda Shingen is my favorite Sengoku Jidai warlord, those are very appealing, Hiroyuki. I hope sometime soon I can get everything I need to make kuromitsu and replicate it for my own enjoyment!

Hiroyuki said...

Ruminating Roy: Kikyo Shingen Mochi is associated with Shingen only in that the manufacturer is located in Kai, present Yamanashi, where Shingen was born, but I hope you enjoy the combination of mochi made from mochiko, kinako, and kuromitsu!

Sissi said...

It looks magical! Mochi hidden in kinako... like treasures hidden in the sand.

Fräulein Trude said...

The wrapping looks so cute. A very pretty and nice souvenir. I would buy some, if I could lay my hands on it.
Is this some kind of a special mochi or is it the usual mochi made from steamed sweet glutenious rice only? It looks so dark coloured (or maybe it is a the sugar sirup.

Hiroyuki said...

Sissi: Magical?! Treasures?! The manufacturer would be pleased to hear your comment!

Kiki: It's definitely the color of the kuromitsu. I'm not sure how the mochi is made, but it tastes like usual mochi. The label simply says mochiko.

Yangsze said...

This is so cute! Although how do you sort the packaging for recycling? I heard that recycling is quite stringent in Japan now, compared to when I was a child living there.

Hiroyuki said...

YSC: All the items shown in the photos are classified as moeru gomi (combustible garbage).

Yes, stringent rules on sorting garbage, and how stringent depends on the municipality.

Anonymous said...

Where can I buy this? Ive looked everywhere online but cannot find it.

Hiroyuki said...

Here's a link to the online shopping site of the shop:
http://www.kikyoushingenmochi.com/product/3/

I don't think they can ship their products overseas, though.