#20 和菓子を通じての国際交流

2014.10.03 学 - Learning

和菓子を通じての国際交流

仙台は茶道が盛んな場所。　お茶席の和菓子も抹茶と共によく知られています。　今回、仙台の留学生たちと一緒に和菓子作りを見る機会がありました。

仙台在住の女性和菓子作家豆一こと幾世橋陽子さんと留学生寮「アーバンキャステール川内」さんのご協力で和菓子の実演がなされることになりました。

豆一さんは日本の伝統文化を継ぐ若者が少ないことを知り、１７歳の時に京都の老舗「老松」に巻物の手紙で、修行を願い出たそうです。後に仙台に戻り和菓子の素晴らしさを教室やイベントを通じ多くの人々に伝えています。

「とてもいい機会でした」豆一さんは実演の後語られました。　和菓子を味わうときは五感を使うと説明し、三つの種類のお菓子を作って見せました。

三人の留学生が豆一さんの指導の下、もみじ作りに挑戦。餡を生地で包むのに苦労していましたがご覧のとおりの見事な出来栄えです。

豆一さんも彼らの歓声に感激し、お互いに刺激を受けたようです。抹茶を頂いてのゆったりしたひと時。　よいお点前でした。

~East meets West~ through Japanese cakes

Sendai is famous for many tea ceremony events. So tea time cakes, “wagashi”, Japanese confection is popular with “maccha”, whipped green tea.

It’s great chance to see the process of making wagashi with exchange students in Sendai.

A female wagashi artisan, “Mameichi” (the real name is Yoko Kiyohashi) living in Sendai demonstrated wagashi making at “Urban Castale Kawauchi”, a dorm where lots of foreign students stay.

Mameichi has been worried about few young people taking over Japanese tradition like wagashi or Nishijin-ori, Kyoto’s kimono fabric. She wrote a letter to Kyoto’s famous wagashi maker, “Oimatsu”, to ask being an apprentice when she was 17 years old. After five year training, she came back to Sendai and holds unique wagashi events.

“It was a great opportunity to show how to make wagashi.” she said after the workshop with the students. She explained the feeling when Japanese taste the cakes, and said, “Use our five senses when we have it. Look, hear, feel the texture, smell and taste.”

She demonstrated making three kinds of bean cake, “Momiji (maple leaf)”, “Celebration cake” and “Jack-‘o’ lantern”. Three students tried to make “Momiji” under Mameichi’s instruction. They struggled with covering the dough over “anko” filling first. At last they made beautiful cakes! Mameichi was moved by their works, they seemed to be inspired each other. Having maccha after tasting wagashi, they had so relaxed moments. “Yoi otemae deshita”. (We had a great tea, thank you.)

（記事　麿律子さん）

仙台在住の女性和菓子作家豆一こと幾世橋陽子さん

豆一さんによる、外国人との和菓子作りの講座へお邪魔しました。