Manyou-no-Umezono

The deep red plum blossoms show the tradition and skill of Japanese confectionery.

“Manyou-no-Umezono” made by “Hikami Kogetsudo,” a long-established Japanese confectionery store in Toyama Prefecture since 1919, is a daifuku (a type of rice cake) with a whole plum blossom wrapped inside. 

The name of the confectionery, named after Japan’s oldest waka poem anthology “Manyōshū” (The Anthology of Myriad Leaves), gives a strong impression that it was born in Takaoka, Etchu-Toyama.

The outer Gyuhi rice cake is thick enough to hold the plum inside, but very soft and delicate enough to lose its shape when lifted.

When split it in half, I found a deep red plum fruit. The deep red plum fruit is symbolic and seems to accentuate the quality of this confectionary.

The plums are fresh and juicy. The white bean paste made from white beans and plums boiled in honey creates a very deep sweetness, which mixes with the gyuhi to create an exquisite taste. It is a gem made with the tradition of Echu’s famous confections and Hikami Kagetsudo’s Japanese confectionery making techniques.