Miharu-koma

Chewy dough manju in the shape of local toys

“Miharu-koma” is a Castella manju made by Kannoya, a long-established Japanese confectioner in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, which is famous for manufacturing “Yubeshi“.

“Miharu-koma” is a local toy made of colored wooden horses. The black pieces are made as a good luck charm for children, safe delivery, and child rearing, and the white pieces are made as a good luck charm for old age and longevity.

This Castella manju imitates the shape of such a Miharu-koma, but is quite faithfully and elaborately molded.

The dough is chewy when you break it open. It is filled with a lightly textured sweet red bean paste, and is similar to “Ningyoyaki” (doll-shaped pancake).

The dough seems to be made of glutinous rice flour and is chewy and transparent. It is good to give a Miharu-koma figurine as a souvenir, but giving this “Miharu-koma” of sponge cake buns is also a gift with good luck, so I recommend it.