Umore-gi

A representative confectionary of a very long-established shop in Hikone.

I bought “Umore-gi”, a famous confectionary from “Itoshige-kaho” in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture. Itoshige Kaho is a very long-established confectioner with a history dating back to 1809. Its representative confectionary, “Umore-gi” is named after “Umoregi-no-ya” where “Ii Naosuke“, a feudal lord of the Omi Hikone Domain and a feudal lord of the Edo period, spent his young days.

Out of the two-piece box package came a small manju wrapped in Japanese paper like a furoshiki (wrapping cloth).

Mochi manju appears covered in a light green powder, which looks like matcha sugar powder.

Powdered sugar made by adding matcha (powdered green tea) to the highest quality sugar, wasanbon sugar, and sprinkling it on top.

The white bean paste made from hand-glutinous soybeans is wrapped in gyuhi, and the color from light green to deep yellow on the outside is very beautiful.

It is delicately soft and can be easily halved with a toothpick. Matcha green tea and Wasanbon powdered sugar create a depth of sweetness. It was indeed the quality of a representative confection of a very long-established confectionery.