Kanazawa City and surrounding areas

Five kinds of unbaked sweets

Ishikawa Prefecture is a place where the culture of eating rice cakes has taken root since ancient times. For example, "nenne dango" is a traditional Japanese snack in Noto. Nenne" means "baby," and this local dish was given to mothers after childbirth to help them produce good milk. Dumplings in two colors, red and white, are used as garnish for sushi or miso soup, and are also eaten as desserts such as zenzai (sweet red bean soup). Beko mochi," which is said to have come from Hokkaido to the Ogi area of Noto, is eaten on Dragon Boat Festival and spring festivals.
Other rice cake dishes such as "aburi-mochi," "hippari-mochi," "tobitsuki-mochi," and "tochimochi" are eaten throughout the year in various parts of the prefecture.
In Kanazawa City, which has a history as a castle town of the Kaga Domain, "Goshiki Nama Gashi" is eaten. It is said that in 1601, when Princess Tamahime, the daughter of the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, married Maeda Toshinari, Kaga's official confectioner, Kashida Yoshizo, presented the sweets to her. Kashida was particularly particular about the container and dedicated it in a five-layered confectionery vessel.
There are various theories about the five types of fresh confections in the containers, but each of them represents all things in the universe. The white round rice cake with red rice flour sprinkled on half of the rice cake represents the "sun," the white round bun represents the "moon," the round rice cake sprinkled with yellow rice cake represents the "mountain," the diamond-shaped rice cake filled with sweet bean paste represents the "sea," and the steamed Yokan represents the "village. This completes the "sun, moon, mountains, oceans, and villages," a representation of heaven, earth, and nature.

Because of its origin, "five-color fresh confections" spread as celebratory confections at weddings. By the Meiji period (1868-1912), it had taken root among the general public. It is customary to fill a confectionary container with five pieces of each type, for a total of 20 pieces of fresh confections. Steamed baskets containing five layers of confectionery containers were placed in front of family gates and distributed after the ceremony. Nowadays, it is rare to receive 20 pieces of confectionery as a celebratory gift, but it is possible to receive and eat 5 to 10 pieces of confectionery.

Take the fresh sweets out of the bowl and eat them as they are. The rice cakes and manju stuffed in the containers are colorfully decorated, and are given out as a sign of return for celebrations.

Since the mid-Showa period, the opportunities to eat it have been decreasing. The culture of displaying steaming baskets in front of the gate is also disappearing. Nevertheless, they are still sold year-round at local wagashi stores and are often seen at wedding ceremonies.
It is a unique Japanese confectionery unique to the area, and while some locals fondly seek it out, it is also sold as a souvenir to tourists.