nanaco plus's commitment
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"Inheriting Japan's four seasons and traditional techniques in a new way through ideas and imagination"
The origin of nanaco plus+ is that in 2004, we recreated the ``tea ceremony confectionery'' from a long-established Japanese confectionery shop in Kyoto and turned it into an accessory.
The Japanese confectionery accessories, which recreate the delicate carvings and traditional shapes that have been passed down through generations, were a new idea and received a great response.
Candy is one of the dried sweets. When I first tried to reproduce it, it lacked realism.
Therefore, in 2005, we came up with the idea of coating real candy with resin, and began a process of trial and error together with the production factory.
Finally, parts that could express the delicate patterns and loveliness of the candy were born, and we acquired the intellectual property rights.
Now, we are collaborating with handmade candy shops across Japan to spread traditional techniques and craftsmanship in a new form by coating various old-fashioned temari and kumiame.
Due to problems with successors, the number of handmade candy shops in Japan is decreasing year by year.
We continue to create products containing real candy every day, with the hope that more young people will learn about Japanese handmade candy, and that they will be able to wear it and connect with those who eat it.
Lastly, let's talk about the origin of Nanaco Plus' company name.
At our company, we have reproduced ``tea ceremony sweets'', and since the fabric of ``Fukusa'' used in tea ceremonies is made from a supple and soft Nako weave, and since it is ``Nana'' from Lucky 7, we have created a ``Fukusa'' fabric with a supple idea. The company name and brand name ``Nanaco Plus'' was born with the desire to expand the business in a positive way.
About nanaco plus+ － perfection －
nanaco plus+ delivers from Kyoto products crafted with perfection, based on the concept of “inheriting the beauty of Japan's four seasons and traditional craftsmanship to create something new with innovation and creativity.”
nanaco plus+ began in 2004, when we recreated the higashi dried sweets of Kyoto's old sweets shops and turned them into accessories. Accessories in the shape of Japanese sweets, which faithfully recreated the delicacy of the carving and the traditional shapes that have been passed down in an unbroken line for generations, were a new idea that resonated with our customers. Because these sweets are served at tea ceremonies, we were reminded of the fukusa, the small silk cloth used in the ceremony, which has a basket weave known as nanako- ori. Inspired by this soft, pliant and flexible cloth, we took this word, nanako, which is also reminiscent of the Japanese word nana, or “lucky 7,” and, adding the “plus” to symbolize our desire to extend ourselves in a positive way with flexible ideas, the company name and brand, nanaco plus+, was born.
Ame, or hard candy, is one such dried sweet. The first time we tried to recreate ame, they did not look very realistic. So, in 2005, we had the idea of coating real candies with a resin coating, and together with the production plant, we took up the challenge. After repeated trial and error, we finally came up with accessory parts that were able to express the delicate patterns and pretty designs of traditional ame. We have succeeded in obtaining intellectual property rights to this product.
Today, we have partnered with hand-made Japanese candy shops all over the country, coating temariame (small round candies with multi-colored stripes) and kumiame (cylindrical candy made so that the same image shows wherever the cylinder is cut), and sending out these traditional designs and craftsmanship into the world in a new form.
Japan's traditional hand-made candy shops are dwindling in number every year, as many of them have no successors to take over the business. We wanted young people to know more about Japan's hand-made candies and, when they wear them as accessories, link them back to the actual edible candies. It is from this desire that we continue to make our products containing real ame candies.
The foundation of Nanako Plus' manufacturing is the "commitment to manufacturing traditional Japanese sweets."
We continue to inherit traditional Japanese sweets in new forms and work hard to create heart-pounding products.
At the heart of nanaco plus+'s monozukuri lies the drive for perfection in the production of Japan's traditional wagashi sweets. Inheriting these traditional wagashi in a new form, we too are working hard to make exciting things
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Wasanbon
This sugar is made using traditional Japanese methods and has a light egg color.
Sugarcane juice is boiled down and squeezed to extract honey.
Repeated kneading creates fine crystalline sugar.
This is a dried confectionery made by putting this sugar into a wooden mold and pressing it down.
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Rakugan
A type of Japanese sweets. It is made by adding sugar, starch syrup, etc. to powdered grains such as non-glutinous rice, glutinous rice, barley, soybeans, and millet.
A dried confectionery that is stuffed into a mold, pressed to harden, and then removed from the mold and dried.
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Kohakutou
Agar and sugar are boiled down, cooled and solidified.
It is so named because it looks like gemstone amber.
A semi-fresh confectionery that is between fresh confectionery and dried confectionery. Dried nishikidama is also one of these.
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Konpeitou
One of the sweets that was introduced to Japan from Portugal during the Warring States period over 430 years ago.
It is said that the beautiful shape and color of this sweet made it an eye-catcher.
The origin of the word comes from the Portuguese word ``confeito,'' which means sweets.
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Kumiame
Combine several blocks of candy and stretch them while hot.
Amezaiku is a piece of candy that has been cut into sections. It is also called "Kintaro candy."
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Ariheitou
A sweet made by adding starch syrup to sugar and boiling it down.
They are colored and shaped into flowers and other shapes and used as celebratory sweets and dried sweets for tea ceremonies.
Its original form is said to be a sugar confectionery called ``alfeloa,'' which was brought over from Portugal during the Nanban trade.
*Photos are for reference only.