Dig Japan vol.16 “Mitsumame (みつまめ) and Anmitsu (あんみつ)”

Dig Japan is a series in which I research and introduce in English topics related to traditional Japanese culture that interest me. In this article, I will introduce mitsumame and anmitsu. Mitsumame is wagashi made of cubes of agar, boiled red beans, shiratama dango, and various fruits served in a bowl, while anmitsu is mitsumame topped with azuki bean paste. Both are sold all year round, but are especially known as summer staples, and are even considered summer seasonal words.

Mitsumame

Mihashi's mitsumame (Photography via Mihashi)

Let's start by looking at the history of mitsumame, the origin of anmitsu. The first shop in Japan to serve mitsumame was Funawa, a famous imoyokan shop that is still open in Asakusa today. During the Meiji period, Funawa was experimenting to find a way to make sweets that would please adults, and came up with the idea of ​​mitsumame.

The style of serving small cubes of agar jelly, pieces of pineapple, apricots, mikan, and gyuhi on a modern silver bowl, pouring syrup on top and eating it with a silver spoon was innovative for the time. Beer halls were popular at the time, so Funawa opened an elaborately decorated, high-end coffee shop called the “Mitsumame Hall,” and served mitsumame there.

Anmitsu

Wakamatsu's anmitsu (Photography via Wakamatsu)

That is the origin of mitsumame, but how did anmitsu come about? Its origin is said to lie in Wakamatsu, a sweet shop that is still open in Ginza today. Wakamatsu was founded in 1891, when Mori Hanjiro, who originally sold Japanese sweets in Ueno, opened a shiruko shop in Ginza.

Anmitsu was developed by the second-generation owner of the shop, who in 1930 wondered if there was a food that could make the shop's proud bean paste, and came up with the idea of ​​combining it with mitsumame. Wakamatsu still serves it as the original.

It quickly became a big hit and is now available all over Japan. In addition to this shop, anmitsu in Kyoto, Kamakura, Asakusa, and Ueno are also famous. There is also “Sumo anmitsu,” a souvenir from watching sumo wrestling. Both mitsumame and anmitsu come in a variety of varieties today, including those topped with shiratama dango, ice cream, or whipped cream.

This article was written by 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐨, working as a freelance translator and PR for overseas apparel brands in Japan, with the aim of broadening her own knowledge of traditional Japanese culture and spreading it to the world.