Buzz
If you've ever used the phrase 'too beautiful to eat,' get ready for amezaiku, the Japanese tradition of creating intricate sugar sculptures. Unlike traditional sculpture, amezaiku is not carved from a block of material. Instead, artists use their hands, tweezers, and scissors to mold molten rice malt (mizuame) into lifelike animal figures. With only a few minutes before the mizuame cools and hardens, artisans carefully shape the candy on a stick, adding colorful edible dyes to complete the stunning designs. The result is a candy creation like no other.
Amezaiku traces its origins to the Heian period (794 to 1185 CE), when people would offer hardened sugar sculptures at temples. By the Edo period (1603 to 1868), these sugary treats gained popularity as traveling street vendors entertained crowds with their candymaking, storytelling, and music. While songs and poems praised the craft, they didn’t provide enough detail to pass on the full technique to future generations.
Despite the challenges, dedicated artisans have kept the tradition alive. In Tokyo's Asakusa district, 31-year-old Shinri Tezuka crafts stunning candy sculptures of creatures like goldfish, koi, frogs, and octopuses—each piece as delicate and transparent as glass. He also invites novices to try their hand at the craft, guiding them to create simpler forms, such as a rabbit, during his public workshops.
Tezuka began learning the art over ten years ago, at the age of 20. 'At that point, the craft had almost vanished, and there was no place to learn it. It was on the brink of disappearing,' he tells Mytour. 'It felt like such a loss—it had such a rich history, was incredibly beautiful, and had been cherished for so long. I felt a deep responsibility to preserve this tradition.'
Tezuka taught himself the skill of amezaiku by studying literature, old videos of artisans, and practicing repeatedly. 'The ability to move my hands with precision is key, but the ability to observe and accurately capture the shape of an object is even more crucial,' he says. 'Anyone could create a decent piece if given an entire day, but you only have five minutes to make amezaiku. That's what makes it so challenging.'
Today, it's estimated that only around 100 practitioners of amezaiku remain in Japan. These artisans, known as takumi, are highly respected within Japanese society. 'Although 'candy making' might seem like an insignificant profession, it's a serious art, practiced by skilled artisans,' says Elizabeth Andoh, a Japanese food historian and cookbook author, to Mytour. 'Building a community around craftsmanship is a long-standing tradition in Japan and has been practiced for millennia.'
