Ajari Mochi

Ajari Mochi is a semi-moist confection made by wrapping a chunky sweet red bean paste (tsubuan) of Tanba Dainagon azuki beans in a dough of glutinous rice flour, egg, and sugar, and baking it on a griddle. The chewy dough, its fragrant golden-brown surface, and the mild sweetness of the tsubuan combine in a balance that has made it a beloved staple of Kyoto souvenirs. Both the name and the distinctive shape, with its raised center, are said to derive from the ajiro-gasa (woven bamboo hat) worn by "ajari" — Buddhist monks who complete the thousand-day circumambulation practice (sennichi kaiho-gyo) on Mt. Hiei. Since the long-established Kyoto confectionery Mangetsu created it in the Taisho era, it has remained the shop's signature product for over a hundred years, and in recent times other confectioners have begun making similar sweets, making it one of Kyoto's representative wagashi.