Awa Wasanbon (Fine Japanese Sugar)
Awa Wasanbon (Hand-Refined Sugar and Dry Confections of Tokushima)
Awa Wasanbon refers to wasanbon (fine Japanese sugar) made in Tokushima Prefecture and the higashi (dry confections) made with it. Wasanbon is a sugar refined by traditional handwork from chikuto (a native sugarcane variety), a slender type of sugarcane. First, sugarcane juice is boiled down, then cooled and solidified into 'shiroshita-to.' This then goes through repeated rounds of togi (kneading and polishing the sugar with water), in which a little water at a time is added and the sugar is kneaded by hand, and of pressing under weights to drain off the molasses. Its grains are very fine, it melts away the moment it enters the mouth, and it has a gentle sweetness. Wasanbon is also made in Kagawa Prefecture as 'Sanuki Wasanbon,' and it is a specialty of both prefectures. In Tokushima Prefecture, there are sugar mills in places such as Kamiita Town in Itano District. Since the Edo period it has been prized as an ingredient for high-end wagashi (Japanese confections), and today dry confections such as rakugan made solely from wasanbon remain popular souvenirs of Tokushima.
Origin
Wasanbon making in Awa is said to have begun with Gyokusen (later known as Maruyama Tokuya), a yamabushi (mountain ascetic) from Hikino Village in Itano District. Gyokusen is said to have heard about sugarcane from a henro (pilgrim), traveled to Nobeoka in Hyuga Province (present-day Miyazaki Prefecture) in 1776 (An'ei 5), and brought seedlings back hidden in a bamboo staff. He continued to study sugar making in Nobeoka afterward and is said to have produced sanbon sugar around 1798 (Kansei 10). However, no clear records remain.
History
The Tokushima domain encouraged sugarcane cultivation, and sugar making in Awa is said to have reached its peak during the roughly 30 years from the Tenpo era to the Bunkyu era. Research has argued, based on historical documents, that a method almost the same as today's had been established by around 1801 (Kyowa 1). After World War II, cheap refined sugar became widely available and production dropped sharply. Even so, sugar mills in places such as Kamiita Town continue to preserve the handmade method.
Features
The raw material, chikuto, is harvested from December to early February, when its sugar content rises, and is squeezed and boiled down while still fresh. A small amount of water is added to the cooled and solidified shiroshita-to, which is kneaded by hand, wrapped in hemp cloth and weighted down with a tool called an 'oshifune' to drain off the dark molasses. It is said that the more this process is repeated, the whiter the sugar becomes; it is then dried for about a week to finish. Because the molasses is removed by hand, the flavor of the sugarcane remains.
Main Ingredients
Food Culture
Thanks to its refined sweetness and smooth way of melting in the mouth, wasanbon has been used since the Edo period as an ingredient for high-end wagashi. Dry confections made by pressing wasanbon into molds are enjoyed by letting them dissolve in the mouth rather than chewing them. They are also popular as a sweet to accompany tea and as a souvenir of Tokushima.
Famous Shops
岡田製糖所
徳島県板野郡上板町泉谷字原中筋12-1
A sugar mill at the foot of the Asan Mountains, near the border between Tokushima and Kagawa prefectures. It harvests locally grown chikuto in winter and makes Awa Wasanbon (fine Japanese sugar) by traditional handwork. It is described as spending five days on the work, doing togi on the shiroshita-to by hand and pressing it under weights at night to drain the molasses, once each per day. It also makes dry confections such as rakugan using only wasanbon.
服部製糖所 直営店 わんさんぼん
徳島県阿波市吉野町西条字東姥御前271-2
The directly managed shop of Hattori Seitosho (Hattori Sugar Mill) in Awa City. The mill does everything by hand, from growing chikuto to refining the sugar, and the shop sells its own wasanbon. Visitors can also try making dry confections with wasanbon; a 2019 article listed the experience as taking about one hour and costing 2,000 yen.
| Wasanbon Assortment (岡田製糖所) | An assortment combining wasanbon from Okada Seitosho with dry confections made solely from wasanbon and other items. Options include a nine-bag set with three bags each of powdered wasanbon, dry confections and arare-to, and it has been chosen as a return gift for furusato nozei (hometown tax donations) to Kamiita Town. |
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FAQ
Q. What does 'sanbon' in wasanbon mean?
A. The name is said to come from the process of polishing (togi) the sugar on a tray (bon). It is said that it came to be called 'sanbon' ('three trays') because the sugar was once polished about three times on a tray. However, today's sugar mills may repeat the togi and molasses draining five or more times, so the number is not limited to three.
Q. What is the difference between Awa Wasanbon and Sanuki Wasanbon?
A. Both are made by repeatedly polishing shiroshita-to and draining off the molasses. Differences in the number of steps and in the methods change how much molasses is removed, which is said to create differences in whiteness and flavor. Historically, Awa wasanbon was distributed nationwide as a commercial product, whereas Sanuki wasanbon was mainly delivered to the Takamatsu domain.