Hikichigiri is a traditional premium wagashi (jonamagashi) made in Kyoto around the time of the Hinamatsuri (Doll's Festival). Dough such as mugwort mochi is stretched into a ladle-like shape, finished with an edge that looks as though it has been torn off, and topped with sweet bean paste or kinton (sweetened mashed bean paste) in the central hollow. Said to derive from a court ritual confection, it has long been cherished in Kyoto as a special sweet displayed alongside the Hinamatsuri dolls. The name is said to come from an anecdote in which, being too busy to properly round the mochi, someone simply tore it apart; and because its distinctive shape resembles an akoya pearl oyster, it is also said to carry a wish to protect and nurture a child's growth like a pearl. Its roots are traced to "itadaki-mochi," a rice cake used in court rituals for childbirth and the ceremony of the maternity sash, and many versions are colored green by mixing mugwort into the dough.
Origin
The roots of hikichigiri are said to trace back to "itadaki-mochi," a flat rice cake topped with bean paste that was prepared for court rituals marking childbirth and the ceremony of the maternity sash. Because it was a rice cake celebrating a child's growth, it came to be given as a gift to celebrate the birth of a girl, and it is said to have eventually developed into a confection made for the Hinamatsuri.
History
The name is said to originate from a time at the Imperial court when there was not enough staff, and the mochi that should have been rounded by hand was instead simply torn apart. What was originally called "hicchigiri" is said to have shifted to "hichigiri," with the current written form (引千切) becoming established. In Kyoto, it is still carried on today as a standard premium wagashi displayed at the front of Japanese confectionery shops around the time of the Hinamatsuri.
Features
Its most distinctive feature is the unique shape, with the edge of the dough — stretched into a ladle form — looking as though it has been torn off; it is finished by topping the central hollow with bean paste or kinton. Because the shape resembles an akoya pearl oyster, it is also said to express a wish to protect and raise a girl as preciously as a pearl. Many versions are colored green by mixing mugwort into the dough.
Famous Shops
京菓子司 末富
京都市下京区松原通室町東入玉津島町295
A long-established shop founded in 1893 (Meiji 26). Makes hikichigiri around the time of the Hinamatsuri.
View details →かぎ甚
京都市東山区大和大路通四条下る小松町140
A confectionery in Gion. Offers hikichigiri made with Bicchu white bean paste and jo-yo (yam-based) bean paste.
View details →FAQ
Q. How is "引千切" read?
A. It is read "hichigiri." It was once also called "hicchigiri," and the reading is said to have shifted over time into its current form.