The current state of confectionery wooden molds | Interview with wooden mold maker SEN

Wooden confectionery molds are essential for making Wasanbon.

Carefully hand-carved using traditional techniques and design, these pieces combine practicality, beauty, and playfulness.

In recent years, wooden molds have become more resinous and the process has become more mechanized, so the number of craftsmen who make wooden molds using traditional methods has decreased significantly.

However, it is also true that even today, people who are fascinated by the excitement that can only be experienced through handcrafting are embarking on the path to wooden mold making.

About SEN

SEN, the wooden mold maker that HIYORI commissions to make wooden molds, is one of this new generation of creators.

She is always true to herself and is free to act. We spoke to her about her journey so far and her future plans.

--The Japanese sweets I always ate were made using something like this! The world of wooden molds expanded inside me, and I thought, "I want to try making them." --

SEN spoke with a shy smile.

She was originally a kindergarten teacher, and in 2017 she came across wooden confectionery molds at an exhibition she happened to visit.

I was so shocked by the gorgeousness of it all that I couldn't help but write a letter to a craftsman who was featured in the video in the exhibition, asking him to teach me how to carve wooden molds. After a while, I received a reply saying, "Would you like to try carving one?"

From then on, I visited the craftsmen's workshops once a month and held practice sessions on wooden molds for about two years.

He was a craftsman who taught me his techniques in a flexible manner, going beyond the traditional relationship of apprentice and master.

Thanks to his warm and generous heart, new doors for cultural preservation have begun to open little by little.

When SEN was finally able to stand on his own, the question that remained was how to cut the wood.

Wood cutting is the first step in making wooden molds. It involves selecting a part of a large mountain cherry tree suitable for the wooden mold and cutting it into small pieces.

----I have a family, so I can't do everything by myself. I can't afford the big machines needed to cut wood, but I still wanted to find a way to continue making wooden molds.

SEN then consulted with a young craftsman he had known for a long time and decided to entrust the work of cutting the wood to him.

I want to find a method that suits me best and create wooden molds that I feel are truly good.

SEN 's wish has been realized thanks to the support of the connections between creators, and continues to this day.

About the Seagulls

HIYORI's Kamome Sanbon is a harmony of Teshima Lemon and Sanuki Wasanbon.

The wooden mold of a flapping seagull was carved by SEN.

In order to create a crisp texture not previously available in Wasanbon, we wanted to make the higashi as thin as possible!

We told SEN about HIYORI's idea and asked him to make a wooden mold with as shallow a carving as possible.

---I thought it was interesting. HIYORI's idea of ​​making something that had never been done before. So, I guess the difficulty came after that.

If the wooden mold is carved too shallowly, it won't come out well, and even if you manage to carve it out, the dried sweets will break when you pack them into bags. Also, carving shallowly while still creating the wavy look of a flying seagull's wings was difficult.

I talked with HIYORI many times and made some fine adjustments while creating it.

The mainstream method of making wooden molds is to carve deeply into the wood to create a pattern.

In order to maintain the shallow carvings while also achieving a suitable balance between strength and dynamism within the Wasanbon, it was necessary to go through a process of rethinking the image of what a wooden confectionery mold should be.

Kamome Sambong is carefully crafted to perfection, and its deliciousness can only be found here!

Achieving this new challenge together with SEN, a creator from the next generation, was a great accomplishment for HIYORI.

When making any type of wasanbon or wooden mold, there is a lot to learn from the craftsmen of the past.

--Old wooden molds are very free and dynamic. Like crabs that look like they might start moving at any moment...

Traditional things are made with a sense of playfulness and vitality. And yet they are easy to use.

A solid technique and tasteful style that can only be honed through continued, diligent work.

We would like to continue creating our own products while cherishing the beauty of traditional crafts that inspire us through the ages.

 

Currently, in addition to making HIYORI wooden molds, SEN also takes orders via social media.

There are a variety of customers, including people who make dried confectionery, people who run tea classes, and people who simply love wooden molds and want to display them... and the wooden molds that are ordered are also varied.

He carefully considers each wooden mold and finishes it in his own unique style.

In his spare time, SEN is busy making wooden molds for his own use.

---Eventually, I'd like to carve wooden molds that make people think, "Wow, that's cute," and then sell the wasanbon and ramune drinks I make using them.

There are still not many people who pick up wooden molds for sweets. I thought that if I made a familiar sweet like Ramune using a wooden mold, more people would become interested in wooden molds.

We are also planning a "Confectionery Wooden Mold Experience Workshop" for children where they can use their own wooden molds!

--I'm happy if some kids think "Wooden molds are interesting!" during the experience related to confectionery molds, and it's also good if they think "Wasanbon is delicious!" so I'm not really thinking about what to emphasize.

It's okay for each child to think about what resonates with them and change it in their own way, but there has to be some kind of connection. I think it would be a shame if the culture of making kashikigata were to disappear completely.

It's important to try it yourself and feel it. That's how SEN himself got started on the path of wooden mold making.

The more "startups" there are, the more exciting it becomes. I hope that HIYORI's Wasanbon can be a "startup" for someone!