sweets

A winter fantasy woven with nectar... Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa's "Shimobashira" - A history and taste review! [Miyagi Prefecture]

Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa's Shimobashira has become a hot topic on social media. Every year in the beginning of autumn, sales and reservations begin and before you know it, it is sold out, truly earning it the nickname "Winter Fantasy."

This time, I would like to review "Kukonoo Honpo Tamazawa's Shimobashira" which I was miraculously able to purchase, and introduce the history of "Kukonoo Honpo Tamazawa"

What is Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa from "Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa's Shimobashira"?

"Shimobashira" has been a hot topic, but have you heard of "Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa"

In fact, Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa is a long-established tea and confectionery shop in Sendai that has been in business for 348 years (as of 2023)

It is said that Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa originated in 1675, when Tamazawa Denzo came from Omi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture) to the city at the invitation of Lord Date Tsunamura, the fourth lord , and opened a shop in Kokubuncho, the the "official confectioner" for

That's right. Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa was the official confectioner of the Sendai domain

Tamazawa's signature confectionery, "Kokonoe"

As explained above, "Tamazawa" is the name of Kokonoe Honpo, and the "Kokonoe" in the name comes from the fact that in 1901, when Emperor Meiji visited Sendai, he was accompanied by the nobleman and tea master Higashikuze Michiyoshi, who presented him with a confectionery that he was currently creating. The confectionery was named "Kokonoe" after an ancient Manyo poem: "The double cherry blossoms of the ancient capital of Nara today smell fragrant in Kokonoe."

This confectionery remains one of Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa's signature sweets, and the store's trade name remains "Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa" to this day

Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa's Shimobashira

For people of Miyagi Prefecture and Sendai, when they hear "Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa," they probably think of "Kokonoe," "Yubeshi," and "Shiogama."

Another representative confectionery of Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa is Shimobashira, which was newly created by the 12th generation owner, Omi Itsuro, about 40 years ago

Shimobashira won the Honorary President's Award

It's been several years, maybe even decades since I last ate it

I remember my grandmother buying it for me when I was a child

At the time, it was so delicious that I would often try to eat it all in one go and end up hiding it, and while the design of the can is now simple and stylish, I remember it had a blue and white design that resembled a blanket of snow back then

When you put it in your mouth, it melts away, giving you the feeling of eating exquisite cotton candy

The sweetness is not cloying, and it has a refreshing and elegant finish

I'm sorry this review is so poor, but you can feel every single line on the surface of the frosted frosted cake on your tongue

By the way, the white powder inside the can is called "rakugan."

This is to prevent the delicate frosted ..

If you enjoy cooking, you might want to try making sweets using rakugan

Shimobashira is only available in winter

The production of Shimobashira begins by hand at the foot of the sacred Mt. Zao when frost pillars begin to form. The process continues from late autumn to early spring, depending on the weather, and ends with the arrival of full spring, so the number and sales period are limited

this is also why it is called a "winter illusion."

In normal years, online reservations and in-store pick-up begin around mid- to late September, with shipping and in-store pickup beginning around late October

If you're lucky, you may be able to purchase it in-store, but if you want to be sure to get it, we strongly recommend inquiring via the website or in-store

Recently, prices of "Shimobashira" have skyrocketed on resale and auction sites

As the Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa website warns, "we cannot determine the authenticity of this product or guarantee the quality of the sweets."

Please be sure to use our official online store or store when purchasing

"Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa" sales store

Fujisaki store [direct store]3-2-17 Ichibancho, Aoba-ku, Sendai City (Fujisaki Department Store Main Building, 1st basement floor)TEL. 022-261-5111 (ext. 2047)
S-PAL store [direct store]1-1-1 Chuo, Aoba-ku, Sendai (JR Sendai Station, basement floor 1)TEL. 022-267-4035
Katsura store [Sales store]1-12-1 Katsura, Izumi-ku, Sendai City (Green Mart Katsura store, 1st floor)TEL. 022-371-3611

Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa <Information>

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@neft_tohoku I tried Sendai's rarest sweet, "Shimobashira" from Kokonoe Honpo Tamazawa, for the first time. It's crispy and delicious. It's produced in limited quantities from October to April, and can also be purchased online! #Sendai #Sweets #Shimobashira ♬ Coketime – Official Sound Studio

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