Tokyo - A tiny pair of Japanese-style scissors clips briskly into a five-centimetre-long candy that has been softened by heat. In just moments, it is transformed into a goldfish so realistic it practically looks alive.
Stepping into the Asakusa Amezaiku Ameshin candy craft studio in Tokyo, one immediately smells the sweet aroma of sugar throughout the room, where candy creations of lions, rabbits and frogs are on display.
Known as “amezaiku” in Japanese, this craft has been popular in Japan since the Edo period (1603-1867). Shinri Tezuka, 26, used to be a pyrotechnician but began teaching himself how to make amezaiku six years ago because he “wanted to create something exciting.” In September 2013, he opened Asakusa Amezaiku Ameshin, a combination shop and studio.
The temperature of the candy is about 90 C when it is shaped. First, a rough shape is made with the scissors and stretched by hand. Further cuts are then made to create the details by deftly adjusting the strength of clipping.
The material quickly gets hard, and craftsmen need to shape it with as few clips as possible.
“Candy is not really a good material for shaping. That's why it's fun to work with,” Tezuka said. Shaping is the core work of this crystalline craft art.
The studio holds workshops to help many people discover the charms of amezaiku. “The candy was hot and hard to work with. I want to display it for a while and then eat it,” said Manaka Kobayashi, 7, from Nishi-Tokyo, Tokyo, as she held a rabbit-shaped candy that she had made.
The shop opened a branch on July 31 at Tokyo Solamachi, a commercial complex built next to Tokyo Skytree.
“By opening our store in a place that many people visit from inside and outside Japan, I hope more people will learn the merits of monozukuri [craftsmanship],” Tezuka said.
Tezuka is currently teaching five students, while also creating his own pieces.
“I want to be embarrassed today by what I created yesterday - that's how I want to approach my work with amezaiku,” he said.
Keita Iijima, The Japan News/Yomiuri