Traditional Japanese Chestnut Sweets Production Starts at Shop in Gifu Prefecture

Confectioners make kurikinton, or mashed chestnut sweets, at Kawakamiya Co., an established wagashi traditional Japanese sweets shop in Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture. The city claims to be the birthplace of the popular autumnal sweets, and various shops there make their own versions, each with a distinct taste and texture. At Kawakamiya, which started making this year’s kurikinton on Monday, chestnuts are steamed, mashed and cooked with sugar. Then confectioners wrap lumps of it in chakin tea cloths to give them rounded shapes, twisting the tops for a finishing touch. The shop produces the confections with a simple, sweet aroma, until late December, making up to 30,000 pieces per day at the busiest time. “I was concerned about the extremely hot weather this summer, but the chestnuts we’ve harvested are very good,” said the president of the shop.