Choseiden Morihachi Japan's Three Great Confections Kanazawa Wagashi-na Sukuchai 011 2025.06.01

Wagashi-na Sukuchai011 Ishikawa > Kanazawa

Choseiden Morihachi Japan's Three Great Confections Kanazawa

With this 'Choseiden', I have completed the set of Japan's three great confections. (≧∇≦)

Just to be sure, I will write it again: Japan's three great confections areFuryudo's 'Yamakawa' (Matsue, Shimane) from the previous articleandYamatoya's 'Koshino-yuki' (Nagaoka, Niigata) from the article before that.that.

With this, I have conquered the three great confections of Japan that have continued since the Edo period. Moreover, I did a taste test of all three at the same time, and I spent this weekend feeling not just a little, but quite proud of myself.

The ninth photo is an image of the 'Three Great Confections of Japan assembled'. Please take a good look.

Furthermore, just because I've conquered them doesn't mean anyone will give me a prize or award me anything. It's just self-satisfaction. I don't have a mirror so I can't see it, but I'm sure I have a smug look on my face right now.

I will omit the detailed explanation of the sweets here as it is written on the official Kanazawa Morihachi website and in books, and will limit this to my own impressions.

When I put it in my mouth, it melted away instantly. It created a moment of elegant sweetness in my mouth, and then vanished as fleetingly as if nothing had been there at all. Just like 'Koshino-yuki'.

The sensation of it vanishing instantly is likely due to the Wasanbon sugar, just like in'Koshino-yuki'.

When comparing the three great confections, the previous 'Yamakawa' was the only one that didn't have that sensation of melting away in the mouth, perhaps due to the 'sugar (domestically produced)'. It was a confection meant to be chewed and eaten like typical rakugan.

'Koshinoyuki' and this 'Choseiden' were both the crumbly, powdery type made with wasanbon that melts away instantly.

The box of 12 'Choseiden' shown in the photo cost 1,080 yen including tax. I obtained it at the Shinjuku Keio Department Store MB floor. Ignoring the packaging cost and calculating based on the confection alone, it's 90 yen per piece. Whether or not you can find satisfaction in that fleeting 90-yen experience depends on the personality of the person eating it. I ate the white and red ones one after another, so that's 180 yen. Well, such calculations don't really matter.

The red color is safflower pigment, which is the same pigment as the light red in the previous 'Yamakawa'.

This 'Choseiden' also uses wasanbon, just like 'Koshinoyuki'.

It must be the safflower specialty from the upper reaches of the Mogami River in Yamagata Prefecture. Doesn't it remind you of the Kitamaebune ships?

Now, which one would I like to buy and keep eating from time to time?

In my case, I've decided on 'Koshinoyuki'. I really liked 'Koshinoyuki'. It has a fresh texture that I can't even call my favorite rakugan, or perhaps it even surpasses rakugan; for me, it's a new type of pressed confection, and the satisfaction level of a single piece is extremely high.

'Koshinoyuki' is something I will likely continue to buy whenever I remember it. It's also fortunate that I can get it at the Niigata Station building near where I live.

This 'Choseiden' is also a type that melts away fleetingly like 'Koshinoyuki', and compared to the visually plain 'Koshinoyuki', the magnificent character mold and vivid pink color of 'Choseiden' make me feel elegant just by looking at them.

However, for the purpose of eating, they are thin and small, so even if you were served a white and a red one at a tea ceremony, I'm sure it would feel like a sparkler that ends as soon as the fireball drops. Well, this is just the impression of a glutton like me, so please forgive my blunt opinion.

The previous 'Yamakawa' had a texture closer to typical rakugan. At 1,058 yen including tax, it's a solid, substantial block that is very filling. The coloring also has an auspicious feel, like red and white manju.

If that's the case, one might say that regular rakugan is enough. In this day and age, technology has improved, and if you don't insist on a brand, it's an era where you can choose from a wide variety of inexpensive and delicious rakugan.

For reference, I am posting a photo of cherry blossom-shaped rakugan with bean paste filling that I bought locally during the cherry blossom season in Yamagata. It cost 540 yen including tax and contains 8 of these substantial rakugan of the size shown in the photo, making it very filling. By the way, if you look closely, even though I bought it in Yamagata, the manufacturer is in Koto Ward, Tokyo. Oh well... I'm also concerned that the coloring is a synthetic chemical substance. (The last 10th photo)

Also, the grinning bear that is always in the photos is about 7.5cm tall, so please use it as a reference for size.

The above is my selection criteria for when I eat them myself, but the situation is different when serving guests.

I think 'Choseiden' looks the most solemn, magnificent, and easy to understand. Moreover, since it is 'one of Japan's three great confections', whether it melts away in the guest's mouth in an instant or not, as the host, I can feel smug in my heart and impress the guest with a bit of a backstory.

(The end)

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