A Heritage of Skills from Old Edo

Various skills inherited from the Edo period (1603—1868) still exist in modern-day Tokyo. This article presents a young chef and an artisan who bring a breath of fresh air to their respective fields while keeping traditions alive.

Photos: Matsumura Takahiro

A tempura chef who preserves the taste loved by the Edo common folk

A dish with three types of tempura: shrimp, kisu (Japanese whiting), and kakiage. Kakiage is made by batter-dipping and deep-frying a mixture of ingredients, such as small-sized shrimp, squid, and clams.

Suzuki was only 15 when he began his apprenticeship at Sansada.

Established in 1837 in Tokyo’s old downtown area of Asakusa, Sansada is Japan’s oldest tempura restaurant. Tempura is a traditional Japanese dish of seafood and vegetables that are coated in batter made of flour, eggs, and water, and then deep fried. Usually served with a light dipping sauce made from aromatic dashi broth, soy sauce, etc., tempura is enjoyed for its crispy and crunchy texture.

“The Edo-style tempura boasts a thick and solid batter coating,” explains Sansada manager and chef Suzuki Shun. The signature tempura offered by the restaurant is filling, just like the common people of Edo preferred it. The humidity and temperature affect how the tempura fries up, so the ratio of ingredients in the batter is not fixed. It is up to the chef’s skills to prepare a batter with the thickness that best matches the conditions of that day.

In addition to preserving the ancient traditional flavors, Suzuki also aspires to develop tempura that uses new ingredients, such as bitter gourd and avocado. The ability to uphold traditions while remaining open to innovation is one of the reasons why Sansada is still a beloved dining spot after all these years.

A candy craft artisan who delivers beautiful performances

Amezaiku craft candy boasting a rich variety of motifs—from realistic items like a crane, tiger, or rabbit, to fantasy items like a transparent Pegasus.

Kato polishes her skills at Amezaiku Yoshihara, Japan’s first specialized shop for candy sculptures.

Historic records point to the peddlers who sold candy on the streets of old Edo (present-day Tokyo) as the predecessors of Japanese candy craft artisans. Starting with a small dollop of soft candy, this elaborate formative art continues to fascinate many people to this day. The main ingredient, mizuame (literally, “water candy”) is a sweetener that has been used in Japan since ancient times. Although it is transparent, when melted at high temperatures and kneaded while blowing air into the mix, mizuame turns milky-white and obtains a silky luster.

According to Kato Maiko, the sculpted candy is indeed very beautiful, but the true charm of this art form is that it is a performance for people to watch and enjoy. The melted candy cools and hardens in approximately three minutes. In this short time, the artisan uses scissors and her fingertips to pull, twist and clip the material into form at a dizzying speed. Once the candy hardens, it cannot be re-shaped, so the artisan cannot stop to consider processes. Efficient movements executed at an expert speed are the true skills necessary for this craft.

Kato is also willing to take some modern and ingenuous approaches to candy sculpture creation by incorporating vibrant pop-style designs and improving recipes. Through her work, these traditional Japanese sweets will continue to evolve.