Sales of replicas of wooden molds of Japanese confectionery WA! GACHI(R)" started ～A new business to protect Japanese traditional crafts that are being lost

Han Chan Corporate, LLC, a Japanese confectionery wooden pattern databasing service provider, will launch a new business in July 2024 to sell replicas of Japanese confectionery wooden patterns, "WA! GACHI(R)" and has now opened its website.

Official website: https://wa-gachi.com

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■Background of Business Launch

Wooden molds for wagashi are confectionery tools indispensable for making wagashi. In the Edo period (1603-1867), wooden molds for wagashi were widely used for making such items as rakugan (wild geese). In recent years, there has been a shortage of successors to the craftsmen who make wooden forms for wagashi, and it is said that there are only about 5 or 6 full-time craftsmen in Japan.

In order to protect the traditional crafts that are being lost, Han Chan Corporate, LLC, which provides a service to convert wooden patterns of wagashi into data using 3D scanning, will launch a new business, "Wa! GACHI(R)". GACHI(R)" will produce and sell replicas of Japanese confectionery wooden molds to order.

You can use the replicas of wagashi wooden molds as interior art to remind you of Japanese traditions in various places such as the entrance of restaurants and hotels, and in your living room at home.

Chrysanthemum

■ "Wa! GACHI(R)" wagashi wooden pattern replica features

(1)Reproduction of traditional wagashi wooden pattern

GACHI(R) uses 3D scanned data to reproduce the wooden form of wagashi actually used in wagashi stores. The detailed shape of the elaborately made wooden form of a wagashi confectionery is generated. The marks on the body of the wooden form that match the lid, which remind us of the tradition of Japanese confectionery stores, are reproduced as much as possible, and any warping that needs to be corrected as a tool is corrected at the data creation stage.

(2)Natural wood is used as the material

Wagashi wood mold replicas are made of natural wood such as Japanese mizume (Cryptomeria japonica D. D.), North American black cherry, and birch cherry.

(3) A wide variety of wooden shapes for Japanese confectionery with lucky charms such as pine, bamboo, plum, sea bream, and chrysanthemum

We have prepared a wide variety of replicas of wagashi wooden forms, such as pine, bamboo, plum, and sea bream, which are necessary when making wagashi for gifts, and plan to increase the variety by partnering with more wagashi stores in the future. This product, which evokes a sense of Japanese culture, can be used in the interior of stores with many inbound foreign customers.

Charm and History of Wagashi Wooden Molds

(1)Wagashi wooden molds are confectionery tools used to make dried confections, etc.

Wooden molds for Japanese confectioneries have been used for making dried or fresh confectioneries. They are also widely used for making kinpiragane, kompeito, nerikiri, manju, and other confections. Wagashi wooden forms are also artistic handicrafts that are made with the delicate skills of wood carving craftsmen.

(2) History of Wagashi Wooden Molds

There is a record that the original wooden form of wagashi was made during the Heian period (794-1185). During the Edo period (1603-1867), wooden patterns for wagashi were developed in a wide range of variations, including wooden patterns for sea breams. In the Bunsei period (late Edo period), many well-shaped and well-balanced wooden forms of wagashi appeared, and after the Meiji period, various wooden forms of wagashi such as sea bream, turtle, seasonal flowers and plants, etc. were produced.

(3)Wagashi was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013

In 2013, Japanese food, including wagashi, was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Han Chan Corporate LLC will work to preserve and distribute the wagashi wooden molds that have supported traditional Japanese wagashi to convey their appeal both domestically and internationally.

■Business Outline

Business name: Wa! GACHI(R) WA!

Business start date : July 2024

URL : https://wa-gachi.com/

Company Profile

Company name: Han Chan Corporate LLC

Representative: Yoshiyuki Hanbayashi

Location: 3F MBP, Makuhari Techno Garden CB Building, 1-3 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba

Establishment ： October 2022

Business : Sales of replica wooden molds of Japanese confectionery [Wa! Kachi(R)] operation

　　　　　 Data conversion service of wooden molds of Japanese confectionery [Wa! Hachiho(R)", a service to convert wooden molds of Japanese confectionery into data.