Abstract

"For whom, and for what purpose, are you really making these sweets?"
Winner of the 4th Kyoto Literary Prize — Excellence Award in the General Division and Readers’ Choice Award(Original title: Ichika).

After graduating from university, Yuji, the protagonist, has no particular dreams or goals and spends his days aimlessly. One day, by chance, he steps into the traditional confectionery shop Rakuchu Kanshoan and notices a sign that reads “Wanted: Confectionery Artisan.” This leads him to begin training at a famous wagashi shop in Kyoto’s Shimabara district. He learns that in one year, the successor to the shop will be decided.
Yuji faces clashes with the master craftsman—an old-fashioned, stubborn yet highly skilled artisan—rivalries with other apprentices, and encounters with local townspeople and coworkers. Through these challenges and connections, he grows as a confectioner. But eventually, changes in the master’s health force Yuji to confront his own resolve as an artisan, and the story unfolds as a portrait of the determination required to be a wagashi craftsman, as well as the bonds between those who pass down traditions and those who inherit them.

Author’s Information

Born in 1971 in Yao City, Osaka Prefecture. Currently resides in Rittō City, Shiga Prefecture. Graduate of Ritsumeikan University, Faculty of Economics. Works at a special nursing home for the elderly in Kyoto City. In 2021, self-published the novel Kaigo Lion (The Caregiving Lion).