[Choose Your Own] 5-Box Set

The perfect companion for a blissful adult moment.

Enjoy it not only with Japanese or black tea, but also paired with your favorite specialty coffee during work or house-work breaks, or perhaps with wine, brandy, whiskey, or other spirits during a special evening moment. It is also recommended as a topping for yogurt or ice cream. Because of its simple flavor, you can find your own unique way to enjoy it.

Furthermore, this is a treat that can be shared and enjoyed with everyone, including those with major allergies or dietary restrictions such as vegetarians.

*Some products may contain ingredients equivalent to specified raw materials. Click here for details.

SHUKA is a simple, sophisticated confection made only from seeds and sugar. The packaging, which embodies this world view, avoids excessive decoration and is composed only of the logo and colors representing each seed. As "candying" is an ancient food preservation technique, the fact that it can be stored at room temperature without any modern preservatives is another reason we recommend it as a gift or souvenir.

Seeds and sugar only

SHUKA is made using the ancient food preservation technique of "candying." The only ingredients used are seeds and sugar. We use absolutely no modern preservatives, artificial colorings, or bleaching agents.

Retaining just the right amount of the seeds' natural texture.

First, we simmer the ingredients to allow them to absorb moisture. In traditional Japanese confectionery, it is common to simmer them as softly as possible to ensure they melt in the mouth; however, at SHUKA, we use a unique, extensively researched process to preserve not only the original shape and color of the seeds but also a pleasant texture, resulting in an "al dente" mouthfeel.

Slowly soaked for three days

Next, we make a syrup and soak the ingredients in it. Due to the physical phenomenon known as osmosis, the moisture inside the ingredients is replaced by the sugar in the syrup, allowing the sugar to gradually seep in. This process stops when the sugar content inside the ingredients balances out with the sugar content of the syrup outside.

By applying this principle, we repeat the process of increasing the syrup's sugar content and soaking the ingredients to ensure the sugar penetrates deep inside. This process takes about three days.

Wasanbon, a sugar unique to Japan

Finally, to make it easier to eat and improve shelf life, it is left overnight to dry the surface. At this stage, we use Wasanbon, a sugar unique to Japan. This is a product handed down since the Edo period, made from the domestic sugarcane variety "Chikuto."

Sprinkling it moderately promotes surface drying while imbuing the treat with the gentle flavor of the sugar. Our artisans carefully adjust the amount sprinkled based on the day’s temperature and humidity to achieve the perfect balance.

In this way, it takes about four days from initial preparation for a single SHUKA to be completed.

SHUKA uses only seeds and sugar. Therefore, we carefully select each individual ingredient, using only those of value to be passed on to future generations. Specifically, we make our judgments based on the following three criteria:

1. We know the producers personally
2. There is respect for nature
3. A passion for quality

From "The one thing I don't want to be is an amanatto maker" to
"I'm the only one who can do this"

I was born the eldest son of "Torokuya," a Kyoto-based family business specializing in "amanatto" (candied beans). The shop was founded in 1926 by my great-grandmother, Sueno Kondo.

However, I grew up determined never to become an amanatto maker. When I was in junior high school, I was teased for my family's business, with classmates calling sweetened beans "gross." As a sensitive teenager, I began to feel embarrassed about the shop and started hiding what my family did for a living.

The value of amanatto. A newfound sense of mission.

After graduating, I worked for two years at a long-established major confectionery shop, where I gained exposure to many different Japanese and Western sweets before joining the family business at age 26. My first impression of amanatto was, "How old-fashioned." It felt particularly lackluster compared to Western confectionery, with its heavy coating of sugar and plain, generic packaging.

Taking Amanatto to the world

To ensure this continues as a culture, we need to change this image and, in particular, pass it on to the younger generation. I wondered how best to achieve that, and vaguely thought, "If it gains recognition abroad, perhaps that would make an impact." And so, I decided to exhibit at the biennial Slow Food world event held in Italy. Slow Food is a grassroots movement that originated in Italy with the goal of preserving and passing on rich local food cultures. With local foods gathered from all over the world, amanatto was a perfect fit.

Build a brand that resonates globally.

So, I consulted with Mr. Masashichi Nakagawa, Chairman of Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten, who is renowned for his work in business revitalization and branding for traditional crafts. He listened to everything—the history of amanatto, our current situation, and my own vision.

As we proceeded with the consulting sessions, the vague uncertainties I had been feeling were distilled into a clear concept: "Lending a hand to nature's bounty." Furthermore, inspired by Chairman Nakagawa’s remark, "If you break down amanatto, it's just beans and sugar; fundamentally, it’s 'seeds' and 'sugar,'" we arrived at the brand name "SHUKA," which succinctly expresses this essence.