The only problem we have with these gorgeous candies is that they might just be a bit too pretty to eat.
Amezaiku is a form of traditional candy making that dates back centuries, but in order to master it, you have to work quickly, taking pieces of rapidly cooling candy syrup and using special tools to cut, twist, and tweak it into a variety of shapes. These kinds of candies are often eaten during festivals and on holidays, but there are almost no practitioners of the craft in Tokyo. Shinri Tezuka is one of them. This self-taught artisan isn’t just satisfied with following in the footsteps of candy makers of yore: he’s clearly taking his techniques to another level.
You can check out a video of Tezuka in action, put together by Great Big Story below:
If you’re in the Tokyo area, you can visit his studio in Asakusa to take part in workshops, and if you’d like to buy some of these delectable works of art, drop by the Ame-Shin shop at Tokyo Sky Tree’s Solamachi. You can check out their website here: www.ame-shin.com/en/.
