japanese antique kashigata, chinese cabbage sweet mold

Love japanese Style Like We Do

This listing is for an antique kashigata, or Japanese sweet mold. Kashigata were used to make a dry sugary sweet called ‘higashi’. These sweets were eaten at joyous occasions and celebrations, at tea ceremonies and other special events.

This mold features a carving of hakusai or Chinese cabbage. As seasonality was often a concern in the Japanese confectionery tradition, this image would have been a lovely inference to the winter season, when this vegetable is enjoyed in japanese nabe (hot pots).

This small size kashigata is made from mountain cherry wood and comes intact with it’s cover. It is carved in nice detail. It is in good condition for it ‘s age with no warping of the wood. There is a crack in the cover on the right middle side, from the cut-out to the edge of the block.

The kashigata has been stained and waxed, ready for decorative use. It can be hung on a wall, laid flat, or can be stood upright. Various patterns and sizes of kashigata look fantastic clustered together, hanging on a wall, or arranged on a bookshelf.

A great piece of Japanese rustic mingei that is becoming increasingly difficult to find.

- measures 15 cm (5.9”) x 8 cm (3.1”) x 4 cm (1.5”).
- weighs 270 gm.

(listing for chinese cabbage kashigata only)

(If you are purchasing more than one kashigata please message us prior to purchase for a possible combined shipping discount. We cannot discount after purchase).

SHIPPING INFORMATION
- please read our shipping policy.
- we use recycle packaging wherever possible and wrap for safety, rather than appearance!

ABOUT OUR VINTAGE, ANTIQUE AND OTHER ITEMS.
We list pieces we feel are worthy of display. There may be scratches, dents, fading and signs of wear and tear. We try to explain the condition of each item exactly, but may miss something.

Information regarding the item and it’s age is obtained from dealers and our personal research. We do our best to give you the correct information but please be aware that we cannot guarantee this information.

Please message us prior to purchase with any questions you may have about our products.

JAPANESE SWEET MOLDS
The craft traditions of the people of old Japan, or mingei, are some of the most beautiful works of art, even though they were originally intended for everyday use. The techniques used for these crafts were developed and handed down through many family generations. The traditional craft of making kashigata goes back over 300 years.

Kashigata molds are carved from wood and the most commonly used woods include yamazakura (mountain cherry,) katsura (Japanese judas) icho (ginko,) tsubaki (camellia,) and keyaki (zelkova.) The mold making process begins with preparing or seasoning this wood, which is cured for three years before carving to prevent cracking and warping.

An extremely wide variety of images was produced during the Edo (1600-1868) and Meiji (1868-1912) eras. Lucky motifs such as cranes, tortoises, pine and lobster symbolized long life; while others such as plum and bamboo represented the qualities of perseverance and resilience. The Sea Bream fish, “tai,” was used for any celebratory occasion due to the play on words; ‘omedetai,’ meaning congratulations and felicitations. Sweets in the shape of these symbols were used to celebrate joyous occasions like weddings, births and New Year.

Other examples had a seasonal reference; cherry blossoms in spring, chrysanthemums in winter, mushrooms in fall, peaches in summer. Sweets from these molds were eaten at the tea ceremony and other seasonal events like the hina matsuri.

In the late Meiji, Taisho (1912-1926,) and early Showa (1926-1989) periods, examples of Japanese imperialism were also portrayed in kashigata, including war slogans and military designs. In other cases, simple geometric patterns were utilized in kashigata.

Throughout their history, Japanese kashigata have been produced in a tremendous range of imagery, symbolism, and design, instilling the spirit of the carver and the mystery of natural and supernatural symbolism, into the artistic tradition of handmade Japanese sweets.

Like many century old Japanese specialty craft traditions, kashigata carving is a fading art. The demand for traditional higashi sweets has decreased and kashigata are rapidly disappearing objects of times past. As they are becoming harder to find, they have become quite collectable. They are each one-of-a-kind hand carvings. 


HIGASHI
Japanese dry sweets called Higashi are made from soy flour and a special Japanese sugar called wasanbon. The dough is pressed into the kashigata mold and when the dough has dried, the sweet, in the form of the positive image of the mould, comes out easily.

MINGEI
Mingei are the tools and utensils that were used daily by the common people in Japan. They were inexpensive, simple and functional. Usually produced by hand, in large quantities, their artists were anonymous. They became representative of the local area where they were produced.

The word Mingei combines “min” meaning common people and “gei” meaning art - the art of the common people. It was coined by the Japanese philosopher Sōetsu Yanagi. He found beauty in ordinary crafts for daily use and argued that true beauty could be found only in the objects made by unknown people, in a spirit of selfless innocence and in close harmony with nature.