Wasanbon

Wasanbon (和三盆) is a fine, hand-crafted sugar developed in Sanuki, in what’s now Shikoku, during the Edo period. Hiraga Gennai, a retainer of the Sanuki domain better known as a polymath inventor and scholar, learned sugar production methods from Satsuma domain and adapted them to Sanuki’s own climate. Its production involves togi, hand-kneading crushed raw sugar with water on a work surface, then pressing it in a wooden box called an oshibune to squeeze out molasses; repeating this three to five times produces sugar with unusually fine, quickly dissolving particles. Wasanbon remains the premium choice for high-end wagashi today, prized for a subtle sweetness and more pronounced umami than ordinary refined sugar.