ICHISHO-DO, a famous Japanese confectionery store that has spun a 234-year history in Imabari

One of Imabari's long-established Japanese confectionery stores, ICHISHODO, is known for its "chicken-egg buns. These bite-sized buns are made of egg-based dough and filled with sweet red bean paste. The simple taste has long been loved by the people of Imabari.

The 8th generation owner puts his heart into making wagashi

ICHISHO-DO, with a store in Imabari City, is a long-established Japanese confectionery established in 1790. Now in its eighth generation, Tadatsune Kadowaki continues to take on new challenges while preserving the techniques and flavors passed down from generation to generation.

He says that the taste is "the same as before," but in fact, he has made many improvements little by little over the generations. He says, "I try not to make it obvious," and his smiling face shows that he is not afraid to evolve while preserving the tradition.

Appeal of the signature product, "Chicken-egg buns

Ichishodo's signature product is the chicken-egg bun, which has been a favorite since the company's founding. The dough is made from whole eggs, filled with red bean paste, and steamed. Before steaming, the dough is yellow, the color of the egg yolk. There are two types of buns: one is steamed and the other is steamed flat and baked on a griddle. The owner laughs, "I prefer the baked one," but both are just as delicious.

Innovative New Product Development

After graduating from a university in Hiroshima, Mr. Kadowaki studied confectionery making at a vocational school in Tokyo. While preserving tradition, he is also active in developing new products, saying, "I wanted to try various things because they are simple. His sense of fun led him to create "Choko Koto", a chocolate-coated chicken egg bun.

He came up with the idea when he and a friend were "playing Russian roulette with wasabi" in a hen egg bun. They tried coating it with chocolate so that no one would know they had put wasabi in it.

It's "chokoletou" because it's frozen and eaten as is. The perfect combination of the crispy chocolate texture and the cold red bean paste is delicious. More recently, the store has launched "R-20," a chicken and egg bun soaked in sake and frozen. It is the owner's favorite mature taste.

The owner says that more often than not, visitors returning to their hometowns pick up the "R-20" and buy it for themselves, as well as the "Choko Ito" and "R-20" as souvenirs.

Extending Shelf Life and Improving Quality

In the past, "many people used to come to the store to buy the freshly made baked goods," he says, and while he has a strong desire for freshly made baked goods, he has also been working to expand sales channels as a souvenir by selling vacuum-packed products with a shelf life of 15 days, up from four days in the past.

The company is also working to expand its sales channels for souvenirs. "Of course, freshly made products are delicious, but customers say that products packaged to last longer are just as tasty," he says confidently.

The historic Japanese confectionery store has preserved its traditions while introducing new tastes and techniques, and is passing on the same delicious taste to the future. Kadowaki says, "I want people to try it for the first time as well as for the first time in a long time. As the name suggests, the 234-year-old Ichishodo's chicken-and-egg buns are sure to bring a smile to your face once you try one.