Dig Japan vol.2 “Daifuku (大福)”

Daifuku is wagashi that a piece of mochi typically filled with anko (azuki bean paste). It is so common in daily life of Japanese people that we can find not only at wagashi shops, but also at supermarkets and convenience stores. How did it became so popular?

A wagashi confectioner in Kagurazaka, Isuzu's mame daifuku (Photography by 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐨)

The history of daifuku is long, and it is said to have originated from “Uzura mochi,” which was made in the late Muromachi period (around 1492-1569), and was named after its shape, which resembles a quail (uzura)'s egg. At the time, sugar was a luxury item that common people could not easily afford, so shioan (anko flavored with salt) was used.

It was also called ”Harabuto mochi” because it gave a feeling of fullness. This became popular, and it is said that people started to mix ingredients such as beans and mugwort into the mochi to enjoy the flavor.

The prototype of modern-day daifuku was created in the late Edo period. According to the “Horeki genraishu,” in 1771, a widow named Otama who lived in Koishikawa, Edo, developed and began selling “Otafuku mochi,” a small mochi filled with sweet bean paste. She used sugar instead of salt in the bean paste, and made it smaller than the traditional uzura mochi.

Ten years later, Otama renamed it “Daifuku mochi” to bring good luck, and people began to crave it as it was believed that eating it would bring good fortune.

A wagashi confectioner in Toranomon, Okanoeisen's daifuku (Photography by 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐨)

During the Kansei era, hot daifuku baked by peddlers became like today's fast food and gained popularity. Modern daifuku are often wrapped in gyuhi (a type of mochi made from glutinous rice or glutinous rice flour mixed with sugar or starch syrup) to keep from hardening, but back then, mochi that would harden over time was used, so it was baked soft before eating.

Daifuku eventually spread all over Japan, and many different flavors were created. However, sugar was still expensive, so salt-flavored daifuku became popular during the Meiji and Taisho eras. According to Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, “Shio anbin,” a type of mochi filled with anko flavored with salt instead of sugar that originated in the mid-Edo period, is still eaten today in northern and eastern Saitama Prefecture.

This article was written by 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐨, working as a freelance translator and press for overseas apparel brands in Japan, with the purpose of broadening her insight into the Japanese traditional culture.