Dig Japan vol.12 “Uiro (ういろう)”

Uiro (ういろう, 外郎) is wagashi that is typically made by kneading grain flour such as rice flour with sugar and hot water, pouring it into a mold, and steaming it in a steamer basket. The flours used include non-glutinous or glutinous rice flour, wheat flour, and bracken powder, and the sugar used include white sugar and brown sugar. Various ingredients are often added, such as azuki bean paste and matcha. It is thought that its original form is “Kokuto Uiro (黒糖ういろう),” which uses brown sugar and has been around since the Muromachi period.

A wagashi confectioner, Torayauiro's Matcha-uiro (Photography by 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐨)

Regarding the origin of uiro, there are two theories: one is that the color (black) resembles that of “Uiroyaku (外郎薬)” which is why it became a confectionery called uiro, and the other is that it originated from a confectionery served to get rid of the taste of Uiroyaku. Uiroyaku, also known as “Tochinko (透頂香)” is a pill that became a specialty of Odawara, Kanagawa after the Uiro family dedicated it to Ujitsuna Hojo. It is mainly used for gastrointestinal diseases, but it is also effective in cutting phlegm and eliminating bad breath, and is said to have been used as an emergency medicine for soldiers on the battlefield. 

As for the former theory, a reference to uiro as a confectionery can be found in “Wakan Sansai Zue (和漢三才図会)” which is Ryoan Terajima's massive Edo-period dictionary published in 1712. The latter theory is that it originated from the sweets that Chen Sokei's son, Soki, served with as a palate cleanser of Uiroyaku. When the Yuan dynasty fell, Sokei, a doctor and a beyond capacity officer of Yuan dynasty, defected to Japan and lived in Hakata. He became naturalized in Japan during the Muromachi period, and his descendants adopted the family name Uiro. Sokei was a multi-talented man, especially knowledgeable about prescription, so Yoshimitsu Ashikaga asked him to move to Kyoto, but he did not respond and entered into the priesthood in Fukuoka. Later, Soki moved to live in Kyoto, and from then on the family practiced medicine for generations and became known as the Uiro family and produced medicines including Tochinko.

Torayauiro's Matcha-uiro (Photography by 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐨)

From the above, the birthplace of uiro in Japan is unknown if the first theory is adopted, and if the second one is adopted, it is either Hakata where Sokei, the first generation of the Uiro family lived, or Kyoto where Soki lived. Furthermore, at Myoraku-ji Temple (妙楽寺) in Fukuoka City where Sokei lived, a stone monument was erected in 1987, marking the place where uiro was inherited.

The uiro recipe spread throughout Japan during the Edo period, and it was being produced and sold, and it is still a specialty in various regions today. Ingredients and producing methods vary widely depending on the product and region, resulting in a variety of tastes, textures, and appearances. Currently, uiro is treated as a synonym for Nagoya's famous confectionery, but the one from Odawara City, Kyoto City, and Yamaguchi City are also relatively well-known. Uiro sold at wagashi confectioners is usually sold as a box similar to yokan. At ordinary wagashi shops and supermarkets, we can often see uiro in triangular packs. Besides, there is jonamagashi (上生菓子) which is filled with bean paste wrapped in uiro, and chimaki made with uiro. In Kyoto, there is a custom of eating “Minazuki (水無月)” which is a triangular-shaped wagashi with Dainagon azuki beans placed on a white uiro, during the summer purification ceremony in June.

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.