Kyogashi Exhibition 2026: Notification of Selection

✨ 【Report on being selected for the Kyoto Confectionery Exhibition 2026】 My work, "Sōketsu", has been selected for the Kyoto Confectionery Exhibition 2026 - Kan'ei Imperial Visit Emaki. ✨Kyoto Confectionery Exhibition 2026✨ The Kyoto Confectionery Exhibition has been held since 2013. I am truly delighted to have finally been able to apply, a long-held wish, now that I live in Japan, and to have been given the extremely honourable opportunity of being selected. This year, 13 works were chosen in the design category and 37 in the practical tea ceremony confectionery category, out of 660 entries. ✨ I feel that this selection is thanks to the many teachers who have guided me in wagashi making, and to everyone who has always warmly watched over and supported me. I am deeply grateful for every lesson and connection I have received. ⸻ ≪Practical Tea Ceremony Confectionery Category≫ Confectionery Name: "Sōketsu" 【Work Concept】 The "Kan'ei Imperial Visit", 400 years ago, was a significant first step towards reconciliation between the Imperial Court and the Shogunate after a period of war. It represents the beautiful Japanese culture and customs that have been passed down to the present day, where the Imperial Family and the Shogunate, transcending time, resonated with culture and art, creating a breath of fresh air. I created this work with a feeling of gratitude to our ancestors who passed down this culture over 400 long years, and with the desire to continue this sentiment for another 100, 200 years. The purple of the nerikiri represents Emperor Go-Mizunoo, and the young green represents the Tokugawa Shogunate. Gold and silver leaf were added to the colour boundaries to express the lavish and splendid Kan'ei Imperial Visit of the time, and the design was conceived with attention to the "beauty of empty space". In particular, the "bokashi technique" (gradation) of nerikiri was used to convey the idea of "the Imperial Family and the Shogunate resonating with culture and art across time".