"Kusamakura (Sleeping Outdoors On Grass)"
Long ago, when common people went on outdoor journeys They used braided grass as makeshift pillows.These makeshift pillows came to be known as "grass pillows". I had not heard of this expression but it reminded me of the severeness and lonliness of experience of that era and how people lived their lives.

(Katsuji Wakisaka, the textile designer)

 

 

皐月のテキスタイルデザインは「草枕」。
昔、野宿をする時に、草を束ねて作った枕の形を模してお菓子にしました。
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The concept for June's textile design is "Sleeping Outdoors On Grass".
Long ago, to sleep outside people would use grass bundles as makeshift pillows, and our wagashi is based on that pillow shape.

吉野葛にヨモギを練りこんで作った生地を笹の葉で巻いて蒸し上げた、香り良い
お菓子です。中には、きなこ餡とつぶ餡の2種類のあんこが入っています。
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Yoshino kuzu (arrow root starch) has been kneaded into a mugwort root based dough a which has then been steamed inside of a bamboo leaf, turning sweet and aromatic.
On the inside there are two types of anko (red bean paste) filling. One is flavored with kinako (toasted soybean flour) and the other is a chunky sugared red bean paste.

京菓子老舗長久堂とのコラボレート。1年の移ろいをポップなテキスタイルデザインで表現し、和菓子に落とし込みました。
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We collaborated with famous Kyoto patisserie Choukyudou.
Our pop vibrant textile design reflect changes in the seasons and these are also expressed in our wagashi.

平成21年『PHPスペシャル』に毎月連載していた、『SOU・SOUだより』。
移ろい行く四季の和花を和菓子で表現しました。
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SOU・SOU's textile designer Katsuji Wakisaka has been publishing new textile design on monthly magazine, "PHP Special". The seasonal changes are expressed in our wagashi.

京菓子老舗『亀屋良長』さんとのコラボレート。
日本の歳時記を表現したテキスタイルに合わせて和菓子を製作しました。
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We collaborated with The noted Kyoto patisserie Kameya Yoshinaga.
Together we created wagashi that emphasize Japanese seasonal changes as well as our graphic textile prints.

華道家元池坊直営・日本華道社出版『四季の花手帖』で発表した12ヶ月の花を和菓子にしました。お菓子の製作は、京菓子の老舗『亀屋良長』さん。
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SOU・SOU designed a new flower design corresponding to each month of the year in "Flower Notes For the Four Seasons', the booklet published by Nihon Kadou Sha, operated by Ikenobo*.

Ikenobo*
Ikenobo is the original school that produced ikebana (traditional Japanese Buddhist floral design) as a unique artform in Japan
over five centuries ago and continue to spread awareness and knowledge of the ikebana tradition worldwide.