fromjapanwithlove’s posterous

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34838219

This is a vintage mold called "kashigata".

Often made of sakura (cherry wood) and seasoned for about 3 years before carving, kashigata were used to make dried confectionery made of rice flour and sugar called rakugan. Earliest records show that this practice dates back to the mid-17th century. These confections were used as offerings and snacks for celebratory occasions and even unfortunate events. For example when a person died, it was expensive to give flowers or fresh food so, people made these sweets in the form of flowers, fish etc. These items were then placed on the "butsudan" (family shrine found in the house) for the dead person.

Kashigata were also used in the making of wagashi (nama-gashi or freshly made cake and hi-gashi or dried confectionery) for tea ceremonies.

Common kashigata motifs in the Edo era - chrysanthemums, plum blossoms
Meiji Era - spread of western technology - balloons, planes
World War II - national pride heightened - cherry blossoms, battleships - used as gifts for departing troops, ceremonies and commemorative occasions

With the advent of refrigeration, fresh fish replaced rakugan motifs like the sea bream. Sadly today, making offerings for fortunate and unfortunate events is no longer a common practice. This in turn has lessened rakugan demand although they are still found in tea ceremonies and homes. The decrease in kashigata artisans today has made kashigata carving a dying craft making kashigata itself a sought-after collectible.

*You can use this mold as food mold to cook. Please clean thoroughly before using.

It measures 23.5 cm long x 9.8 cm wide x 3.8 cm tall. Inside it measures 17.3 cm long x 5.8 cm wide.

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Our Etsy Stores:

Supplies- FromJapanWithLove.etsy.com
Deco Sweet Supplies- DecoSweets.etsy.com
Handmade- SouZouCreations.etsy.com
Vintage- VintageFromJapan.etsy.com
Fabric- FabricFromJapan.etsy.com

We will combine shipping if you buy from any of our stores.

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This is a vintage mold called "kashigata".

Often made of sakura (cherry wood) and seasoned for about 3 years before carving, kashigata were used to make dried confectionery made of rice flour and sugar called rakugan. Earliest records show that this practice dates back to the mid-17th century. These confections were used as offerings and snacks for celebratory occasions and even unfortunate events. For example when a person died, it was expensive to give flowers or fresh food so, people made these sweets in the form of flowers, fish etc. These items were then placed on the "butsudan" (family shrine found in the house) for the dead person.

Kashigata were also used in the making of wagashi (nama-gashi or freshly made cake and hi-gashi or dried confectionery) for tea ceremonies.

Common kashigata motifs in the Edo era - chrysanthemums, plum blossoms
Meiji Era - spread of western technology - balloons, planes
World War II - national pride heightened - cherry blossoms, battleships - used as gifts for departing troops, ceremonies and commemorative occasions

With the advent of refrigeration, fresh fish replaced rakugan motifs like the sea bream. Sadly today, making offerings for fortunate and unfortunate events is no longer a common practice. This in turn has lessened rakugan demand although they are still found in tea ceremonies and homes. The decrease in kashigata artisans today has made kashigata carving a dying craft making kashigata itself a sought-after collectible.

*You can use this mold as food mold to cook. Please clean thoroughly before using.

It measures 18 cm long x 10.5 cm wide x 3.8 cm tall. Inside it measures 12 cm long x 7.8 cm wide.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34196793

**********************************************************
Our Etsy Stores:

Supplies- FromJapanWithLove.etsy.com
Deco Sweet Supplies- DecoSweets.etsy.com
Handmade- SouZouCreations.etsy.com
Vintage- VintageFromJapan.etsy.com

We will combine shipping if you buy from any of our stores.

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This is a vintage mold called "kashigata".

In the past, when a person died, it was expensive to give flowers or fresh food so, people made sweets (these are made from soy flour, rice flour and sugar) in the form of flowers, fish etc. These items were then placed on the "butsudan" (family shrine found in the house) for the dead person. The sweets are for decoration only.

*You can use this mold as food mold to cook. Please clean thoroughly before using.

Please note: there have been numbers in both Kanji (Chinese characters) as well as numerals burned into the wood. On the front of this one the Kanji reads "189" while the number 10 is everywhere. We have no idea why but it sure adds character to it!

It measures 13.5 cm long x 7 cm wide x 3.2 cm tall.Inside it measures 10 cm long x 5.5 cm wide.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32655767

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$32.50 USD http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32312127

This is a vintage mold called "kashigata".

In the past, when a person died, it was expensive to give flowers or fresh food so, people made sweets (these are made from soy flour, rice flour and sugar) in the form of flowers, fish etc. These items were then placed on the "butsudan" (family shrine found in the house) for the dead person. The sweets are for decoration only.

*You can use this mold as food mold to cook.Please clean thoroughly before using.

It measures 18 cm long x 9 cm wide x 3.8 cm tall.Inside it measures 13 cm long x 5.9 cm wide.

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We were lucky to come across a case of these "katsuji" (Japanese typewriter "keys"). There are over 2300 of these. They are vintage but have never been used. These would have been the extras in case the ones in the machine broke. Please look at the last picture to see what an old Japanese typewriter looked like. There were at least 2000 keys so needless to say, this was only used in businesses.

They are from the "昭和" "showa period" . The "showa" period is from 1926-1989 but these are at least 30 years old as Japanese stopped using them once the word processor was invented.

This would be perfect for using as a stamp with ink or for stamping clay etc.

This stamp is the Kanji (Chinese character) for　"唇" "kuchibiru" = "lips".

It measures 2.3 cm long (long enough to be able to get a nice grip) and 5mm wide. The Chinese character itself is about 5mm wide....so please note how tiny it is. It is made of metal.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31847042

**********************************************************
Our Etsy Stores:

Supplies- FromJapanWithLove.etsy.com
Deco Sweet Supplies- DecoSweets.etsy.com
Handmade- SouZouCreations.etsy.com
Vintage- VintageFromJapan.etsy.com
Fabric- FabricFromJapan.etsy.com

We will combine shipping if you buy from any of our stores.

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We were lucky to come across a case of these "katsuji" (Japanese typewriter "keys"). There are over 2300 of these. They are vintage but have never been used. These would have been the extras in case the ones in the machine broke. Please look at the last picture to see what an old Japanese typewriter looked like. There were at least 2000 keys so needless to say, this was only used in businesses.

They are from the "昭和" "showa period" . The "showa" period is from 1926-1989 but these are at least 30 years old as Japanese stopped using them once the word processor was invented.

This would be perfect for using as a stamp with ink or for stamping clay etc.

This stamp is the Kanji (Chinese character) for　"吉" "kitchi" = "lucky".

It measures 2.3 cm long (long enough to be able to get a nice grip) and 5mm wide. The Chinese character itself is about 5mm wide....so please note how tiny it is. It is made of metal.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31798531

**********************************************************
Our Etsy Stores:

Supplies- FromJapanWithLove.etsy.com
Deco Sweet Supplies- DecoSweets.etsy.com
Handmade- SouZouCreations.etsy.com
Vintage- VintageFromJapan.etsy.com
Fabric- FabricFromJapan.etsy.com

We will combine shipping if you buy from any of our stores.

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This was an amazing find. This is from the Taishou Period which was from 1912-1926. This is called "型紙" or "katagami". This is a stencil that was used to make "kashigata" (for more information on "kashigata please see below). Apparently, these (we have around 100 to list) were found in an old Japanese sweets store in Kyoto.

This one has the kanji of 祝 卒業 "syuku sotsugyou" (Congratulation on Graduation) - image is very traditional Japanese images.

Basically, the honoree has been around the Chinese zodiac with its 12 animal years 5 times, i.e., 12 x 5 = 60.

"Kan" means cycle + "Reki" means calendar

To celebrate this special occasion, the 60-year-old person wears red clothes. The traditional garb includes a red bouffant hat (e-boshi) and a red sleeveless vest (chanchanko).

This one is made from paper-but not flimsy normal paper....this is wonderful thick Japanese paper and it is in fabulous condition even though it is at least 83 years old.

This stencil could be used but it would also be fabulous framed and hung on a wall.

This stencil measures 13.5 x 8 cm.

More information on "kashigata" (the sweets made from the molds that were made using the stencils).

In the past, when a person died, it was expensive to give flowers or fresh food so, people made sweets (these are made from soy flour, rice flour and sugar) in the form of flowers, fish etc. These items were then placed on the "butsudan" (family shrine found in the house) for the dead person.

The sweets was also used for holiday celebrations, tea ceremony etc. These are for decoration only-they are never eaten.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29844427

**********************************************************
Our Etsy Stores:

Supplies- FromJapanWithLove.etsy.com
Deco Sweet Supplies- DecoSweets.etsy.com
Handmade- SouZouCreations.etsy.com
Vintage- VintageFromJapan.etsy.com
Fabric- FabricFromJapan.etsy.com

We will combine shipping if you buy from any of our stores.

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I was very lucky to find a set of vintage but brand new (never used) doll heads. These were meant to be used to make dolls for Hina Matsuri or doll's festival but I was told that instead they were put away (maybe the doll maker retired but I'm not 100% sure about that) and therefore are in pristine condition.

This one measures about 9cm long including the stick. The details are really amazing! The head is made from porcelain. Her hair is slightly messy due to being in storage.

About Hina Matsuri
Platforms with a red hi-mōsen are used to display a set of ornamental dolls (雛人形, hina-ningyō?) representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period. The custom of displaying dolls began during the Heian period. Formerly, people believed the dolls possessed the power to contain bad spirits.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30433024

**********************************************************
Our Etsy Stores:

Supplies- FromJapanWithLove.etsy.com
Deco Sweet Supplies- DecoSweets.etsy.com
Handmade- SouZouCreations.etsy.com
Vintage- VintageFromJapan.etsy.com
Fabric- FabricFromJapan.etsy.com

We will combine shipping if you buy from any of our stores.

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