Wagashi (和菓子, wa-gashi) is traditional Japanese confectionery, typically made using plant-based ingredients and with an emphasis on seasonality.

[1][2][3] During the Edo period, a type of wagashi called nerikiri (練り切り) were made by kneading white bean paste, gyūhi, sugar, yams, and other ingredients, and formed into various colors and shapes based on seasonal flowers, animals, nature, events, customs, and other themes.

[2] The word wagashi was coined at the end of 1800s to distinguish Japanese confectionery from sweets, cakes and baked goods introduced from the West termed yōgashi (洋菓子).

For example, although the original kasutera (castella) was introduced from Portugal, it has been around for more than 400 years and has been modified to suit Japanese tastes, so it is classified as a wagashi.

[1] During the Nara period (710–794), a food called karakudamono (唐菓子, Chinese confections) was brought to Japan from the Tang dynasty.

This food consisted mostly of powdered kneaded rice, wheat, soybeans, and azuki beans, seasoned with sweet miso paste, and fried in oil as the main ingredient.

It was prized as a ritual food in various forms, but later fell into disuse in Japan and is now used as an offering to the Buddha in modern Buddhism.

[2][3] Sugar was introduced to Japan around 750, but it was not until 850 years later, around the Edo period, that sugar-based wagashi began to be widely produced.

[3] The first beautifully crafted confections were created in the Heian period (794–1185) and are mentioned in The Tale of Genji under the names tsubakimochi (椿餅) and aosashi (青差).

[1] Tsubakimochi was originally a confection that was not fried in oil, which was unusual among karakudamono, but it was later changed to suit the tastes of the Japanese people.

Later, the sweetener made from the juice of boiled vine grass was replaced by sugar, and the rice cake was filled with red bean paste.

The history book Sōgo ōzōshi (宗五大草紙) clearly describes manjū as a dish eaten with chopsticks along with soup and pickles.

In the Muromachi period (1336–1573), Shokunin utaai ehon (職人歌合画本) depicted sweet manjū made with sugar.

The Japanese tea ceremony was used as a secret meeting place for daimyō (大名, feudal lords) and as a salon for the upper class.

[1][3] From the Keicho (1596–1615) to the Kan'ei era (1624–1644), classical Japanese literature and seasonal elegance began to be incorporated into wagashi brand names.

The design of nerikiri (練り切り), a beautiful fresh confection with various shapes and colors that characterizes wagashi, was created and developed in Kyoto during this period and spread to all parts of Japan.

In the Kan'ei era (1624–1644), peddlers began selling a variety of wagashi to the general public in addition to ame.

[19] In 2014, a wagashi shop in Yamanashi Prefecture created a mizu shingen mochi (水信玄餅, Raindrop cake) from kanten (agar) and water.