Wagashi are beautifully hand-crafted Japanese confections that can be made using a special set of tools. These Wagashi tools are also unique items that are gorgeous to own, and you can use them to create your own works of sugary sweet art. These tools can help you to create intricate shapes and delicate sweets through using moulds, shaping tools, and more, in order for you to make your own Japanese Wagashi at home.
Here, we will go through some types of Wagashi that can be found around Japan, and tools you can buy so that you can make them yourself.
Table of Contents
Tools to Make Monaka Wafer Shell Wagashi
A popular type of Wagashi, monaka wafer shells are usually filled with an adzuki bean jam or paste, which is a common filling for many Japanese sweets and desserts. The wafers are made of mocha, and the two crisp wafers encase the sweet red bean filling.
Usually, monaka wafer shells are pink in colour but can come in an assortment of other colours, including green and natural colour or rice, which is what mocha is made out of. These lovely little sweets are usually served alongside ice cream, fruit and many other sweet accompaniments.
How to make monaka wafer shells
Easy to make, these Wagashi sweets require little tools to be assembled. All you need to do is fill these mocha shells with the filling of your choice – you can also fill with sesame seed paste, chestnuts, and other sweet fillings – and place the other shell on top.
The monaka wafer outer shells that are sold here, come in three different colours, including the traditional pink. They are made right in Japan, so you know that they are authentic and will create fantastic Wagashi confectionery without the need for any specialised tools.
This seller also lists many other Wagashi tools on their page, including moulds, wooden tools and ready-made cookies, to make it easier to enjoy traditional Japanese Wagashi confectionery at home.
Options for monaka wafer shells
You can see here on this page the different ways in which a monaka wafer shell can be presented, as you can use either both the outer mochi shells or only one to create an open top sweet. Delicate and sweet, these Wagashi will melt in your mouth.
Japanese Wagashi Wood Tools
A more specialised Wagashi tool, this wood-based tool is used for carving and shaping traditional Wagashi sweets. With a light touch, you can create intricate and delicate designs on your sweet desserts.
Impress your guests by using wooden Wagashi carving tools to create very special confectionery at home. You can use this to create amazing gifts for all your friends and family.
You can also use these tools for making bread and other sweet desserts that need a more dedicated tool. Use a wooden Wagashi tool for pushing fillings into sweets, and for more detailed work. Get yours here!
How to use these tools
This Wagashi tool is used for attaching decorations to Wagashi sweets, as well as creating details. At one end, the tool has a circular shape to securely attach fine details and decorations to the sweets. On the other end, the tool is triangular, with an indentation that can be used to create straight lines and cuts, as well as attaching other types of decorations that can’t be attached using the other end.
Additionally, the wood that this tool is made from is sourced from the cherry trees that are dotted all across Japan. And, to help with the delicate work for the sweets, the tool is very thin for precise application.
Other options
This Wagashi tool comes from the same Etsy shop as the last tools we mentioned, and everything is handmade and manufactured right in Japan, so is totally authentic. Very affordable, and with international shipping, the products that they sell are perfect for if you want to get into making Wagashi sweets.
Japanese Wagashi tools for fondant
In this kit, there are many tools that can be used for Wagashi sweets that use fondant as the basis for their recipes. It includes modelling pastry tools, plastic knives, spatulas, and more. It will cover many of the tools that you need to be able to mould delicate Wagashi sweets at home.
There are 9 different tools in this kit, and all can be made for creating traditional Japanese candies. They are made of resin which is heat resistant to temperatures of up to 80⁰C and can cope with temperatures below freezing. Get yours here on Amazon!
Different types of fondant shapes
Fondant needs specialised tools in order to be moulded into various shapes. Popular shapes in Wagashi sweets include flowers, avant-garde shapes, and minimalist features that mimic Japanese culture and countryside.
Add as many or as little decorations as you want, traditional Japanese sweets can be both simple and completely decorated. Flowers such as cherry blossoms and narcissus flowers adorn Wagashi sweets, and these tools can be used to create these fine details for a sumptuous confection that can be enjoyed alongside a cup of hot green tea.
Other options
This Etsy seller also has tools such as strainers, specialised Wagashi scissors, moulds, and even cookbooks to help guide you on your way to creating amazing Wagashi sweets. With hundreds of reviews that recommend this seller, and products at affordable prices, it’s no wonder they’re so popular.
I definitely recommend that you explore their page if you want to learn more about Wagashi sweets and the tools that you need in order to make them.
Japanese handmade Wagashi tool set
These adorable Wagashi sweet moulds are the perfect tools for creating cute confections at home. They shape the sweets and bread into various cat shapes to delight your guests at your dinner table, or with a delicious cup of green tea.
You can pour the bread or sweet mixture into the mould, place it in the freezer to cool down and set, and then take out perfect Wagashi sweets. You can even use this to make sushi or just shape filling such as adzuki beans to then put inside a Wagashi sweet.
What’s included in the set
This set includes three different cat-shaped moulds to create a variety of different Wagashi sweets. Again, this is the same shop as the last three Wagashi tools, so this shows that they have a wide variety of different tools to make amazing sweets at home.
They also have a variety of other mould shapes including flowers, leaves and other interesting shapes. These tools are a little bit more expensive than other tools in this list, but you can rest assured that these tools are made from high-quality materials and are handmade in Japan.
Line these moulds with chocolate, and then a filling such as lemon curd or mocha, and encase it all in another layer of chocolate. Or you could fill the mould with sushi rice, and then top with salmon sashimi, or wrap with nori. There are so many possibilities using these Wagashi tools, not just making Japanese confections.
Japanese Wagashi Scissor Tools
This Japanese Wagashi scissor tools set includes two different types of scissors, with one that is ever so slightly longer than the other. These tools are used for cutting and shaping Japanese Wagashi confectionery into the shape that you desire, and for creating stunning designs to attach to your homemade sweets.
These tools are handy to have around, and as they are small and light, you can use them for precise cutting of either fondant or other confectionery ingredients. One of them is also more curved, whilst the other is straight, so you have different options for cutting Wagashi sweets.
High-quality materials
The tools are made of a high-quality material, steel, so that is why they are more expensive than other Wagashi scissor tools that you can find online. This makes them more precise and gives cleaner lines.
Other more affordable tools won’t give these clean lines, so it is well worth investing in these scissor tools to create the best Wagashi you have ever seen.
These Wagashi tools are used mainly for nerikiri sweets, which combines white bean paste with glutinous rice flour mocha. Make sure to serve your Japanese confections with a cup of hot matcha tea.
You can create intricate and stunning floral designs with these tools to wow your guests, or even just to appreciate yourself. Use them for creating flower petals, various types of leaves, or even cut patterns into your Wagashi sweets. The opportunities are endless.
Embossing Rolling Pin Wagashi Tools
This rolling pin can be used as a tool to create carvings or embossed shapes on Wagashi sweets such as mochi, or it can be used to decorate sweet breads before they go into the oven.
It’s handmade from wood, and there are two designs included: autumn leaves, and pinecones. Every embossing rolling pin is made to order and handmade in the US. They are also non-toxic, so you know that you aren’t adding any nasty chemicals to your cooking or baking.
How to use the tools
The pins have deep engravings to ensure that the shape embossed into the sweet or bread remains there throughout the entire baking or sweet making process. They also rotate by themselves, so it is easier to move the rolling pin tool over your chosen sweet or other baked goods.
This US shop also sells a lot of other handmade wooden goods, including an array of other baking tools that can be used for creating magnificent Wagashi sweets at home. They also have many other embossing rolling pins with different designs that are all laser engraved into the birch wood that is used to make them.
Why not emboss some fondant with these fun tools, then cut out the shapes and apply to your chosen sweet? Make sweet autumnal Wagashi sweets at home with these adorable rolling pin tools.
To ensure you make high-quality Wagashi sweets at home, you need the correct tools. Japanese sweets can be very delicate and highly detailed, so you need precise tools to create them.
Smaller tools are especially handy as you can get finer details and closer into the fondant or another ingredient you are making the Wagashi sweet with. You can make works of art at home with these special tools, and hopefully, the ones we have mentioned in this article have given you an idea of what tools are best for each type of Japanese sweet.
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