"A unique traditional confectionery from Yamagata Prefecture characterized by its excellent storage life, portability, nutritional value, taste, and appearance."
-Ibuki Nishimura
@Photos by Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries "Japanese Traditional Food Guide"
The origins of Noshi Ume date back 400 years. Kobayashi Gentan, who was invited to serve as court physician to Mogami Yoshiaki, lord of the Yamagata domain, learned how to make a medicine using plums from a Chinese person while studying in Nagasaki. He recreated it at a pharmacy in Yamagata and the medicine had been passed down through the town. The first-generation Sato Matsubei founded the long-established Sato-ya in 1821 and completed Noshi Ume as a confectionery in the early Meiji period. Noshime was also sent to General Nogi Maresuke at the battlefield during the Russo-Japanese War. Today, in addition to the original Noshime, new products such as Noshi Ume syrup and sweet Noshime coated with sugar have been developed to adapt to the trend of the modern era.
@Photos by Noshi Ume Honten Sato-ya
A traditional confectionery, Noshi ume has unique characteristics with its chewy texture and sweet and sour flavor. Its amber color and translucent appearance are also beautiful. It serves as a tea ceremony confectionery and is also used as an ingredient for both Western and Japanese meals. It is made by boiling ripe plums with sugar, agar, and starch syrup, then pouring the mixture into glass molds and cooling it into a jelly-like consistency. It is then cut into rectangles and carefully wrapped in bamboo leaves. Since it is light, thin, and has a long storage life, Noshi Ume was highly valued by travelers visiting the Dewa Sanzan mountains as a souvenir.
@Photos by Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries "Japanese Traditional Food Guide"
[Noshi Ume Honpo Sato-ya] Amazing craftsmanship! A record of a tour of a Japanese confectionery factory by Hoobaru Yamagata (available in Japanese)
How to make Noshi Ume at home (available in Japanese)
[Noshi Ume Honpo Sato-ya] Manufacturing process of “Noshi Ume” at Noshi Ume Honpo Satoya in Yamagata
How to make Noshi Ume with using the rest plum wine (available in Japanese)
You can get Noshi Ume at Sato-ya, which has a long history of this traditional sweet. They have not only the original Noshi Ume but also Noshi Ume syrup (the picture on the right), which you can pour over ice cream or yogurt, or mix with alcohol and Ume Shigure covered with sugar. As for Noshi Ume syrup, you can try the summer seasonal limited version of Kaki gori (shaved ice) called "Noshi Ume Kaki gori."
Original Noshi Ume: 756 yen for five pieces
Noshi Ume syrup: 1296 yen for one bottle (205ml)
Ume Shigure: 756 yen for one package (140g)
There is no course for making Noshi Ume, but you can enjoy making other Japanese sweets such as Nerikiri. If you have an interest, please check it out!
@Photos by Noshi Ume Honten Sato-ya
Satoya Main Store
Address: 3-10-36 Tokamachi, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture, 990-0031
Tel: 023-622-3108
Open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Closed only on New Year's Day.
Parking for 12 cars.
Noshi Ume may be a matter of taste, but once you get hooked, you'll be completely captivated by its flavor. I love sweets made with ume (Japanese plum), so I love its taste with the unique texture, which is different from other Japanese sweets. It's sticky but not negatively, this texture and sweet-sour taste match really well. The clear amber color is beautiful, and it is a pleasure to look at and eat. Personally, I've only ever eaten it as a sweet, so I'd like to try using it in cooking meals next time. Additionally, as I read on Kiyokawaya's online shopping website, a woman who relied on Noshi Ume during their pregnancy, especially during the Tsuwari period (emesis gravidarum), due to its sweet and sour taste. Noshi Ume, which originated as a medicine made from ume, is gentle on the body and may be useful not only for pregnant women but also in hospital meals. The possibilities of Noshi Ume are unlimited.
Ibuki Nishimura
のし梅（のしうめ）｜にっぽん伝統食図鑑. (n.d.). 農林水産省.
https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/traditional-foods/menu/nosi_ume.html
玉屋総本店. (n.d.). のし梅物語.
http://www.noshiume.com/story.html
乃し梅本舗 佐藤屋 & Sato, S. (n.d.). 佐藤屋の完熟梅の菓子（乃し梅など）. 乃し梅本舗 佐藤屋.
https://satoya-matsubei.com/kanjuku-ume.html
のし梅 10枚入 山形銘菓 ｜清川屋 - お菓子. (n.d.). 清川屋.
https://www.kiyokawaya.com/c/gr5/gr100/31003
Noshi Ume. (n.d.). Noshi Ume ｜ Traditional Foods in Japan - Yamagata.
https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/market/dento_syoku/menu/nosi_ume.html