Performers and Vendors Who Visited the Pit (Yama) in the Middle and Latter Half of the Meiji Era (1868-1912): The Rice Powder Sculptor and the Candy Sculptor
December 1965

Meiji Chu-koki Yama o Otozureshi Gei-shonin: Dango-zaiku, Ame-zaiku
[Performers and Vendors Who Visited the Pit (Yama) in the Middle and Latter Half of the Meiji Era (1868-1912): The Rice Powder Sculptor and the Candy Sculptor]
38.1 x 54.0 cm Painting in Watercolors and Ink

1 (Left Figure)
This craftsman made various sweet objects from balls of kneaded rice powder with five or more dyes of such colors as white, black, red, blue, yellow, and so on, which were beautiful. From the balls, he skillfully made dolls, flowers, fruits, and so on with only his fingers. (The handiworks shaped like bonsai trees were too expensive for children to buy.)

2 (Right Figure)
This craftsman or candy man used only amber-colored candy and each piece of work he made was later colored with red and blue dyes. He made his crafts by blowing the candy with a small pipe of thin bamboo in his mouth. He made two kinds of crafts, birds and gourds, both of which were popular among children in the pit. Each piece was sold for a 10-kin (10/1,000-yen) mine token equal to 1 sen.
Some people could make a living through the above easygoing craftsman businesses in the past. A piece of the above work could not satisfy a glutton, because each piece was made of only a little bit of material. Moreover those rice powder handicrafts were not so delicious.


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

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