It had not rained for a while. The water level of the Rhine was low, and the trees nearby looked unusually dry. Some of the leaves were already curling at the edges.
It was still August, but the landscape was beginning to look like autumn.
This was the starting point for my latest seasonal nerikiri: an orange leaf folded around a ball of dark anko.
The idea behind this late-summer nerikiri
I did not begin with a traditional autumn motif or a specific Japanese seasonal reference. The idea came directly from what I had seen near the Rhine.
The trees did not yet have the deep red colours usually associated with autumn. Instead, the leaves looked dry and tired after the long period without rain. That was the stage I wanted to show: not quite summer and not quite autumn.
For the outer layer, I chose a warm orange colour with slightly darker shading. I shaped the nerikiri dough into a broad leaf and added fine veins to its surface.
Rather than leaving the leaf flat, I curled it around the anko filling. This gave it the appearance of a dry leaf folding inwards. The dark filling remains visible, becoming part of the finished design instead of being completely covered.
Expressing the season through wagashi
Nerikiri is a type of Japanese wagashi that can be coloured and shaped by hand. It is often used to express flowers, plants and other seasonal motifs.
What interests me is that seasonal wagashi does not have to show the most obvious symbol of a season. A late-summer sweet does not always need to look like a sunflower, and an autumn sweet does not need to be a red maple leaf.
The smaller changes between seasons can also become a design: the first dry leaf, a change in the light or a flower that has just started to fade.
This nerikiri reflects a very specific moment near Düsseldorf. Summer had not ended, but the lack of rain had already changed the landscape around the Rhine.
Making Japanese wagashi in Germany
Traditional wagashi is closely connected to the Japanese calendar, nature and seasonal customs. These references remain important when learning about Japanese sweets.
At the same time, I make wagashi while living in Germany. The weather, plants and timing of the seasons are not always the same as in Japan.
I therefore find it interesting to use Japanese wagashi techniques to express what I actually see around me. In this case, the inspiration was local: the low Rhine, the dry trees and the question of whether summer was already coming to an end.
The result is not simply an autumn leaf. It is my record of this particular late-summer landscape, made from nerikiri and anko.
Make seasonal nerikiri in Düsseldorf
Would you like to learn how seasonal ideas become Japanese sweets?
In my wagashi workshops in Düsseldorf, you will learn how to colour, fill and shape nerikiri by hand. We create motifs inspired by the current season and enjoy the finished wagashi together with matcha.
No previous experience is needed. You can view the upcoming workshops and events or contact Biyori to arrange a private wagashi workshop in Düsseldorf or Neuss.
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