Le Cordon Bleu London were joined by amezaiku artist Shinri Tezuka for a demonstration of the Japanese traditional sugar art that he has become world-renowned for, in partnership with The Japanese Embassy in London, as part of their Japan-UK Season of Culture 2019-2020.
Founder & President of Tezuka Arts & Crafts Co. and leader of the amezaiku artist collective, Asakusa Amezaiku Ameshin, Shinri travelled all over Japan showcasing his candy sculpting skills at exhibitions and workshops, before opening his first store in 2013: Asakusa Amezaiku Ameshin. In 2015, a second shop was opened, also in Tokyo, leading to greater notoriety and now Shinri's operations have expanded to performing overseas, while still supervising the development of his eight apprentices.
Purportedly originating in the 8th Century, Amezaiku is created by heating candy before cutting, pulling and bending it with bare hands and traditional Japanese scissors. Considered one of the traditional Japanese arts crafts, the technique of Amezaiku has been passed down over generations, with no literature detailing the closely guarded processes and skills involved.