Urajiro Manjuu ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Yamanashi Prefecture

Urajiro Manjuu

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Main lore areas

Koshu City, Uenohara City
Main ingredients used

“Oyamabokuchi” leaves, “Joshinko” (=glutinous rice flour), Glutinous rice, Red bean paste

History/origin/related events

“Urajiro manjuu” is a traditional Japanese confectionary made using fresh leaves of the perennial plant “oyamabokuchi” (=synurus pungens), which grows in the sunny mountainous areas. The name “oyamabokuchi” comes from the fact that the hairs on the back of its leaves were used as tinder to start fires. In Japanese, tinder is “hokuchi” which is incorporated in the name of the plant. Also, the hairs on the back of the leaves make the back of the leaves white, which is how “urajiro manjuu” got its name. “Urajiro” literally means that the back is white. This confectionary is like kusa mochi (yomogi mochi) in texture. However, the taste of the leaves is not as strong as “yomogi” (=Japanese mugwort). In the past, the fibers extracted from the leaves were used as an ingredient to bind hoto (flat udon) noodles in the Yamato area of Koshu city. The same idea was used to make “urajiro manjuu.” In Makioka of Yamanashi city and the eastern parts of the prefecture, “urajiro dango,” made with “oyamabokuchi” (=synurus pungens) leaves, maize flour, and wheat flour, was eaten on March 3rd to celebrate “Hinamatsuri.”
Opportunities and times of eating habits

“Oyamabokuchi” (=synurus pungens) raw leaves are in season from mid to late May. They can be boiled and left to dry so that they can be eaten year-round with improved technologies in food preservation.
How to eat

From mid to late May, young and soft “oyamabokuchi” (=synurus pungens) leaves are harvested, washed, and cooked right away to remove the bitterness. “Joshinko” (=glutinous rice flour) is mixed with water and kneaded into a dough. “Mochi” (=Japanese rice cake) is pound with freshly steamed glutinous rice. The dough of “joshinko” (=glutinous rice flour) and fresh “oyamabokuchi” (=synurus pungens) leaves are added to the “mochi” (=Japanese rice cake) and mixed using a rice mortar. The red bean paste is wrapped in the freshly made dough.
Efforts for Preservation and Succession

(Outline of traditions, preservation societies, social media use, modern approaches for commercialization etc.)
Out of the 176 traditional recipes that Yamanashi prefecture is proactively communicating to younger generations, 47 are designated as “specially selected foods from Yamanashi,” and “urajiro manjuu” is one of them. At "Roadside Station Kaiyamato," visitors can taste "Urajiro Manju," "Zaru Urajiro Noodle" and other products made from "Oyamabokuchi(=synurus pungens)" leaves.

RECIPE

Ingredients (please adjust the quantity of the ingredients depending on the weather and temperature, only the names of the ingredients are listed below)

“Oyamabokuchi” (=synurus pungens) leaves
“Joshinko” (=glutinous rice flour)
Water
Glutinous rice
Red bean paste

How to cook

1. From mid to late May, young and soft “oyamabokuchi” (=synurus pungens) leaves are harvested, washed, and cooked right away to remove the bitterness.
2. “Joshinko” (=glutinous rice flour) is mixed with water and kneaded into a dough.
3. “Mochi” (=Japanese rice cake) is pound with freshly steamed glutinous rice and the leaves from step 1 and the dough from step 2 are added and mixed using a rice mortar.
4. The red bean paste is wrapped in the freshly made dough from step 3.

provider : "Yamanashi no Shoku Marugoto Taiken Handbook" (Yamanashi Local Food Whole Experience Handbook)

Recipes vary depending on the region and home.

Contact

Food Cultures Office, Overseas Market Development and Food Cultures Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tel:+81-3-3502-5516

Urajiro Manjuu ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Yamanashi Prefecture

Urajiro Manjuu

Main lore areas

Main ingredients used

History/origin/related events

Opportunities and times of eating habits

How to eat

Efforts for Preservation and Succession

RECIPE

Ingredients (please adjust the quantity of the ingredients depending on the weather and temperature, only the names of the ingredients are listed below)

How to cook