History of Akasaka Aono
My ancestors were born in Yanaka, Taito Ward. They not only sold their products in stores but also carried their goods and sold them on the streets. As the Meiji Restoration came, and the era of civilization and enlightenment began, “Aono” transitioned from selling simple candies to become a confectionery shop that sold sweets such as daifuku, botamochi, and yokan. The shop was relocated from Kanda to Gotanda. In this way, the predecessor of the present-day confectionery shop “Aono” was born.
After that, for 22 years, while selling in Gotanda, they continued to make business trips to the city center. However, when Akasaka started to develop as a shopping district, they relocated to the current location in Akasaka, Minato Ward, in the 32nd year of Meiji (1899), and the second generation, Ichitaro (Fumitaro), became the owner. At that time, there were many high-ranking officials’ mansions around Akasaka since the Meiji era. They would visit the service entrances of those mansions to take orders. This style of business, known as “goyoubiki” or personal visits, still remains as a strong policy of Aono to this day.
The signature product “Akasaka Mochi” was an invention of the third generation. Originally, it consisted of separate pieces of mochi and kinako (roasted soybean) powder. The traditional way of eating it was to take a piece of mochi and dip it in the kinako powder before consuming. This type of sweet was produced since the time of the first generation, but the innovation of the third generation was to combine them in one container and individually wrap them in furoshiki (wrapping cloth).
Although this type of product is now widespread, Aono was the first to introduce it. Another example is the “Hitotsubu,” a chestnut manju where a whole chestnut is used instead of anko (sweet bean paste) as a filling. This was also one of Aono’s pioneering creations.
Aono continued its business even during the wartime. Despite the sugar shortage at that time, they utilized their experience from their candy-making days and made various innovations in sweet ingredients. The manufacturing equipment was stored in a warehouse, and even though the surrounding area was completely destroyed in the air raids, Aono managed to escape the disaster and survived until the end of the war.
In 1947 (Showa 22), Aono became a corporation, and the third generation, Kanjirou, assumed the position of president.
In 1978 (Showa 53), the Akasaka Mitsuke store was opened in Akasaka 3-chome. Although it is a small store that only sells products, its convenient location next to the train station has attracted many customers. In 1989 (Heisei 1), the former head, Keitaro, assumed the position of the fourth generation. However, in 2000 (Heisei 12), Keitaro’s sudden passing led to the fifth generation taking over the business.
Having established a store in Akasaka for 100 years, both the town and the social landscape have changed with the times. However, throughout this period, Aono has preserved the traditional flavors while also striving to explore the sophisticated tastes unique to Akasaka. The passion for making Japanese sweets remains unwavering. We will continue to devote ourselves to ensuring the satisfaction of as many of our valued customers as possible.
