Noshiume is a traditional Japanese confection from the Murayama region and other parts of Yamagata Prefecture. It is made by grinding Japanese plums into a smooth paste, blending the paste with agar, spreading it into a thin layer, and drying it.
Traditionally wrapped between pieces of bamboo leaf, Noshiume has a distinctive appearance and a refreshing sweet-and-sour flavor with the fragrant aroma of plums.
The origins of Noshiume are traditionally associated with Kobayashi Gentan, a physician who served the Yamagata domain. It is said that while studying in Nagasaki, he learned from Chinese residents how to prepare a secret medicinal formula using plums.
The original preparation was a syrup-like mixture made by cooking down plums and adding black sugar. It was reportedly used as a restorative medicinal preparation.
The method was later passed down through Gentan’s descendants. By the late Edo period, similar plum preparations were reportedly being made in households as remedies for stomach problems and as restorative medicines.
The existence of Noshiume is documented in historical writings. Recipes for a confection or preparation known as “Kanro-ume” appear in old texts such as Kaden Hihō Chōgōroku, as well as in writings associated with the famous haiku poet and literary figure Masaoka Shiki.
Today’s Noshiume is believed to have developed from techniques that have been passed down since the Edo period (1603–1868), preserving a distinctive part of Yamagata’s traditional confectionery heritage.
Earlier versions of Noshiume were also made using kudzu starch, but this presented challenges in terms of shelf life. As agar became more widely available and food-preservation and canning technologies developed, plum products could be preserved and enjoyed throughout the year.
These developments helped Noshiume evolve into the thin, dried confection familiar today.
Modern Noshiume is made by pouring the plum mixture into wooden frames fitted with glass panels and allowing it to dry for around two days.
This slow drying process produces the characteristic texture of Noshiume: thin, pleasantly elastic, and slightly chewy, with a concentrated plum flavor.
One confectionery associated with the development of Noshiume as a sweet is Noshiume Honpo Satoya, a long-established shop founded during the Bunsei era (1818–1830).
During the Edo period, Yamagata flourished as a town along pilgrimage routes used by travelers heading to the Dewa Sanzan, the Three Sacred Mountains of Dewa. Noshiume was sold as a confection to these travelers and reportedly became popular.
It later spread beyond Yamagata to other parts of Japan and was even exported to the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria, allowing this regional sweet to reach a much wider audience.
Noshiume is also closely connected to the agricultural and industrial history of Yamagata. During the Edo period, safflower was an important local specialty and was shipped in large quantities to Kyoto and Osaka.
Plum acid was used in the process of producing red dye from safflower, and this is believed to have encouraged the cultivation of plum trees alongside the region’s thriving safflower industry.
In this way, Noshiume reflects the ingenuity of local people who found ways to make effective use of regional resources. It is a specialty deeply connected to the everyday life, industries, and food culture of Yamagata.
Today, similar sweets known as “noshiume” are produced and sold in several other regions of Japan, including Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, Odawara, and Wakayama Prefecture.
The techniques used in Yamagata are said to have spread to other areas. Yamagata’s Noshiume, however, is recognized as a traditional confection with a particularly long history.
Having evolved from a traditional medicinal preparation into a confection, Noshiume has been passed down through centuries of Japanese history.
Its fragrant plum aroma, refreshing sweet-and-sour flavor, and distinctive chewy texture make it a unique specialty of Yamagata. Tasting Noshiume while learning about its Edo-period origins and its connection with the region’s industries and culture offers a fascinating way to experience the history of Yamagata through food.