Japanese-style sweets called WAGASHI, have pre-modem origins, and they completed in the latter half of the seventeenth century. Today, most people call these famous sweets MEIKA. MEIKA is a rich blend of tradition and history. However, reconsideration from a historical viewpoint on the basis of Eric Hobsbawm’s concept of “The Invention of Tradition” leads me to believe that the MEIKA of today consisted in modem times. In particular, the National Industrial Exhibitions (1877|1903) held by the Meiji government for the promotion of industry played a role in the transfiguration of the sweets and the development of the MEIKA industry. CHOSEN-AME was the TOKI-KENJO of the Kumamoto clan of Hosokawa in the Edo period. After the Meiji period, the promotion of the industry was enhanced further through this exhibition and the prizes were used as a means of advertising the sweets. Subsequently, the sweets began to be used as army food. In addition, it became famous as Kumamoto MEIKA by having worked as Kiyomasa Kato with the source of history.

Kyushu is where potatoes and sweet potatoes were first imported, and even today, they are still being produced. The local recipes specific to the producing region can also be found. A questionnaire on the four kinds of tubers and roots with regard to the images, preferences, and consumption frequency of 101 kinds of recipes was administered in seven prefectures of Kyushu. The four kinds conjured the images of “everyday commodity,”“pleasant taste,” and “healthful food.” The preferences concerning the four kinds of tubers and roots were as follows: potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro, and glutinous yam. Preferences by age group were as follows: the age group 20-40 preferred sweet potatoes, and for the age group over 50, potatoes were the most preferred. Highly ranked recipes were as follows: nikujaga for potatoes, tempura for sweet potatoes, nimono for taro, and tororomeshi for glutinous yam.

The four kinds of tubers and roots were mainly used in limited recipes. Although the present eclectic style of cooking tubers and roots across the country, as seen in recipes, such as nikujaga and potato salad is taking root in Kyushu, the traditional cooking culture epitomized by dishes like tempura of sweet potato and nimono of taro has also been passed down.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the characteristics of confectionery in cookbooks for children in Japan, through a comparison of five books published in Japan, three in Australia, and two in the United States. The kinds of confectionery, ingredients, cooking equipment, and the cooking methods in these cookbooks are categorized and analyzed.

Among five cookbooks published during 1998-2004, it was found that in the Japanese ones, sugar, oil, and bean paste were mentioned more often as ingredients, and an oven and a blender were less used than in the Australian and American cookbooks.

In the cookbooks published in Japan during 1971-2004, fewer eggs, less sugar and less vanilla were used in the recipes, whereas more chocolate was used. Microwave cooking came into use in the cookbook published in 1996. Judging by the smaller number of ingredients and processes used to prepare a certain dish, the Japanese seemed to prefer simple and easy cooking.

In Toyama, culture of the food, which breathed faith into the life of the city, which in turn, supported the people’s existence, has been handed down from the old days to modem times. I reflected on the lifestyle of ancient people through this study and also investigated the confectionary wood patterns with a focus on the friendship and life of the people. As a result, I realized that there was considerable use of confectionary for Okesoku and Sinkankashi in Buddhist memorial services. In addition, there was considerable use of the wood patterns from 1954 to 1972.