Konpeitō

***Konpeitō*** (金平糖, コンペイトー), also spelled ***kompeitō***, is a Japanese sugar candy. They come in a variety of colors and flavors.

# Etymology

The word *konpeitō* comes from the Portuguese word *confeito* (*comfit*), which is a type of sugar candy.

The characters 金平糖 (lit. "golden flat sugar") are *ateji* selected mostly for their phonetic value and can also be written 金米糖 or 金餅糖.

# History

This technique for producing candy was introduced to Japan in the early 16th century by Portuguese traders. The infrastructure and refining technology of sugar had not yet been established in Japan. As *konpeitō* uses a lot of sugar, it was very rare and expensive as a result. In 1569, Luís Fróis, a Portuguese missionary, presented a glass flask of *konpeitō* to Oda Nobunaga in order to obtain the permit for mission work of Christianity.

By the Meiji period, *konpeitō* had already been culturally prescribed as one of the standards of Japanese sweets—the character Sugar Plum Fairy in *The Nutcracker* was translated into *konpeitō no sei* (金平糖の精, Fairy of *konpeitō*).

# Production

*Konpeitō* is usually 5 to 10 mm (0.20 to 0.39 in) in diameter and is produced by repeatedly coating a sugar syrup over a core consisting of a grain of coarse sugar. Originally, the core was a poppy seed. The process is somewhat similar to the *dragée* process, except the candies are produced by being ladled with sugar syrup and rotated slowly in a large heated gong-shaped tub called a "dora." Each grain of the core sugar grows over the course of several days with the continued rotating, heating, and application of syrup, becoming a ball covered with tiny bulges. It usually takes 7–13 days to make *konpeitō* and are even crafted by artisans today.

# Other uses

The Ministry of Defense's **Emergency Food Ration** tins and the Imperial Army’s **Military Combat Ration** tins in Japan both contain *Konpeito* candies, in addition to hard tack bread/biscuits and other food items. While the candies aid in the calorie content necessary for activities, it also helps promote the creation of saliva to make it easier to eat the dry bread.

According to the Ministry of Defense 's specifications, "Each white emergency ration bag will contain 150g of small dry bread, with 8 whites, 3 reds, 2 yellows, 2 greens as standard, amounting to 15g or more to be put in the bag.” It is thought that providing the 'colorful and enjoyable' *Konpeito* will also reduce the stress that would be experienced at times during a disaster.

*Konpeito* is often used for celebrations such as marriage and childbirth, in elaborate candy boxes called bonbonniere (ボンボニエール), from the French *bonbonnière*, meaning *candy box*. It is given as a gift for prayers at shrines and temples. The practice of giving bonbonniere dates back to the commemoration ceremony of the Meiji Constitution in 1889 and has since been thought to be a symbol of good luck. The Japanese Imperial Family has used this gift as the official ‘Welcome’ gift continuously for over 130 years.

# Popular references

The Star Bits in *Super Mario Galaxy* and its sequel, the Gratitude Crystals in *The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword*, and Minior, as well as Max Revives (and to a lesser extent, Revives) and Cosmog's star candies from the *Pokémon* series, are all based on these candies. *Super Mario RPG* also features it as an attack item that was localized as "Rock Candy". They can also be seen in the 2001 Japanese animated film *Spirited Away*, as well as in various anime, such as *Bleach*, *Hamtaro*, *Wish Upon the Pleiades*, *Sailor Moon*, *Kobato*, *Happy Sugar Life*, and *Stellvia*.

They appear as a consumable item in *Touken Ranbu*; consuming one raises a character's experience points by a small amount.

They feature as a key element in the 2017 film *Honnōji Hotel*.

In the Anime *Kobato*, the sweet and naïve Hanato Kobato comes to Earth on a mission to collect and fill a bottle with "konpeito", which appear after healing a person's heart that is suffering.

In Season 1 of *Hamtaro*, Laura introduces Hamtaro to konpeito-shaped candies called Diamonds of Sugar. Boss says that the candies are the same things as stars in the sky. The Ham-Hams want to catch the supposed Diamonds of Sugar from the sky, but they're unaware of the stars' actual distance from Earth until they spot a shooting star. Meanwhile, Laura and Kana's families are having a garden party and watch the stars too.

In the anime *Pokémon Sun* and *Pokémon Sun and Moon*, Nebby's favorite food as a Cosmog is the Japanese star-shaped candy konpeito.

In the web-series *Bee and Puppycat*, Bee's dadbox makes a candy that bears a striking resemblance to the sugary treat.

In *Animal Crossing: New Horizons*, Star Fragments resemble the candy.

# See also

* Japanese words from Portuguese
* Rock candy
* *Wagashi*