ABOUT THE MAKER
Shuka | 種菓 | Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture
SHUKA is led by Takeshi Kondo, the fourth-generation successor to a Kyoto confectionery family established in 1926. Originally founded as a maker of amanatto (sugar-preserved beans), the business remained largely wholesale for decades - quiet, consistent, and rooted in tradition.
Kondo did not initially plan to inherit the craft. After gaining experience outside the family business, he returned with a different lens - approaching confectionery not just as tradition, but as a form of research. Drawing from a background in science and study, he began translating inherited techniques into something measurable, refining variables like sugar, moisture, and temperature with precision.
What emerged is not a break from lineage, but a continuation through reinterpretation. Under his direction, the family’s century-old practice evolves into SHUKA, seed-based confections that honour both Japanese beans and global ingredients, expanding what the craft can be while staying anchored in its origin.
At its core, SHUKA reflects a generational dialogue: knowledge passed down, questioned, and quietly reshaped—so the family craft can continue forward, rather than simply remain.
